Smoked Strawberry Mezcal Margaritas
User Reviews
5
Smoked Strawberry Mezcal Margaritas
Description
The cocktail begins by charring hulled and sliced strawberries over a grill, broiler, or gas stovetop flame to introduce smoky flavors. These charred berries are blended, often with a small amount of water, into a puree and pressed through a fine mesh sieve to extract smooth strawberry juice. This juice can be stored refrigerated for about a week, enough for multiple margaritas.
For each margarita, tequila, mezcal, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and the smoked strawberry juice are combined. Adjustments can be made to the proportions to suit personal taste, as the smokiness and sweetness can vary. Margaritas are served with a salted rim and garnished with lime wedges and fresh strawberries. The mezcal's smoky character complements the charred strawberry juice, while the lime and Grand Marnier provide brightness and citrus complexity.
This cocktail is particularly suited to those who enjoy smoky flavors paired with fruit and a classic tequila base. The smoky strawberry element gives a unique twist to a familiar drink, highlighting creative use of fresh produce and spirits.
Ingredients
smoked strawberries
- 1 cup strawberries hulled and sliced
mezcal margarita
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce mezcal
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier
- 2 ounces strawberry juice smoked
- 2 ounces lime juice fresh
- 2 ounce simple syrup
- salt for rim
- lime wedges for garnish
- strawberries for garnish
Instructions
smoky strawberry juice
- To make the smoked strawberries, you have a few options! You can throw them on a grill (a grill plate or basket works best), char them under the broiler or even char them over your open gas stovetop flame. You want them to be a bit charred so they impart that smoky flavor into the mix!
- Once the strawberries are charred, place them in the blender. I like to use a few tablespoons of water when blending to help the berry mixture turn into liquid! At this point, you can totally use the strawberry puree. However, I press it through a fine mesh sieve here and just use the juice!
- This makes extra juice, so you can store it in the fridge for a week or so. It should make enough for about 4 margaritas.
mezcal margarita
- I suggest making a single serving first and taste it so you can add more/less tequila, mezcal or syrup to your liking. Everyone is different and prefers their drinks a different way, so feel free to add more or less tequila, more simple syrup, more lime juice, etc. This is my absolute favorite combo listed above.
- Before serving, rim the edge of the glass with a lime slice and then dip it in coarse salt. Fill the glass with just a few ice cubes or even with crushed ice – my ice preference of late.
- In a shaker with ice, combine the tequila, mezcal, grand marnier, strawberry juice, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake well for 30 seconds, then pour it over the crushed ice. Add a lime slice and a strawberry and serve!
- As a note, I like to char the strawberries for garnish too! I do this on the grill or on the gas stovetop burner.
- For simple syrup, I bring equal parts water and sugar (so, like 1/2 cup each) to a simmer in a saucepan while whisking. Let cool completely then store in the fridge!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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