If you were paying attention to The Weather Channel at all last week, you know that South Florida was supposed to be hammered by wind and rain today due to the lovely Hurricane Erika.
However, in typical Florida fashion, the weather changed. Instead of torrential downpours and 65 mph winds, we were greeted with a day like this:
Those living other places besides the East Coast never understand why we Floridians are taken by surprise when hit by a hurricane.
“You knew for a week it was coming!” they say. “How could you not have stocked up on toilet paper and bottled water? What about canned goods?”
Erika is a prime example of our refusal to freak out until the very. last. minute. If we wait long enough, pray hard enough, the hurricane will simply melt away.
Then, when it still comes barreling at us with 185 mph winds, we Floridians leap into panic mode, wait in hour-long lines to fill our cars at the nearest gas station, and ration our cans of Spaghetti-O’s, bags of coffee, and bottles of booze.
My family was prepared for Erika. We didn’t put up our shutters but we did plan out our menu. We were ready for a darn good hurricane party. And a hurricane party is incomplete without margaritas.
Below is my mom’s recipe for fresh, homemade margaritas (no store-bought mix here!). You will need a Vitamix or a similar blender for best results. During a hurricane, you will need a generator.
As was our case yesterday, these margaritas also work well without a hurricane. I think this guy would agree:
Mom’s Hurricane Party Margaritas
Start with tequila. Any brand will do. I recommend saving the good stuff for at least a Category 4 storm. We lost the actual written-out recipe, so we eyeballed our measurements. Pour into the blender the amount that looks good to you.
Add Grand Marnier to the blender. This measurement was also eyeballed. Once again, it’s up to you.
Next, add a half cup of organic cane sugar to the blender. You can adjust the amount of sugar based on your preference of margarita sweetness. I like mine extra saccharine.
Here comes the fun part: Peel the skin of one lime, one orange, and one lemon.
Add the naked fruit (whole) to the blender and fill to the top with ice. The more ice, the thicker your margarita. Blend until smooth. Serve in margarita glasses with salted rims. Serves 4 – 5.
Even though we didn’t ride out Hurricane Erika this weekend, we did get some stormy weather. Here is my family’s front yard in the rain, complete with our own replica of the Jupiter Lighthouse:
I hope you enjoy these margaritas as much as we did. For those Northerners who wish to experience a true hurricane party, serve your margaritas with the A/C off, the lights out, and the local news station playing on a battery-powered radio. The drinks pair well with canned tuna, cold soup, and melted ice cream straight from the carton.
Drink up!
xoxo,
E
JUP Girl 
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