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Posts tagged ‘basil’

Summer cocktail: strawberry basil margarita (weekend time!)

Sometimes, you just need something sweet and fresh and boozy. Weekend time!

strawbasil_marg

Two-thirds of your normal margarita equation, together with some fresh garden ingredients. Weekend time!

I also tested this cocktail with gin and lemon juice instead of tequila and lime, and found that version far too sweet and two-dimensional. The beauty of this recipe is that the slightly-smoky flavor of the tequila really shines here among the sweetness of the berries (which also cushion tequilas vegetal agave flavors in a really nice way). I now totally see why strawberry is such a popular flavor for those slushy “margarita”-type things they serve in restaurants.

Enough margarita snobbery for the moment. It’s weekend time!

strawberries

Strawberry basil margarita

Makes 1, easily scalable

  • 3 large strawberries, stem removed and quartered (plus more for garnish, if desired)
  • 3 large basil leaves, roughly chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
  • 2 tsp. sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 ounces tequila
  • 1 ounce lime juice

– Sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp. sugar over the quartered strawberries in a small bowl or cup. Let sit for at least 15 minutes so the berries release juice.  Smash with a muddler, a fork, or the bottom of a smaller bowl or glass until mainly liquid with chunks of berries.

– In the bottom of a shaker, muddle together the basil and the remaining 1/2 tsp. sugar. Grind until basil is torn into bits.

– Add mashed strawberry mixture, tequila, and lime juice to the shaker. Fill at least halfway with ice, then shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  If there’s a good amount of fruit and juice left in the shaker, spoon into the glass as desired. (The less the strawberries are mashed, the more might stay behind in the shaker.)

Summer cocktail: Basil gimlet

Basil_gimlet

We were able to revel in a few blissful weeks of real summer before heading out on the trip we’re currently on (look at me, posting from other states! I’m going to make a t-shirt that says: Not a blogger who writes posts ahead of time and sets them to publish later to look impressive.). A real, though excessively short, summer of barbeques, dinner parties, gardening, and cocktails in the backyard before diving head first this last weekend into wedding season and the start of the schoolyear for both Brett and I. Read more