Strawberry Basil Margarita

This Strawberry Basil Margarita, a variation on the original, is the perfect balance of sweet, tart, boozy, and refreshing! Cheers!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there! I hope today you feel loved and appreciated, not just today, but every day! And while the day is often filled with love and joy, this is also a reminder to those that might be struggling with infertility or for other reasons, you’re not alone. Sending all the love to those that might find today, Mother’s Day, a hard day to celebrate!

How are you celebrating your mom today? Anyone making a breakfast in bed? If you are, I have a few recipes that are perfect for the occasion: Easy Vegetable Frittata, Easy French Toast, Foolproof Quiche, or might I suggest Diner Pancakes. All of these would be equally impressive by the way. In need of a fancy drink? Here are a few fancy coffee/tea drinks: Pistachio Latte, Iced Matcha Latte, and Maple Vanilla Cold Brew. If mom is in need of an alcoholic drink, covered there as well: Champagne Sorbet Cocktail or the Espresso Martini. And well, if you’re going out to eat, god speed to you all, it’s going to be busy out there!

Creating recipes has been my outlet as of recent. Knowing Mother’s Day was right around the corner, I wanted to create a new drink recipe that was light and refreshing but also a spin on a traditional drink. Enter this Strawberry Basil Margarita. Basil, because my herbs are growing quite well, and also because my Blood Orange Gin Sour featured sage and that combo with the juice from the orange muddled together with the sage was perfection. Although this combo here might just beat that, but only because it’s my most recent concoction. Cheer and again, Happy Mother’s Day!

Ingredients: Strawberry Basil Margarita

1. Strawberries– While strawberries are out of season here in Miami they are in season in other areas. Perfect summertime drink coming at you! Not to mention strawberries might not be the typical fruit you’d think to use the juice from. Might be biased here, but the color alone is stunning. Strawberries are a perfect combination with the basil.
2. Basil: Mint or basil would work quite well here. Using basil because I wanted to be different but also because my basil is growing quite well in my garden. Love being able to go out and pick a few leaves when I need it! Could you leave the basil out? You could, but believe me when I say it adds that extra flavor you’re going to want!
3. Lime Juice – Traditional margaritas are tequila, triple sec (or Cointreau) and lime juice. Lemon juice would be too sour (for me) but in a pinch you could use a little if your limes are super dry and not able to give much juice. Microwave for 20 seconds to help draw the juice out.
4. Simple Syrup – Purists will say that a margarita doesn’t need sugar if the tequila is high quality. Using just a tad here doesn’t make it overly sweet, however, it does also depend on your strawberries as well. You can always leave it out and add it after if needed. That’s the beauty of a simple syrup, it mixes up quite easily.
5. Tequila – High quality tequila is what you’re looking for here. While I’m not a big tequila drinker, the key really here is using a high quality one to provide the best flavor. Promise, with the mix of the other flavors here this creates a perfect blend. Not traditional, but a great spin on the original.
6. Cointreau – is a type of triple sec, again mixed in to a traditional margarita. Cointreau is an orange liquor that helps balance out the tequila (even if it is high quality, it makes it smoother). If you don’t have Cointreau, you could use Grand Marnier in a pinch, but know that is a tad stronger in flavor. Add just a tad less if using Grand Marnier.

How To Make This Strawberry Basil Margarita

This Strawberry Basil Margarita is a perfect spin on the original, using fresh fruit and herbs to marry together and create a flavor explosion. Doubt that basil and strawberries go together? Muddle these two together and you’ll see how great they are together!

1. Muddle the strawberries and basil: In a shaker, muddle the strawberries, basil, simple syrup, and lime juice. Not sure how to muddle or don’t have a muddler? This article is super helpful in explaining all you need to know about ‘how to muddle‘.
2. Add the alcohol. Mix in your tequila and Cointreau and add some ice to fill the shaker. Shake until well-chilled.
3. Garnish: Run a lime wedge around the outer rim of your glass and dip the rim in salt and/or a mix of sugar. Extra step, but to me helps make the margarita.
4. Strain: Using a strainer, pour the margarita into your glass. Fill the glass with some ice if you prefer or leave as is.
5. Extras: Make a pretty garnish using a lime wheel, basil leaf and strawberry. Or keep it simple and add a lime wedge to the edge of the glass. See mine below – I might have gotten a little fancy for Mother’s Day. Sure is pretty though.

OTHER DRINK RECIPES:

• Champagne Sorbet Cocktail
• Blood Orange Gin Sour
• Espresso Martini
• Bourbon Smash

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