Description
Easy homemade margaritas with plenty of summer berries.
Ingredients
For the Berry Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup blackberries
- 1/3 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/3 cup blueberries
For the Margaritas:
- 1/4 cup sugar or salt (for glass rims)
- 2 cups ice (you can eyeball this)
- 1/2 cup berry simple syrup
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup tequila
- Optional Garnishes: Lime wedges, fresh berries
Instructions
For the Berry Simple Syrup:
- Stir water, sugar, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring mixture to a low simmer and cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries have softened and sugar has dissolved.
- Remove syrup from heat and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Strain the simple syrup to remove the berry pieces and set strained simple syrup aside for the margaritas. (I like to save the cooked-down berries for smoothies later in the week!)
For the Margaritas:
- Add a sugar or salt rim and prepare the glasses. Dust a small plate with a light layer of sugar or kosher salt. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip the moistened rim lightly onto the plate. You may need to lift the glass and press down a few times to evenly coat the rim with sugar. Shake off any excess, fill each glass with a handful of ice (optional), and set aside.
- Mix the margaritas. Combine berry simple syrup, lime juice, and tequila in a cocktail shaker. (Depending on the size of your shaker, you may need to do this in two batches). Add a generous handful of ice, attach the top of the shaker, and shake well until margaritas are chilled.
- Strain margaritas into your prepared cocktail glasses. Garnish with extra lime slices and fresh berries (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
Additions and Substitutions. Use any mix of berries you like here! Raspberries and cranberries are also good in this simple syrup. Frozen berries will work if fresh ones aren't in season. Add a few fresh herb sprigs (thyme, rosemary, basil) to the simple syrup as it cooks for extra depth. Swap the sugar for brown sugar, turbinado or demerara sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you like (note: maple syrup and honey will impart a much stronger flavor). Top each drink with a splash of seltzer, tonic water, or prosecco to add some fizz. Use a non-alcoholic tequila or another spirit (rum, vodka, whiskey, gin) in place of tequila if you like, or omit the booze and mix the syrup and lime juice with a bit of sparkling water.
Juice your own fresh limes here for best results: Fresh lime juice will be brighter and more flavorful than bottled lime juice!
To make this as a blended margarita, blend margarita ingredients in a powerful blender with 2-6 cups of ice (we recommend starting with 1-2 cups of ice and adding more as needed).
Keep extra simple syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 6 months. Use it in other cocktail recipes, mocktails, or fresh lemonade!
Adjust the sweetness. For a sweeter cocktail, use additional simple syrup. For a more tart flavor, use extra lime juice. This is a forgiving recipe - adjust the ratios to suit your palate! The sweetness of this margarita will also vary depending on the berries and limes that you use - give the mixture a taste before you pour it into glasses and add more lime juice or simple syrup if you'd like to adjust the sweetness!
If you don't have a cocktail shaker, shake your drinks in a large mason jar with a tight fitting lid and strain through a small colander or fine mesh sieve (depending on the size of your jar, you may need to work in batches).
What kind of tequila should I use? Use a tequila you love to drink! We like Espolòn Blanco, Familia Camarena, Milagro, and Casamigos. But this drink is also good with gin, vodka, or a nonalcoholic spirit!
