Beer and sodas are always staples at a barbecue because they’re easy to throw into a cooler and serve to everyone with minimal effort. I’ll usually throw a few bottles of wine into my ice chest, too. If I’m entertaining...
Beer and sodas are always staples at a barbecue because they’re easy to throw into a cooler and serve to everyone with minimal effort. I’ll usually throw a few bottles of wine into my ice chest, too. If I’m entertaining at home during the summer, however, I will also pull out my blender. Blended drinks are easy to serve to a crowd and, while they do take slightly more effort than opening a can of soda, they are always a huge hit when they come out – especially if the weather is hot.
These Fresh Strawberry Margaritas are a summertime favorite. They’re made with lots of fresh strawberries, freshly squeezed lime juice, tequila and a splash of triple sec, all blended up with ice. They’re sweet and are a very enjoyable way to cool down on a hot summer afternoon. Unless my strawberries are super sweet to start out, I like to add some additional sugar to my mix to highlight their sweetness – because if you’re having a blended drink, part of the fun is when it tastes like a treat to drink. I serve them in glasses rimmed with sugar, although a rim of salt makes for a nice contrast to the sweetness of the berries if you prefer your margaritas with salt.
These margaritas are not too strong because there are a lot of strawberries in them adding a good amount of fruit to balance out the booze. Depending on how big your glasses are, you might very well get more than servings out of this blender of margaritas. As a result, it is important to give your mix a taste while you’re making it up. If your strawberries aren’t sweet enough, you may need to add some extra sugar. If you like your drinks on the stronger side, or are planning for many small servings, you might need to add additional tequila (rule of thumb is 1.5 – 2 oz per drink).
Fresh Strawberry Margaritas
12 oz fresh strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
1/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
3-4 cups ice
strawberries, for garnish
sugar (or salt), for rims
Cut one strawberry to garnish each glass and rub that berry around the top edge of each of your glasses. Dip glass rims in sugar and set aside.
In a blender, combine lime juice, tequila, triple sec, sugar and fresh strawberries. Fill blender with 3-4 cups ice (or to top, depending on the size of your blender).
Blend at low speed to combine ingredients and crush ice, then blend at high speed for 30-60 seconds, until very smooth. Add more sugar and/or tequila, as needed and blend again if necessary.
Pour into sugar-rimmed glasses and serve.
Serves 6, depending on glass size.
