Celebrating the weekend? Going all out on taco night? Cheers-ing to Tuesday? Whatever the occasion (or non-occasion) this Strawberry Basil Margarita is a delicious, low-effort option, especially since it can be made as a cocktail or mocktail.
It’s got a salted honey rim and a decorative basil leaf on top, which make it look and taste SO fancy, despite being actually incredibly easy to make. The whole recipe calls for a total of seven ingredients, and that’s including the tequila, and salt and honey for the rim. (The recipe makes one drink, so if you’re enjoying with a friend, make sure to double it!)
The base is frozen strawberries, which besides meaning you can make this drink year-round, the frozen fruit also gives the cocktail/mocktail an even stronger flavor than if you’d make it with fresh.
The secret is microwaving and muddling the strawberries to create a puree that has an incredibly concentrated fruit flavor. Then add the basil for the most delicious, farm-fresh taste, and muddle some more. (Got extra basil left over? Try this fresh salad.)
No cocktail-making tools required
Besides calling for minimal ingredients and being packed with fruity flavor, one of the best parts about this Strawberry Basil Margarita is you don’t need a cocktail shaker or any other fancy tools to make it. My “muddler” is a citrus juicer and you can even just use a wooden spoon!
Garnish with flavor
After salting the rim and pouring your drink, the final touch is a decorative basil leaf on top. It not only makes it look gorgeous, but because smell is such a huge part of taste, having that basil right under your nose when you sip massively ups the flavor!
Watch it being made!
Enjoy, and tag me if you make it on Instagram (@lizmoody)—I can’t wait to see!
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Strawberry Basil Margarita with Salted Honey Rim
- Yield: Makes 1 cocktail 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for rim
- 3/4 cup packed basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 1 shot tequila of choice (feel free to omit for a mocktail!)
- Lime seltzer, to top
- Fine grain sea salt, for the rim (I used Redmond Real Salt, which is faintly sweet and adds a nice pink color)
Instructions
- Microwave the frozen strawberries in 30 second intervals, smashing with a muddler or wooden spoon between, until it’s a fruit puree (about 2-3 minutes total).
- Add basil and honey and muddle/smash aggressively to get out all of the basil flavor. Stir in lime juice. Strain into a liquid measuring cup.
- Drizzle a bit of honey on a plate and spread with the back of a spoon until it’s slightly wider than your glass. Do the same with the salt on a separate plate.
- Dip the edge of your glass in the honey, then the salt, to get a nice rim. Add ice, tequila (if using), then the strained strawberry mixture. Top with lime seltzer and stir, then add a basil leaf on top. Enjoy!
