Strawberry Margarita
Overview
Muddle a strawberry into pretty much any shaken classic cocktail and you’ve got yourself a winner. Whiskey Sour, Daiquiri, French 75, Tom Collins, Gimlet, and arguably the most popular example, the Margarita (though with a strong challenge from the Daiquiri). Only in the case of the Strawberry Margarita, for best results, the recipe needs a bit of tweaking.
It's not that a classic Margarita with a muddled strawberry is bad drink, far from it, but it could be better. The Cointreau, or whatever orange liqueur you use, competes with the strawberry for dominant fruit flavor, which muddies the drink. So if you use plain simple syrup, which adds no flavor, the drink is more focused and satisfying overall. As always when working with strawberries, you may need to add a touch more simple syrup to balance things out if they are on the tart side.
This recipe is also excellent with jalapeño-infused tequila which adds a spicy layer of deliciousness. And if you like that, you should try the Red & the Black , a strawberry margarita with black pepper syrup.
Recipe
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2 oz blanco tequila (substitute jalapeño tequila for some heat)
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¾ oz lime juice
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¾ oz simple syrup (or 1 oz if the strawberries are tart)
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1-2 strawberries
Muddle the strawberries in simple syrup. Add remaining ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice that has been rimmed with salt (optional), or serve straight up if you prefer. Garnish with a halved strawberry, if you like, on the rim. I think it's nice to leave the green leaves on.
If you make a Strawberry Margarita,
let me see! Tag a photo with #socialhourcocktails on Instagram.