Summer is a great time to play with verdita. If you're not familiar with this fruity, herbal "green juice-esque" refresher, then let me give you a quick rundown.
Verdita is a vibrant, herbaceous shot typically enjoyed as a chaser while sipping tequila. The name "verdita" translates to "little green" in Spanish, reflecting its vivid green color. It is made from a blend of fresh herbs, citrus juice, and sometimes pineapple juice. Here’s a basic recipe for verdita:
Ingredients
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of parsley
1 jalapeño pepper (seeded, for less heat)
1 cup pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime
A pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare the Herbs: Rinse the cilantro, mint, and parsley thoroughly.
Blend: In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, parsley, jalapeño, pineapple juice, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
Strain (optional): For a smoother texture, you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
Chill: Refrigerate the verdita for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve: Serve the verdita as a shot alongside a shot of tequila. Sip the tequila, then chase it with the verdita.
Because we can take some liberties in our verdita, I went ahead and bought some Trader Joe's green juice to add some extra depth to mine. The result was fantastic! You can see a video of me making the verdita on my Instagram. Here's my recipe:
Ingredients
6 slices jalapeño pepper (I keep the seeds for heat)
1 small handful of cilantro
6 to 10 mint leaves (depending on size and freshness)
Juice of 1 lime
6 oz Trader Joe's cold pressed green juice
6 oz Trader Joe's cold pressed pineapple juice
A few drops of saline solution (or 1 pinch of salt)
Because we're keeping this simple, I chose to muddle the ingredients rather than pull out my blender. Here's the instructions:
Instructions
Ingredients to Muddle: Add the jalapeno, mint, cilantro, and lime juice to your mixing glass. Muddle thoroughly.
Add the Juices: Add the cold pressed pineapple juice and green juice to your muddled ingredients.
Aerate the Mix: Gently roll or throw the mixture back and forth to fully incorporate and aerate the verdita.
Strain, Bottle, Refrigerate: Pass the verdita into a fine-strainer and into your bottle.
Chill: Refrigerate the verdita for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve: Serve the verdita as a shot alongside a shot of tequila. Sip the tequila, then chase it with the verdita.
Now that we have our verdita, let's make our cocktail! (you can find a video of making this cocktail on my Instagram)
Ingredients
1/2 oz 1:1 honey syrup
3/4 oz lime juice
2 oz verdita
2 oz blanco tequila
Top with Lagunita's hopped sparkling water (also available at Trader Joe's)
Instructions
First, rim a glass with Trader Joe's lime-chili salt and set aside to use later.
Add all ingredients except the hopped sparkling water to a shaker.
Add ice and do a short shake for around 4 - 6 seconds.
Add about 1 1/2 oz to 2 oz. of Lagunitas hopped sparkling water to your lime/chili salt rimmed glass.
Strain your cocktail from your shaker into your lime-chili salt rimmed glass into the hopped sparkling water to fully incorporate.
Add ice and garnish with a mint bouquet.
Verdita Shopping List
Jalapeno(s)
Mint
Cilantro
Lime(s)
Trader Joe's cold pressed pineapple juice
Trader Joe's cold pressed green juice
Salt
Cocktail Shopping List
Blanco tequila (Trader Joe's brand will work great. If you live in a state that doesn't allow liquor sales in grocery stores, you'll have to pick this up separately)
Lime(s)
Honey
Trader Joe's lime-chili salt
Lagunita's hopped sparkling water
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