Strawberry-Basil Margarita

The freshest spring ingredients make a perfect Cinco de Mayo cocktail

Alex Levin for Edible DC

Now would be the time to take a stroll to a nearby farmers market to see area growers showing off their newest crops of strawberries. This year’s bounty should be particularly sweet because the DC area and mid-Atlantic overall have not had as much rain as in past years. Less rain gives the berries time to grow a bit more slowly, get a lot more sunlight exposure and therefore develop a distinctly sweet flavor. As soon as they arrive, grab a flat to bring home to eat for a snack, salad or dessert. Most importantly, use them to make this homerun margarita at your next cocktail party.

Tico’s line up of spring margaritas. Image: Tico’s DC.

Tico’s Strawberry-Basil Margarita

Makes 2 servings

3 ounces Milagro tequila 

1 ounce triple sec

1 ounce agave syrup

¼ cup fresh strawberries

1 ounce fresh lime juice

3 basil leaves

Prepare two glasses by running a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then roll the rim of the glass in either salt or sugar, or a combo of both.

Combine the tequila, triple sec and agave in a blender. Wash and remove the stems of the strawberries, cut them into quarters and add them to the blender. Finally, add the lime juice. Blend the mixture until it is completely smooth. At this point, taste the mixture and add more agave or tequila if desired.

Pour the mixture into a pitcher and muddle the fresh basil leaves to add more flavor if desired. Then, strain the mixture into two glasses filled with ice.

Alex Levin

Alex Levin wears a number of hats at Schlow Restaurant Group (SRG), including directing strategic business initiatives while also being an award-winning pastry chef. Prior to SRG, he opened Michael White’s Osteria Morini in Washington, DC and was trained in New York at Cafe Boulud and Restaurant Jean-Georges. Alex graduated from Yale and the Culinary Institute of America with honors. A frequent contributor to Edible DC, you can follow him @chefalexlevin