You have to make a choice in this unusually delicious strawberry margarita recipe: Do you want to put a laser focus on the strawberries (Fragoli wild strawberry liqueur is the pure essence of strawberry flavor) or enhance their beauty (Cointreau does that beautifully) or balance their wonderful sweetness with even more sophisticated complexity (Aperol is perfect for that)? A “fan-sliced” strawberry (cut into several slices from just under the leaf-capped crown toward the tip) makes a simple, tasty garnish wedged on the side of each glass.
To make about 2 cups strawberry puree, cut the leafy crowns off about 15 to 20 strawberries and cut them in half (you need about 3 cups halved strawberries). Scoop into a blender or food processor, add ½ cup sugar, cover and process until smooth. Pour into a storage container (strain the mixture if you think there may be unblended bits), cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use, up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS
- For one cocktail:
- Coarse (Kosher) salt
- 1 lime wedge
- 1 1/2 ounces 100% blue agave blanco tequila
- 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce Aperol
- OR ½ ounce Aperol plus ½ ounce Cointreau
- OR ½ ounce Aperol plus ½ ounce Fragoli wild strawberry liqueur
- 1 1/2 ounces Strawberry Puree
- 6 to 10 ice cubes (about ¾ cup)
- For one pitcher (8 cocktails):
- 1 1/2 cups 100% blue agave blanco tequila
- 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup Aperol
- 1 1/2 cups Strawberry Puree
- 1 lime wedge
- 6 cups ice cubes (about ¾ cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
For one cocktail:
Spread the salt on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a 6-ounce martini glass with the lime wedge and upend the glass onto the salt to crust the rim.
In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, lime juice, Aperol (plus Cointreau or Fragoli, if using), Strawberry Puree and ice. Cover and shake vigorously until frothy and cold; tiny ice crystals will appear in the drink after about 15 seconds of shaking. Strain into the salt-rimmed glass and serve immediately. Garnish with the strawberry, if you like.
For one pitcher (8 cocktails):
In a pitcher, combine the tequila, lime juice, Aperol (plus Cointreau or Fragoli, if using) and Strawberry Puree. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Use the lime and salt to crust the rims of eight 6-ounce martini glasses. Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice and pour in a scant 1 ¼ cups of the margarita mixture. Shake and strain into two of the salt-rimmed glasses. Repeat for the remaining margaritas. Garnish the margaritas with the strawberries, if you like.
