Fresh Strawberry Margarita On The Rocks

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A delicious drink for a Cinco de Mayo happy hour or your next Taco Tuesday, this delicious fresh strawberry margarita on the rocks is full of simple ingredients like real strawberries and fresh lime.

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Ingredients
How to Make a Strawberry Margarita on the Rocks
Recipe Tips
Try These Strawberry Drinks
How to Up the Strawberry Flavor
FAQs and Substitutions
Other Tasty Margarita Recipes
More Delicious Cocktails You'll Love
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Fresh Strawberry Margaritas On The Rocks

Strawberry season is the BEST in Michigan. The berries taste so different when they’ve been allowed to ripen on the vine (vs on a truck from California). My daughter and I pick many, MANY pounds of strawberries each year and with that comes an influx of delicious strawberry recipes. These fresh strawberry margaritas are one of my favorite ways to use those fantastic berries.

Because this easy margarita recipe uses fresh strawberries (instead of strawberry puree), the strawberry flavor is a bit more subtle. Want more strawberry taste? Add another berry or two to the cocktail shaker when you’re muddling and/or swap out the simple syrup for strawberry syrup.

Why serve homemade margaritas on the rocks? Because I’m too lazy to get out a blender. (That’s the honest answer.)

And because when it comes to cocktails - especially margaritas - I like my ice in cube form instead of whirred into the ingredients. Can you make this into a frozen margarita? Absolutely. Just add all of the ingredients into a blender instead of a cocktail shaker, along with 4-5 ice cubes, and blend it up!

Ingredients

Blanco or Silver tequila
A lime
Simple syrup
Orange liqueur
Fresh, ripe strawberries
Salt and/or sugar (for garnish)

How to Make a Strawberry Margarita on the Rocks

Prep Your Glass:

Mix together equal parts coarse salt and white sugar crystals in a shallow dish.

Run a slice of lime around the rim of a rocks glass.

Dip the rim of the glass into the salt-sugar mixture.

A glass being run through a plate of salt and crushed freeze-dried strawberries. — I added crushed, freeze-dried strawberries to my salt for this rim.

Fill your glass with fresh ice and set aside.

A giant ice cube being placed in a glass.

Make Your Drink:

Cut the greens off the strawberry and slice it up.

Place the strawberry slices and lime juice in a cocktail shaker.

Lime juice being poured into a cocktail shaker.

Muddle to crush the strawberries.

Add tequila, simple syrup, and orange liqueur.

Simple syrup being poured into a cocktail shaker.

Fill the shaker half full with ice cubes.

Cover and shake well.

Strain into your prepared glass.

Strawberry margarita being poured into a glass.

Garnish with a lime wedge and/or small strawberry.

Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Want to really go over-the-top with your garnish? Finely crush some freeze dried strawberries and mix them with coarse salt and/or sugar crystals and use it for rimming the glass. NOTE: Use this mixture immediately. If you let it sit, the strawberry pieces will soften and it will get gummy and unusable.
Leave out the sugar for a salted rim, or leave out the salt for a sugar rim. I love them mixed together, but that's personal preference so make it your own!
Fresh-squeezed lime juice is what makes for a great margarita. Skip the margarita mix, the sour mix, the bottled lime juice - all of it! Grab a bunch of limes and squeeze the fresh juice. It makes so much of a difference.
Don't want to use simple syrup in your fresh strawberry margarita cocktail? Swap it for agave nectar or agave syrup.

Try These Strawberry Drinks

Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail — Non-Alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri

How to Up the Strawberry Flavor

Want to increase the amount of strawberry flavor in your cocktail? Swap out the regular simple syrup for strawberry syrup for lots of big strawberry flavor in your margarita. >Get the recipe for my homemade strawberry syrup

Strawberry Syrup in a glass bottle. — Strawberry Syrup

FAQs and Substitutions

What kind of tequila should I use?

Choose your favorite good blanco tequila or silver tequila. My go-to is Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila. Skip the gold or reposado tequila for this recipe. They’re aged in oak barrels and that flavor will overwhelm the strawberry in this drink.

What kind of orange liqueur should I use?

I prefer Cointreu in my margaritas, but you could use a different orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or triple sec in your drink if you prefer, or if that’s what you have on hand.

Do I have to use fresh limes?

YES! Please, please skip the bottled lime juice and any kind of margarita or sour mix and squeeze fresh citrus. It won’t take long, doesn’t cost a lot, and makes a huge difference in the flavor of your drink.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Yes. Let them thaw completely before using so they’re easy to muddle. If using slices, thaw out 4-5 per drink. For whole berries, just thaw 1 (or 2 if preferred).

How do I make this a into a frozen strawberry margarita?

Make a frozen version by skipping the muddling and adding all of your measured cocktail ingredients into a blender, along with 4-5 ice cubes. Blend on high speed until everything is thoroughly combined.

Where do I buy simple syrup?

You make it! Combine ½ cup hot water with ½ cup white sugar. Stir unit the sugar is dissolved, then put the syrup in the refrigerator until it's ready to use. Get more information and tips over on my Simple Syrup Recipe page.