Ever since I created my Smashed Raspberries and Goat Cheese crostini recipe, I’ve been slightly obsessed with raspberries; they’re so summer. The slightly sweet and tart flavor of raspberries make my tongue tingle with joy, and I’ve been trying to find ways to incorporate them into more of my recipe inspirations…especially cocktails.
This week the temperature in Los Angeles has cooled down a bit, and by a bit, I mean about 5 degrees - a drop in the blistering heat bucket. Our air conditioning broke last week, so I was a mess. I didn’t want to do anything. I’m extremely temperature sensitive, so lately I’ve been taking my homemade happy hour cocktails down to the porch to relax and cool down when I’m not trying out a new spot around town.
When is does get unbearably hot out, I tend to crave either Moscow Mules or Margaritas, so last Sunday I picked up some limes and raspberries and created my new drink: Raspberry and Basil Margaritas. And yes, they taste as good as they sound!
I really wanted the raspberry flavor to pop in these margaritas, so instead of just muddling them into the mix, I chose to make a homemade raspberry simple syrup and it was super easy. Just boil half a cup of sugar and half of a cup of water until the sugar dissolves. Then turn off the heat on the stove, move the pot to a cool surface and add 12 muddled raspberries to the syrup. Let sit for 30 minutes so the raspberry flavor will really steep into the sweet liquid. For this particular recipe, I chose not to strain the raspberry seeds out, however, if you don’t like the seeds, go ahead and strain them out.
You could make this fruit margarita recipe without the basil, but I thought the green herb added a nice note of unique flavor. I hope you are enjoying the rest of your summer, and stay cool!
Raspberry and Basil Margarita
Ingredients:
1 ½ oz blanco or silver tequila
1 ½ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz *raspberry simple syrup
¾ oz triple sec
2 basil leaves
ice
Garnish:
lime wheel
raspberry
basil sprig
*raspberry simple syrup:
Bring a 1/2 cup of water and a 1/2 cup of sugar to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add 12 muddled raspberries. Let steep for 30 minutes. Strain if you prefer no seeds. Refrigerate for up to a week in an airtight container.
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, add tequila, triple sec, raspberry simple syrup, 2 basil leaves (torn) and some ice. Secure shaker top and shake until tin turns frosty cold. Strain margarita into a glass of fresh ice and garnish.
Follow me on Twitter: @MarenSwanson for more mixology tips!
