Frozen Melon Margarita

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

Jimmy Buffet

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When I think of Jimmy Buffet, I think of margaritas. When I think of margaritas, I think of tequila. July 24 is National Tequila Day. So, in honor of this auspicious occasion, I’m going out on a limb and am making a frozen melon margarita. After all, with tequila anything goes!

But first, let’s talk melons!

The gold standard for melons comes from “Kiss Melons.” Grown in Yuma, Arizona and in Western Fresno County, their seeds are meticulously planted and lovingly cultivated using generations of time-honored tradition and experience. Each melon season for Kiss Melons is akin to a labor of love, producing yet another generation of luscious, mouth-watering fruit to taste on your lips!

All Kiss Melons are harvested at peak ripeness for optimal flavor. So, when shopping for these varieties of melons, they may not have a traditional aroma to them. Don’t be fooled! Their flavor comes from the flesh, so allowing the fruit to reach its final stages of maturity results in maximum compounds that develop and create the exquisite flavor.  If there are some brown spots on the skin, all the better; the spots just indicate that the sugars inside the melon have concentrated so that your melon will be an even sweeter KISS on your lips.

You will find a variety of succulent melons in your grocery store: watermelons, cantaloupes, and honeydews, though none of these appear within the family of Kiss Melons. Kiss Melons are an Asian specialty, unique and unrelated to cantaloupes. Within the “Kiss” Family, there are:

• Sugar Kiss: Super sweet and melts on your tongue like a sugar cube
• Kiss Limon: A delicious combination of sweet and tart with citrus overtones
• Summer Kiss: Similar to a honeydew melon inside, it has a more subtle taste that will complement more food combinations.
• Honey Kiss: Oval in shape and long-lasting in the refrigerator, these are among the most refreshing of all Kiss varieties.

All Kiss Melons are non-GMO.

Now is the prime-time to enjoy these beauties. Melons are perfect in any number of recipes:

• Melon Mimosa Popsicles
• Simply sliced and presented with imported Prosciutto
• Summer Melon Salad
• Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honeydew Salsa
• Melon Sorbet

And now, we get to the margaritas! A super-simple way to make a classic melon margarita is to use a Kiss Limon melon, blended with tequila, salt and triple sec. It makes a nice Kiss on the lips.

Or . . . straight Kiss Limon infused tequila—a Kiss that will leave stars in your eyes!

Or . . . in a frozen margarita! Think of this one as an oozy-boozy slushy. Refreshing. Fruity. Sweet. Sublime. And with the infusion of tequila, it’s Pool Party Sip-Worthy. 

Wow!

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