Last week it was blood oranges that caught my attention and inspired both a refreshing, not-sickly-sweet cocktail and mocktail – my Blood Orange and Raspberry Sour and Blood Orange and Raspberry Mocktail. This weekend, it was strawberries that got my attention and inspired me to put a spin on one of my favourite classics to create this Roasted Strawberry Margarita.
Now, I’ll be honest, roasting anything just to prepare a cocktail – especially strawberries – will be off-putting to some. I get it. Especially if it’s peak strawberry season for you, this version may not be worth the extra effort and you may be better off enjoying those strawberries in all their fresh glory. However, if you have a little extra time and are feeling adventurous, I recommend trying this one. Especially if you love a classic margarita as much as I do.
This one still sings of the classic – salty rim, sharp and citrusy – but with a deeper strawberry twist. Don’t be fooled by the colour or the fact that strawberries are involved; it’s not a sweet drink. Roasting the strawberries with a touch of balsamic, brown sugar, black pepper and salt concentrates their flavour and creates an almost jammy base without turning the margarita into dessert.
Even the mocktail stays sharp and true to those classic flavours if you need or prefer a non-alcoholic version. You can top it with soda to create a beautiful gradient hue and a lighter, longer drink, or leave it as is for something that feels more like a proper margarita. If you do prefer a sweeter cocktail or mocktail, the agave – or sugar syrup if that’s all you can get your hot hands on – can easily be increased to suit both your taste and the sweetness of your berries.
I had been on a string of sour-based cocktails lately, so this was a welcome change of pace, and the colour and aroma feel like they are ushering in the warmer weather. Roasting the strawberries with balsamic and black pepper takes them somewhere deeper and a little less expected, while still leaving plenty of room for the tequila, lime and salt to do what a good margarita should. The result has an almost Bloody Mary look to it (I’ll be adding one of those to this site in due course), but thankfully tastes nothing like one.
Is roasting strawberries an essential step in making a margarita? Absolutely not. Is it worth doing at least once to see what happens when those sweet, jammy berries meet reposado tequila, sharp lime and a salty rim? I think so. And if you decide your fresh strawberries are simply too good to mess with, I won’t argue – save this one for the punnet that needs a little help. Either way, keep the drink sharp, keep the rim salty and adjust the sweetness to make it yours.
Worth Making?
- Yes – because roasting the strawberries actually earns the extra step, concentrating their flavour and turning the balsamic, brown sugar and juices into a rich, slightly jammy syrup.
- Yes – if you want a strawberry margarita that tastes like strawberries rather than a very pink glass of tequila and sugar.
- Yes – because the same roasted strawberry base makes a genuinely good mocktail, not a consolation drink for whoever isn’t drinking.
- Skip it – if your strawberries are already spectacular and you’d rather keep them fresh and bright; use the fresh strawberry variation instead.
- Skip it – if you’re after a frozen, sweet strawberry margarita. This one is sharper, stronger and a little more grown-up.
Roasted Strawberry Margarita (& Mocktail version)
Equipment
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
- 4 large ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 small pinch flaky sea salt
Roasted Strawberry Margarita
- 70 ml reposado tequila
- 20 ml Cointreau Can replace with Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 1 batch Balsamic roasted strawberries + juices
- 5-10 ml agave syrup or sugar syrup for sugar syrup, heat equal parts sugar and water in small saucepan and boil just until sugar dissolves, cool completely
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
Roasted Strawberry Mocktail
- 1 batch Balsamic roasted strawberries + juices
- 30 ml fresh lime juice
- 20 ml fresh orange juice
- 5-10 ml agave or sugar syrup
- 40-60 ml chilled soda water
Instructions
Roasted Balsamic Strawberries
- Roast at 200°C conventional / 180°C fan for 15–20 minutes, until soft and slightly caramelised. Cool completely, keeping all the syrupy roasting juices.
Roasted Strawberry Margarita
- Add the cooled roasted strawberries and their juices to a shaker and muddle well.
- Add remaining ingredients and ice, shake until well combined.
- Double strain into glass with fresh ice. For a salted rim, use the lime wedge and run along glass then roll onto a plate with salt.
Roasted Strawberry Mocktail
- Add the cooled roasted strawberries and their juices to a shaker and muddle well.
- Add lime juice, orange juice, 5ml agave and salt. Fill with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain over fresh ice.
- Top with 40–60ml soda water — just enough to lengthen it without turning it into a fizzy strawberry drink. Taste and add additional agave only if your strawberries need it.
Make it your own way
- Keep it fresh – skip the roasting and muddle 4 ripe strawberries with ½ teaspoon balsamic before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Change the tequila – use blanco instead of reposado for a brighter, cleaner margarita that lets the strawberry sit further forward.
- Adjust the sweetness – strawberries vary enormously, so treat the agave as a starting point. Taste before adding more.
- Add some heat – shake with a thin slice of fresh jalapeño for a strawberry margarita with a gentle chilli kick.
- Make it long – top either the margarita or mocktail with a small amount of soda water for a lighter, more refreshing drink.
- Make the mocktail your way – use a non-alcoholic tequila alternative for a more margarita-like drink, or stick with fresh orange, lime and soda for a version that doesn’t require another bottle for the drinks cabinet.
