I love Mexican and Tex-Mex food. And a tart margarita on the rocks to go with it. So I was determined to come up with a non-alcoholic version. This one relies on a couple specialized bar ingredients to bring some complexity to the flavors: orange blossom water and orange bitters. Both ingredients are fairly easy to find at a well-stocked liquor store or gourmet market (or on Amazon, of course).

My thoughts on this cocktail? It’s a decent alternative to a margarita! Tart enough, bitter enough, salty enough, and quite refreshing. I don’t care for sweet margaritas, so this version has no sweetener added. If you like yours sweet, add a teaspoon or two of agave syrup before topping off with sparkling water.

Marguerite

• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 oz orange blossom water
• Three dashes orange bitters
• Unsweetened orange-flavored sparkling water (such as LaCroix)
• Blood Orange salt
• Lime for garnish

Moisten the rim of a rocks glass with a lime wedge, and coat the rim with blood orange salt (or other coarse salt). Fill the glass with ice. Add the lime juice, blossom water, and bitters, then top off with sparkling water. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wheel.

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