Fresh Strawberry Tequila Cocktail

Jump to Recipe

This fresh strawberry tequila cocktail is a fantastic summer alcoholic beverage.  The color provided from the freshly muddled strawberries is absolutely brilliant.  My favorite part of drinking this tequila cocktail is enjoying the gorgeous bright red, pinkish color.  It is bright, alluring and has a fun retro feel to it. 

This drink its delightfully enjoyable due to the fresh strawberries, lime, subtle sweetness from the homemade simple syrup and refreshing bubbly effervescence of the club soda. While we were enjoying this tequila strawberry drink we felt the tequila flavor was not overt and we were drinking them rather fast, so watch out. 

Although I love all tequila cocktail recipes, this is one of my favorites during the mid-summer months because strawberries are in season here in Maine and they are so absolutely perfect.  Fresh strawberries really complement this tequila cocktail recipe.  So if you’re looking for a fruit margarita recipe on the rocks and it is June or July or any season where you are with fresh local strawberries – this recipe is an absolute must!

The first time I had a strawberry margarita cocktail was from a Mexican bar in Portland, ME.  They had vats of tequila shelved on the walls, all with different ingredients infusing into them.  They had one with strawberries in it and I chose that as the base of my margarita.  Infusions are something I love to do with peppers to make spicy tequila cocktails but I prefer to use fresh fruit and muddle it into my margarita cocktail.  

There are so many additional ingredients you could add to this strawberry lime margarita.  The first time I made this, I added fresh basil from our outdoor garden boxes and turned it into a strawberry basil margarita.  You could add any herb that you enjoy the taste of – some options are basil, mint, lemon balm, rosemary or thyme.  Another example of an addition you could add would be spicy peppers.  If you love a spicy hot peppery tequila like I do, then this may be a fun one for you.  Like I mentioned above you could infuse the tequila for a few days to a week with the peppers or you could muddle them fresh the same way you would do here in this strawberry margarita cocktail recipe. 

This tequila strawberry drink is simply made from silver tequila, a homemade simple syrup, fresh lime juice and fresh muddled strawberries. Since this has just a few simple ingredients and omits pre-made sour mix, this would be considered a strawberry skinny margarita recipe. Skinny margaritas are typically just tequila, lime and a splash of simple syrup. The homemade simple syrup is made purely from organic cane sugar and water, melted and reduced into a syrup on the stovetop on medium high heat. 

I think this is one of the most classic and best margarita recipes.  I happen to adore the strawberry for this tequila soda cocktail, however, you can replace the strawberry with whatever you have in season and love.

Ingredients and Process for Strawberry Tequila Cocktail:

Ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries
• Tequila
• Limes
• Sugar (for making simple syrup)
• Club soda

Preparation:

1. Prepare the spicy sugar rim of the cocktail glass by mixing sugar and cayenne pepper on a plate.  Mix sugar and spice until it is completely intermixed. Spread the sugar out on the plate evenly. 
2. Cut into a lime and run it around the rim of the cocktail glass that you will use.
3. Flip the cup upside down and press the rim into the sugar mixture.
4. Thoroughly wash the strawberries and then remove the green leafy tops. 

Instructions:

1. Put the strawberries in a shaker and muddle them with a muddler bartenders tool or with a mortar and pestle. 
2. Add 1.5 fluid ounces or the single shot side of a jigger of silver tequila to the shaker.
3. Add the same single shot jigger amount of simple syrup.
4. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon to the liquid. 
5. Fill the shaker half full with ice cubes, secure the top and shake vigorously.  You want to shake vigorously to break micro ice crystals off into the liquid. You should see micro icicles floating on the top and center of the liquid cocktail after pouring in to a glass.
6. Serve on ice or straight up depending on your preference.
7. Top off the cocktail with club soda. 
8. Garnish with a slice of lime.

---

FAQ:

-What is the difference between tequila and mezcal?

Mezcal is any distilled alcohol made from the agave plant.  Tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.  Tequila can only be called that when it is made from 100% blue weber agave plant, native to western Mexico, which is in Jalisco.  The other legal municipalities are Michoacan, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas or Nayarit, Mexico.

-Would this be good without tequila as a ‘mocktail’ or with another type of alcohol?  

Yes! This would be a fruity soda if made as a non-alcoholic mocktail and would be very refreshing and tasty.  You could also add vodka, gin with this if you prefer.  Although it would no longer be a strawberry margarita recipe it would surely still be an enjoyable cocktail soda. 

---

Options/ Alternatives:

There are many additional ingredients that you may try with the cocktail recipe above.  Some additional ingredients could include: herbs, such as basil, mint, rosemary, thyme or lemon balm.  Peppers are a great addition if you’re into drinking spicy cocktails.  Jalapeno is a fantastic option to muddle in with the strawberry if you would like to give a kick to this cocktail. 

---

Tequila is a distilled alcohol made 100% from the weber blue agave plant.  It is only made in Mexico, majorly in the state Jalisco but there are a handful of other municipalities that are legally allowed to make it and call it tequila.  Tequila was once called other various names such as agave wine, mezcal tequila and mezcal brandy until the very specific and regulated spirit was named after the town of Tequila in Jalisco state. The written history of tequila goes back to the 16th century and is described as locals teaching of what the plant has to offer for making drinks and sugar to the colonizing spaniards.  

The process of making tequila is removing the outer agave leaves to access the heart of the plant.  The hearts are then cooked in brick ovens, underground or in steel autoclaves.  Next is the fermentation process which can take 1-2 weeks.  After the liquid plant extracts are fermented they need to be twice distilled.   Once it has been distilled two times it is called tequila blanco and can be bottled and consumed.  Tequila blanco that goes into wooden barrels are aged to be become reposado or anejo.  

---

If you make this homemade fresh strawberry tequila cocktail please comment or rate below. If you amended this recipe to suit your preferences let me know how you enjoyed it and if you recommend it as something to try.  If you would like, share this recipe to your Pinterest or socials – I appreciate it! You can follow my food journey on my Pinterest account at Molé in the Wall or by subscribing to my email list. 

tags: best margarita recipe strawberry, strawberry margarita rocks