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I have another recipe on the site for Strawberry Margaritas that uses fresh strawberries, but this recipe uses strawberry-infused vermouth, which I had on hand after making a Strawberry Spritz. I like it so much, I decided to give it a go in a Margarita. It worked so well, even better than expected, that I just had to share. I think you’ll like it, too.

I was inspired to make the strawberry-infused vermouth (recipe here) by Chamberyzette, a French apĂ©ritif created in 1902 by Dolin distillery in the French alps, made by infusing local strawberries in vermouth blanc. (I featured the family-run distillery in my book, Drinking French.) Vermouth blanc is different than dry vermouth: Vermouth blanc is close to transparent and the botanicals lean less toward the bitter side and leans toward more floral and fruity flavors, such as citrus and elderflowers. In French, it goes by the name of Vermouth Blanc and in Italians it’s Vermouth Bianco. They’re both readily available in liquor shops, but if you can’t find a bottle, dry vermouth will work just fine.

Another thing I learned, in addition to strawberry-infused vermouth makes a great Margarita, is that rather than straining the drink after you shake it, then adding more ice back to it, you can simply open up the cocktail shaker and pour the whole shebang into a glass, and voilĂ  – you’ve got a Strawberry Margarita already on the rocks, ready to go.

Strawberry Margarita

To make the strawberry-infused vermouth, the directions are in this recipe for a Strawberry Spritz. To make simple syrup, mix equal parts sugar and water by volume in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely and refrigerated until needed. I usually made it with 1/2 cup of each (100g sugar, 125g water) and keep the rest in the refrigerator to use for other cocktails. It'll keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks. For the muddled strawberries in step #1, you can either use fresh strawberries or ones that have been infused in the vermouth. The ones that have been infused will have a slightly muted flavor since some of the flavor has been drawn out into the infusion, but they're fine to use.
Servings 1 cocktail
  • 3 strawberries (hulled), fresh or strawberries infused in the vermouth infusion (see Headnote)
  • 2 teaspoons simple syrup
  • 2 ounces tequila
  • 1 1/2 ounce strawberry-infused vermouth
  • 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
  • fresh strawberry slices (or whole, if tiny) and a lime wheel, for garnish
  • In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries with the simple syrup. Add the tequila, strawberry-infused vermouth, and lime juice to the shaker.
  • Fill the shaker half-full of ice, cover and shake vigorously until well-chilled and the ice is broken up, 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Pour the contents into a glass, including just enough of the ice so it's to your liking. Garnish with strawberries and lime wheel.
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14 comments

    • Linda

    OK, here’s a question. In this recipe, you encourage pouring the drink with the same ice with which it was shaken. What’s to keep us from doing this with ALL shaken cocktails that are served on the rocks? I have never understood the reason for replacing the shaking ice with serving ice, unless you just wanted to see the whole cubes. Any thoughts?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It was something I read about during the confinement, when ice was perhaps scarce. (In France, for example, ice can be very hard to come by.) I thought it was interesting and gave it a try…and it works! But I think drinks gets strained usually to get rid of fibers and pulp (fruit drinks are usually shaken) and perhaps make them more refined. But I gave it a try with this margarita and it worked fine. I do recommend using less ice than one normally would if dumping the whole thing in the glass, and there will be some pulp in the drink, which I don’t mind, although some people may. (I know there are people who don’t like strawberry seeds, etc.)

        • Julie Berend Courey

        David, I am planning to serve this next Saturday to a gang of five pals. I thought I’d use Mezcal as I rather recall you had suggested it as an alternative. Am I mixing up recipes?? Thank you for continuing to share the live IG shows. You are such a fun friend in my life. ❤️

          • David
          David Lebovitz

          Yes, I did suggest mezcal as an alternative, because when I presented it in the video I didn’t have any good tequila and was unable to find any near where I live, so used mezcal. However it’s quite smoky (all mezcals vary, though) so some might not like that flavor so tequila is the preferred choice, but you could use either or a mix of both.

    • Lisa

    Can’t wait to try this – but it’s 9:30 am, alas, so I’ll have to wait for the cocktail hour. I made your strawberry infused vermouth earlier this week. Question: I also have some strawberry syrup made last week from fresh strawberries. What do you think about that as a stand-in for simple syrup?

    • Elaine

    I am still awaiting my Dolin Blanc to be delivered, but this is gonna be the first thing that gets made…..!

    All of these Apéro hour drinks have been a joy, and I just know that this will be the same!
    Thank you

    • Jean

    WOW what a terrific drink! I made strawberry preserves this week and I had about 1/4 of a cup leftover that didn’t get canned. I used the preserves instead of the simple syrup. I also loved the spritz. Thanks for sharing these recipes.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Preserves can do double-duty in cocktails, adding fruit and a little sweetness. Great idea to turn leftover jam/preserves into a cocktail!

    • Kameela

    I just love using the ice in the shaker straight into the glass for a no fuss cocktail. I am obsessed with a strawberry daiquiri but never tried a strawberry margarita. Definitely need to give this a try with all the strawberries from the potager

    • Howard Chase

    What a great idea. Strawberries(any fruit) with blanco, added to any liquor(rum, gin, vodka)+ muddled fruit lime ice love and a warm afternoon.
    Pure joy
    Thanks again. you are on the mark

    • Jenniferc

    So good David! Love the versatility of the strawberry infused white vermouth in this drink as well as the strawberry spritz. Summer cocktails FTW!

    • Ben M

    Very much enjoyed this, but it has quite a kick at first–I felt like the flavors opened up a bit more as some of the ice melted.

    I’ve been having fun with your strawberry infusions. Liqueur Des Fraises (from Drinking French) with muddled strawberries makes a phenomenal strawberry Moscow Mule. And using strawberry-infused white vermouth adds a new dimension to the Spring Smash (also from DF).

    Looking forward to more warm weather drinks!

    • Taylor

    This looks like an amazing drink for the beach! Strawberries are a bit past season here but we are overflowing with peaches – do you think the flavors would work well with peach slices in place of the strawberries?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I don’t think peaches have the same strong flavor when macerated, as strawberries do, but you could try a small batch and see how it goes. Note that peaches tend to discolor once sliced so you may want to shake the jar every once in a while, to make sure they are submerged as best as possible. Let us know how it goes!

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