Sweet, vegetal, and aromatic, fresh fennel offers a vibrant yet delicate expression of anise that is beloved by many. Native to the Mediterranean basin, fennel is expressed in regional cuisine through a myriad of mediums. With its bulb rooted into the soil, long stringy fronds blossom from its stems, offering beautiful flowers with pollen that deliver a deeply floral and concentrated burst of the plant’s distinctive taste in the spring, and dropping equally potent, yet more earthy seeds in the fall. 

Cold-pressed into a fresh, light juice, fennel adds a deliciously botanical quality to this cocktail. Sweetened with bright lemon blossom honey and a fresh slice of cucumber, it’s the perfect drink for a warm spring day. 

SICILIAN MARGARITA 

Makes 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS

▢ 2 oz tequila 
▢ 1 oz fennel juice
▢ 1 oz lime juice 
▢ 1 tbsp Lemon Blossom Honey simple syrup 
▢ Sprinkle of Wild Foraged Fennel Pollen
▢ Slice of cucumber 

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the lemon blossom honey simple syrup by adding 1/4 cup honey with 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and heating over low heat, stirring constantly until the honey has dissolved. Cool completely. 
2. Juice the fennel by adding 1 bulb of fennel to a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend until liquified, and strain into a container. 
3. Fill a highball with ice. 
4. Add 2 oz tequila, 1 oz fennel juice, 1 oz lime juice, and 1 tbsp lemon blossom simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is cold. Strain into the highball over ice. Dust with fennel pollen and serve with a slice of fresh cucumber. 
5. Salute.