Sensational Strawberry Margarita

This Sensational Strawberry Margarita is a completely smooth, refreshing twist on the classic margarita cocktail. It’s a delicious drink featuring freshly smashed strawberry purée, Blanco tequila, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, and a splash of simple syrup. This cocktail is THE perfect summer sipper… sweet and sour with a bit of tequila on the side!

When it comes to margarita recipes, the fruitier the better! A lime margarita is a classic for a reason, but it’s also fun to experiment with other fruit juices and liqueurs. A few of my very tropical favourites feature Pineapple and Mango juice…. with a little spice to get the party going!

Sensational Strawberry Margarita

With Cinco de mayo just around the corner, it seemed like a good time to whip up another fruity margarita recipe to share with you. This one’s a winner and FYI… everyone says these strawberry margaritas go down way too easily. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Ripe strawberries have a unique sweet and sour flavour that enhances the tequila and lime perfectly. In fact, you may not even need the simple syrup depending on how sweet the strawberries are. If you love strawberries, try them in a mojito or in a Strawberry Rosé Sangria!

In all honesty, this strawberry margarita recipe is almost as easy as making a classic margarita, with one extra (and simple) step. Sure, you could just add frozen strawberry puree but smashing fresh strawberries with a muddler is much more therapeutic.

So, grab your cocktail muddler, release some aggression and settle into one delicious and well-earned cocktail. Need to make cocktails for a crowd? Even better! Get out the cocktail pitcher and follow the easy instructions to make two (or twelve) cocktails.

Ingredients for a Strawberry Margarita

Classic ingredients like fresh lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and simple syrup make up the bulk of this cocktail recipe. However, you’ll also need fresh or frozen strawberries and coarse sugar or kosher salt if you prefer a salted rim. 

For this recipe you’ll need a cocktail muddler, a jigger or measuring glass, a cocktail shaker, and one (or two) 10 oz rocks glasses or margarita glasses. Besides the recipe ingredients, you’ll need a lime wedge or lime wheel, a sprig of fresh mint, or cut strawberries to use as garnish.

• Strawberries
• Blanco Tequila
• Triple Sec
• Limes
• Simple Syrup
• Coarse Salt or Sugar
• Ice

I’m fairly confident when choosing a watermelon or pineapple, but choosing ripe and tasty strawberries is sometimes a mystery to me. The best strawberries are the ones you pick yourself, warm and fragrant from the sunlight. However, when buying strawberries always start with a sniff test. They should smell like strawberries.

Look for bright green stems and leaves (good) and scan for mold or dark spots (bad). Ripe berries should be deep red in colour with no green or yellow spots.

Feel free to use a colourless orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau) in this recipe. Curaçao or Grand Marnier will not work because they contain colouring that will affect the appearance of the cocktail.

To make simple syrup, pour 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat the mixture on medium high heat until it simmers, and the sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

This recipe was developed using silver or Blanco tequila which is young (unaged), clear, and generally agave forward in flavour. It is bottled almost immediately after distillation. When choosing tequila for cocktails, it’s best to use an inexpensive yet smooth tasting tequila.

For this recipe, I recommend Olmeca Altos Plata, Olmeca Silver Tequila, Villa One, Patron Silver, Tequila Ocho Plato, Tapatío Tequila Blanco, El Tesoro, Cimarrón Blanco, and Espolòn. For a smoother, richer flavour feel free to use your favourite Reposado tequila.

How to Make a Strawberry Margarita

Always prepare the cocktail glass before you start mixing cocktails. If you plan on chilling the glass with ice, remove it and add fresh ice before you pour the cocktail.

To begin, place a few tablespoons of coarse salt or sugar (or a mixture of both) on a plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a margarita or cocktail glass. Dip all or part of the rim into the coarse salt or sugar. Set aside.

To make one Strawberry Margarita, muddle 2-3 strawberries in a cocktail shaker until they break down and release juice. Next, measure the Blanco tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup into the cocktail shaker.

Fill the cocktail shaker halfway with ice, cover, and shake vigorously for 15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty. Add ice to the prepared glass then strain the cocktail over the fresh ice.

Garnish with a half strawberry or lime slice. Cheers!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Fresh strawberries give the best flavour, but frozen ones work too—just thaw them first or blend for a frozen version.
• For a frozen margarita, blend everything with 1 cup of ice; you might need a little extra simple syrup if the berries are tart.
• Adjust the sweetness to your liking depending on how ripe your strawberries are. Reduce or skip the simple syrup if your strawberries are very ripe or you prefer a tangier drink.
• Blanco tequila is the traditional choice, but Reposado tequila adds a smooth, richer flavour.
• For a spicy kick, muddle a slice of jalapeño with the strawberries or use chili-lime salt on the rim.
• For the rim, you can go classic with coarse salt, sweet with sugar, or try a mix of salt, sugar, and lime zest.

Make Ahead and Batch Instructions

To make this cocktail ahead of time, simply pre-mix all ingredients (except ice) and refrigerate. Shake or stir the ingredients with ice right before serving, garnish then serve over fresh ice.

Two make two Strawberry Margaritas, simply muddle 4-6 strawberries, then measure 4 ounces Blanco tequila, 2 ounces Triple Sec, 2 ounces fresh lime juice, and 1 ounce of simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake and taste for sweetness before shaking and straining into two prepared glasses. Add more simple syrup if needed.

Most cocktail shakers hold a maximum of 2 cocktails, so you’ll need a cocktail pitcher and stir stick to make a larger batch. Scale the recipe up as needed, bearing in mind that most tequila bottles hold 25.4 ounces which is enough for one dozen strawberry margaritas.

It may be easier to use frozen strawberry purée or purée the fresh strawberries in a blender when making a pitcher of margaritas.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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