Strawberry Margarita
We’re in full on strawberry season here and while I could probably just sit down and eat them all out of the basket without worry, we’ve been finding other ways to use the scrumptious seasonal fruit. I love slicing them into our salads, but now I’m adding them into strawberry margaritas – on the rocks, of course (but I’m also sharing how to make frozen strawberry margaritas)!
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Strawberry Margarita
Beyond just your classic margarita (which my husband and I have nailed to our tastes), a strawberry margarita seems to be the next most popular kind of margarita – though the options are increasing and I’m here for it.
Strawberries are deliciously sweet, a little tangy, and a yummy addition to tequila and citrus juice. Anytime you’re cooking with produce, you’ll have to adjust to taste because the fruits and veggies will have stronger or weaker flavors and, in the case of strawberries, more and less sweetness.
In the recipe for a homemade strawberry margarita below, you’ll see that simple syrup is optional. This is partly because all of our tastes are different but also because the sweetness of fresh berries can vary greatly. If your berries aren’t as sweet, you’ll want to add some simple syrup.
I do try to keep cocktails from being too sweet, however. They might taste good, but I also find that I drink them down faster, so a stronger more spirit-forward flavor keeps me enjoying one drink for longer! Getting older me usually benefits from this kind of moderation! ADULTING!
Want the sweetest and darkest red strawberries? Go to the farmers market. I know they’re usually more expensive, but I think they’re truly worth it. There’s little else as amazing as a truly ripe farmers market strawberry.
Why are they tastier? Berries stop ripening the moment they’re picked, so berries that have to travel farther are usually picked a little early to last the transportation and shelving time before you buy them. Often berries at the farmers market are picked within a day or a few days, so they can be picked at their most ripe stage.
Strawberry Margarita on the Rocks
I gave up drinking and making frozen margaritas years ago and only do margaritas on the rocks now. I hated cleaning the blender; I hated the sound of the blender; and most of all I hated cleaning the blender. I also usually get a brain freeze with a frozen margarita – something I never get with it on the rocks.
The recipe below does use a small food processor to most easily juice the strawberries. You can absolutely muddle the berries and strain the juice; I’ve just found that a mini blender makes it a much easier process.
If you want to this into a frozen strawberry margarita, use the same recipe below, just add extra ice. Many recipes use frozen strawberries instead of fresh as well, giving you more iciness. If you freeze your berries (or use frozen strawberries) you don’t need the extra ice.
Small frozen margarita hack – cut the strawberries up a bit before freezing them, so they blend up faster and more easily!
If you love margs on the rocks too, then you have to try this raspberry margarita and this mango margarita – I’m basically just slowly building a seasonal margarita recipe collection and I’m not even a little sad about it!!
Strawberry Margarita Recipe
A quick not here before you glance at the ingredients and wonder about the lemon juice. Lemon juice pairs really nicely with strawberries, but you can absolutely use lime juice. It’ll have a slightly different flavor but still very delicious.
- fresh strawberries
- water
- tequila blanco (silver tequila)
- Cointreau
- fresh lemon juice
- Simple syrup to taste, optional
- Salt for rim, if desired
- Strawberries for garnish
How to Make a Strawberry Margarita
Juice the strawberries
Add strawberries and water to a small blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup for the spout). Let rest for 5 minutes, then gently stir to separate the puree from some of the seeds. Transfer the puree to a cocktail shaker.
Add the Ingredients & Shake
Add the tequila, Cointreau, and lemon juice to the shaker. Add a handful of ice. Shake until chilled – about 20 seconds.
Salt Rim The Glass & Serve
A salt rim is a delicious counterpart to a strawberry margarita. If you don’t love a salt rim, but like the looks, just do a partial salted rim. A tajin rim would also be yummy!
Add ice to the glass and strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a half strawberry. We also like to use a lemon or lime wedge to garnish.
Enjoy
Yep. The final step – enjoy your strawberry margarita on the rocks (and then leave a comment below)! 😉
Triple Sec vs. Cointreau
A lot of people confuse triple sec and cointreau. Or they don’t know what they are. Triple sec generally refers to an orange liqueur. Cointreau is a well-known, commonly found orange liqueur brand.
When my husband and I started to have margaritas more often, we soon discovered that the difference between a good margarita and a ‘bad’ one was the tequila you use and the orange liqueur you use. So now we only use Cointreau – the flavor is better and it’s certainly a higher quality of alcohol.
How to Salt Rim a Glass
There are a few ways to salt rim a glass. The bar method is to use a clean, damp towel to dampen the rim of the glass and then dip it into salt (or sugar or tajin). They often have rimming dishes for ease.
At home, you can use a small plate or bowl to fill with salt and dip your glass into it.
We like to use lime wedges (or lemon) to dampen the rim – it seems to give just the right dampness to stick to the salt. Then we dip into a plate or rimming dish (a birthday present to my husband a few years ago).
You can play around with the salt rim too. Do a light rim all the way around the glass. Do a partial rim if the salt is too much. A friend of my recently showed us how she uses the lime wedge to dampen a wide area on just one side of the glass and then rolls the side of the glass on the plate. It’s pretty and easy.
Seasonal Strawberry Recipes
Ok. Now that you have this strawberry margarita on the rocks recipe, you need some other good strawberry recipes because the berry season is just to fabulous not to take full advantage!!
STRAWBERRY MARGARITA
Equipment
- small food processor
Ingredients
- 8 ounces strawberries* hulled
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 ounces tequila blanco
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
- Simple syrup to taste optional
- Salt for rim if desired
- Strawberries for garnish
Instructions
- Add the strawberries and water to a small blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a fine mesh colander set over a bowl. Let rest for 5 minutes, then gently stir to separate the puree from some of the seeds. Transfer the puree to a cocktail shaker.
- Add the tequila, Cointreau, and lemon juice to the shaker. Add a handful of ice. Shake until chilled, about 20 seconds.
- Salt the rim of two serving glasses (about 10 ounces in size) if desired. Fill each glass with ice. Strain the cocktail into each glass. Garnish with strawberries and serve.
Notes
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