Tired of the straight-up margarita? This Strawberry Basil Margarita is a fun twist on the classic. It’s a sweet, tart and refreshing cocktail, perfect for summer outdoor sipping!
Strawberry. Basil. MARGARITA. Can I get an “oh heck yeah”?!?
That’s right. I took summer’s best flavors – juicy sweet strawberries and peppery refreshing basil – and I mashed ’em up into summer’s best cocktail. Actually, I didn’t mash ’em, I blended them, but more on that later.
I’d like to claim that I did this all for you, but no, friends, no I did not – I did it for me. And it was a very, very good thing I did for myself.
The good news? YOU can get in on this action too! Be kind to yourself – make a strawberry basil margarita.
You might be thinking “eh, too much fuss”. Why would I want to add strawberries and basil, when I can sip on the classic?
Well for one – they’re pretty. Yes, that’s totally a reason.
For two – they’re easy. To transform a standard margarita into a strawberry basil margarita, you simply need a blender and a muddler. Easy peasy tequila squeezy.
For three – you’ll bring all the friends to your yard/pool/table when you offer up a batch of these sweet, colorful and oh so delicious summer cocktails.
Still not convinced? Let’s talk about the “health benefits” of this sweet summer cocktail. (Yes, I know what I did there with the air quotes, but indulge me).
(1) Strawberries = antioxidants + vitamin C
(2) Basil = vitamin K (and a dash of A and C, just for fun)
(3) Raw Honey = nature’s antihistamine. Well…sort of. The efficacy is controversial, but I reason that it can’t hurt. I start incorporating bits of local raw honey into our diet a few weeks before pollen season to lessen allergy symptoms (and given the intensity of this year’s pollen, I’ll literally put it in anything, as evidenced by this post).
So there you have it. Delicious, fun, and (sort of) nutritious. Bottoms up friends.
How to Make Strawberry Basil Margarita Cocktails
These guys are sweet and tart, but most importantly brimming with the most seasonally appropriate nectar-from-the-gods – no, I’m not talking about strawberries, I’m talking about the almighty tequila.
Ahhh, tequila. When shot with lime it’s lover to all and friend to none.
But stirred into this festive festive margarita, topped with the perfect amount of salt and poured over crushed ice? Yes, yes, yes.
Get your hands on a bottle of tequila and pour some into a blender. Be generous but not a drunk. Add a handful of fresh strawberries, some cointreau, some lime juice, and some honey. No sugar needed! Now blend until the strawberries are totally pulverized. We’ve got the strawberry covered.
Onto the basil! Put some chopped basil into the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Muddle. Pour the strawberry margarita base over the muddle basil. Stir…or shake. Do your thing. Then pour into a glass rimmed with salt and filled with.
Sip…taste the summer…and enjoy it!
Did you make this Strawberry Basil Margarita? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
While you’re at it, let’s be friends – follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for the latest and greatest.
Recipe
Strawberry Basil Margarita Summer Cocktail
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin RecipeRecommended Equipment
- Blender
- Muddler
Ingredients
- ½ pint fresh strawberries
- ½ c. blanco tequila
- 1.5 oz. Cointreau
- 1 lime, juiced (about an ounce)
- 1 tbsp honey, raw if you have it
- 2-3 basil sprigs
- ice
- kosher salt
Instructions
On the Rocks
- Pour about ¼ cup of kosher salt onto a small side plate. Rub the juiced lime rhine around the edge of two rocks glasses, then dip each glass into the plate of salt to rim the edges. Fill each glass with crushed ice or several ice cubs.
- Place the strawberries, tequila, cointreau, lime juice and honey into a blender. Blend thoroughly on high until the strawberries are pulverized. Finely chop the basil and place into the bottom of a decanter or cocktail shaker. Muddle the basil to release the flavors and oils. Pour the blended margarita ingredients into the decanter along with the muddle basil and stir vigorously to incorporate. Pour into salted, iced glasses and serve immediately.
Frozen
- Pour about ¼ cup of kosher salt onto a small side plate. Rub the juiced lime rhine around the edge of two rocks glasses, then dip each glass into the plate of salt.
- Place the strawberries, basil, tequila, cointreau, lime juice, honey and a few handfuls of ice (6-8 cubses) into a blender. Blend thoroughly on high until the strawberries, basil, and ice are pulverized. Pour into the salted glasses and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
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Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Can I make any part of it ahead of time?
Suzanne
This looks so delicious and refreshing! Can any of it be made ahead of time as a concentrate?
JAN
Truly Divine!!!
I’m in Love … Cannot do teeeeeny seeds so I strained the post blender goodness! Perfect pre – summer flavor … crushed ice … fresh basil and added a hint of rose simple syrup! Smidge♥️
Thank you… Jan
Samantha
Love love love this recipe, so delicious. I didn’t have fresh strawberries or cointreau but luckily I had a bottle of Lava premium strawberry margarita mix around that’s made with real strawberries so I just added basil to it and wow what a great cocktail. Thank you! I never would have guessed the basil and strawberry combo would be so good! Oh the mix I used: https://drinklava.com
Dallas
The drink was good, but after blending the fresh strawberries it turned out more like a smoothie instead of a normal margarita. I think it would be better if the strawberries were chopped and broken down in sugar for a day then added to the shaker with the muddled/strained basil tequila before being shaken with everything else instead of being blended. That would make it like a normal liquid margarita with strawberries and basil flavor. The muddled soft strawberries could be easily sucked up a straw like in a strawberry limeade at Sonic. I’ll try it again with the new method to see how it tastes.
Kristin
I made the on the rocks version. It tasted very strong out of the blender but once it was over ice it was delicious! I added a little extra honey and a little extra basil. I made the entire thing ahead of time (about an hour) and put it in a pitcher. Including the muddled basil. Then at serving time I just had to stir it, salt the rims, fill glasses with ice and pour.
Pamela Paschall
Oh my goodness! So dang good! And I am extremely picky about my mixed drinks. Ridiculously amazing!
Pamela Paschall
I made a Strawberry Basil and a Blackberry basil. Dang!
Brooke Manz
So fresh and delicious, I added a few drops of liquid stevia for balance. This drink screams refreshing summer cocktail!