The Strawberry Margarita is perhaps the most popular flavored Margarita. There's really no better combination than sweet berries and tart lime juice.
It's also very quick and easy to shake up super fresh-tasting Strawberry Margaritas - no special syrups or mixers required. This fresh Strawberry Margarita is made with an irresistible blend of muddled strawberries, tequila, triple sec, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
You may also enjoy my Watermelon Margarita, Tommy's Margarita, Spicy Hot Honey Blackberry Margaritas or Hot Pink Malibu Margarita!
Strawberry Margaritas without a blender
Many Strawberry Margarita recipes require a blender, but you don't need a blender to make this recipe. If you want to make frozen Strawberry Margaritas, then you'll definitely need a blender. Learn how to make Perfect Frozen Margaritas.
But this recipe is as easy as can be, minimal equipment required. I do use a wooden muddler for this recipe, which is a very inexpensive tool (<$10) that you should think about adding to your bar cart, if you don't already have one.
Tip: if you don't have a muddler, you can improvise and use the end of a wooden spoon!
The best recipe for fresh strawberry flavor
This recipe is my very favorite way to make Strawberry Margaritas. Sure, you can use a strawberry syrup, frozen strawberries, or blenderize a margarita with fresh strawberries in it, but none of these techniques give the same super fresh flavor and light texture as this recipe.
Personally, I don't like my cocktails to have the same textures as a thick breakfast smoothie, so pureed strawberries in a non-frozen Margarita aren't my thing. Instead, I like to muddle fresh berries, add my classic Margarita ingredients and shake, and then fine strain the cocktail.
This gives the cocktail the vibrant and sweet flavor of fresh strawberries, while maintaining the smooth, light texture and viscosity of a classic Margarita.
Can I use strawberry syrup instead of muddling fresh berries?
Sure! There are a number of ways to make Strawberry Margaritas. When strawberries aren't in season, using a syrup can give the cocktail better and more consistent flavor.
If you'd rather make a syrup, you can omit the fresh fruit and substitute half (or all) of the triple sec with strawberry syrup. Get my Strawberry Simple Syrup Recipe.
Most strawberry simple syrup recipes are made by cooking the berries with water and sugar, but it's possible to make a completely uncooked berry syrup if you'd prefer to preserve that fresh strawberry flavor. The jammy berry flavor you get from cooking strawberries is delicious in its own right, but when you want the flavor of fresh berries, this is the way to go!
Ingredients you'll need
To make this Strawberry Margarita, you'll need four easy ingredients, plenty of ice, and some salt (optional). Don't forget to reserve a strawberry and a lime wedge or wheel for garnish!
Strawberries
This recipe is all about the fresh flavor of ripe strawberries, so fresh berries are a must. Choose five plump, ripe berries. Skip the frozen berries for this recipe and save them for making frozen strawberry margaritas instead.
Lime juice
You'll need one ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice. That's about half of a large juicy lime or one whole smaller lime. Beware tiny, rock hard limes as they have very little juice and are super hard to squeeze! I buy bagged limes a lot and sometimes it seems like they're all little rocks.
Triple sec
Just like a classic Margarita, this recipe uses one ounce of triple sec for sweetness and orange flavor. Triple sec is a clear-colored orange liqueur made from neutral spirits and orange peels. I used Cointreau for my margaritas and Cosmopolitans. Curaçao is another type of orange liqueur that can also be used to make delicious margaritas. Curaçao is made with the peel of the bitter laraha orange (which grow only on the island of Curaçao) and is most often fortified with brandy or Cognac.
How to make the Marg
Ok, we're finally ready to whip up some Strawberry Margs! To begin, hull your strawberries and cut them in half. Toss the berries into your cocktail shaker and muddle them thoroughly. Next, add the tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, and triple sec to the shaker and fill it about three quarters with ice. Shake until very cold, then double strain (pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer) into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry and lime wheel, if you like.
Salt or no salt?
Adding a small pinch of salt to the cocktail shaker when making a Margarita is guaranteed to make it taste even better. I highly recommend adding it for the extra pop it gives the sweet and sour flavors. If you prefer to control how salty each sip is, you can rim the glass with salt instead.
More fresh fruit flavored Margarita recipes
Bonus: You can use this recipe to make other fruit flavored Margaritas! Simply replace the 5 strawberries with a handful of another fresh, juicy fruit. Try it with mango, peaches, watermelon, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, black cherries, kiwi, pineapple, the list goes on!
Make it a Pineberry Margarita
Ever had a pineberry before? They look like a white, unripe strawberry, but they're actually their own type of berry that come in shades of white and pink when fully ripe.
The berries are sweet and mild, with a flavor that's like a mix of strawberries and pineapples. You can muddle them into a margarita just like strawberries for an even more fun, tropical flavor. Check out the video of my Pineberry Margarita below!
You may also enjoy these other tequila cocktails:
Fresh Strawberry Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz triple sec such as Cointreau
- 4-5 fresh ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
Instructions
- Muddle the strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
- Add remaining ingredients and fill the shaker ¾ with ice.
- Shake until chilled, about 12 seconds. Fine strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry.
Notes
