Your guests will be surprised and delighted when you tell them that you are going to make dragon fruit margaritas tonight.
Good cocktail recipes can sometimes contain unusual ingredients. Using them turns a normal drink into something really special.
Are you a margarita lover? This tangy Mexican drink has dozens of varieties and the flavor of the drink can change depending on what else you add to the normal margarita recipe.
When the extra ingredient is dragon fruit, you know that you are in for something really special!
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Margaritas are not the only popular Mexican drink that uses tequila. Check out these cocktails for other drinks one use tequila.
What is a dragon fruit plant?
Dragon fruits grow on a form of cactus that is known as the Honolulu queen. The flowers on the cactus only open at night. The plant is native to southern Mexico and central America but today, it is grown all over the world.
Dragon fruit is also called strawberry pear. Other names for the cactus are pitaya, and pitahaya.
The two most common types of dragon fruit have bright, red skin with green scales that resemble a dragon – which is where the name comes from.
The dragon fruit comes in three colors, two having pink skin with either white or pink flesh and the other having a yellow skin with white flesh. All have lots of seeds on the flesh inside the skin.
Using dragon fruit in drinks
If you have never used dragon fruit, you are in for a treat. When you cut into the bright pink outer shape, you’ll be stunned to see the the inside is either pure white or a deep pink with all those tiny seeds in it.
What a surprise!
Dragon fruit taste is quite bland compared to its wonderfully exotic looking outside. It is somewhat similar to a pear or a melon but very little tartness. This bland flavor makes it idea for a margarita.
You can eat a dragon fruit just by slicing it and make a juice out of it by putting the flesh and seeds through your juicer and then straining to remove the seed remnants.
The red flesh variety makes a more vibrant looking juice and is the one that we are using to make our margarita today.
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Where to buy dragon fruit
This exotic fruit used to be quite hard to find and very expensive. It still is rather pricy depending on where you can find it but it’s becoming more readily available. Amazon has it for sale, (affiliate link) and many Whole Foods locations have the cut up fruit for smoothies as well as the whole fruit. Asian markets also sell it.
Dragon fruit calories are on the lighter side for a fruit. A 3 1/2 ounce serving of the fruit has only 60 calories. Made into this margarita, the drink has 197 calories.
Dragon Fruit Margaritas
Adding this fruit to a margarita gives it a beautiful red color and a delightful taste. The fruit is also high in antioxidants.
To make a dragonfruit margarita, place the dragon fruit in a bowl and mix it to combine the pulp and seeds. Add the mixture to a blender with tequila, and triple sec, as well as ice, lime juice and orange juice and puree until smooth.
Coat the rim of a glass with lime and turn it upside down to add salt to the rim. Pour the dragon fruit margarita into the glass and enjoy.
This exotic margarita recipe is perfect for Cinco de Mayo which is in just a few weeks. Why not try something a bit unusual this year?
For another delicious Patron drink, try this Patron Pineapple Cocktail. It is sweet and tart and super easy to make.
Admin Note: This recipe first appeared on my blog in December of 2013. I have updated the post to add more information about the dragon fruit plant and to add the nutritional info and more photos.
Dragon Fruit Margaritas
Using dragon fruit in this margarita elevates it to a whole new experience.
Ingredients
- 6 oz Patron silver Tequila
- 4 oz triple sec
- 1 medium sized ‘RED JIANA’ Dragon fruit
- 4 oz lime juice
- 1 oz Orange juice
- 1/2 tsp salt and lime wedges
Instructions
Notes
Nutritional information is approximate depending on the variety of alcohol and size of the dragon fruit used.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 197.4Total Fat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.0gUnsaturated Fat: 0.0gCholesterol: 0.0mgSodium: 292.6mgCarbohydrates: 9.9gFiber: 1.1gSugar: 1.2gProtein: 4.4g