In a ranking of humankind’s greatest inventions, margaritas—refreshing, bright, boozy, and cooling—are high on my list! I don’t like margaritas that are too sweet. I like a margarita with a bit of tartness. When I was in Mexico, I sampled different kinds of tequilas and fell in love with an artisan-crafted tequila called reposado. It's subtle, distinctive, and 100% blue agave tequila distilled by Melly Barajas at her small distillery in Valle de Guadalupe in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The bottles of reposado tequila are hand blown with recycled Mexican glass in Tonolá, an hour away from the distillery. That, plus passion fruit, is the best combination ever!

Passion fruit is one of my favorite foods from childhood since it’s grown locally in Taiwan. It is a pepo—a type of berry—either orange or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm juicy interior filled with seeds. Fresh passion fruit is sweet and aromatic. I love it! Every spring, I plant orange mint and pineapple sage in my herb garden. Those come handy when I need to make a mint simple syrup. My margaritas are a tangy mix of passion fruit, tequila, and the magical combination of orange mint and pineapple sage. It’s delicious!