Strawberry Basil Margaritas (Copycat Red Robin)

Say hello to summer with this light and refreshing Strawberry Basil Margarita. I’m not a fan of regular margaritas, but I love this flavor combo. It is fresh and makes you feel like you’re sitting in a garden on a sunny summer’s day.

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Derek works at Red Robin and he got to taste this drink a bit before they rolled it out. I remember him telling me how good it was the day he tried it. About a week later it came out and he made sure I came and tried it knowing that I like more refreshing, not overly sugary alcoholic beverages. I fell in love with this drink right away. Derek says everyone that tries it is instantly a fan. Now this recipe is a copycat of the original Red Robin recipe because they obviously have different ways of getting ingredients compared to the average person. I basically kept trying things that were accessible to almost everyone until I got the right flavor.

This is a drink I would definitely recommend giving a try while it’s summer. It is the perfect drink for a barbecue or day out. Although, since this will be offered for only a limited time at Red Robin, you can suck one of these down all year long!

Recipe

Strawberry Basil Margarita

• Servings: 5-6 8oz margaritas
• Time: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: very easy
• Print

Dive into summer with this refreshing and fruity cocktail

Ingredients

• About a pound (or a bit more) of fresh strawberries (you can use frozen strawberries too, but may need more)
• 1 3/4 cup good quality sweet and sour (we like this one or this one – should be able to find both in stores for cheaper)
• 1/4 cup (~55 grams) granulated white sugar (may need more, up to 1/2 cup)
• 20-24 medium-sized basil leaves (plus 5-6 more leaves for garnish)

Directions

1. Wash and prepare strawberries and basil. Rinse your strawberries in a strainer and cut off the green top of each and set aside. Quickly rinse your basil and set aside.
2. Blend berries. Add strawberries to a blender and start blending. You should get somewhere between 1 3/4 to 2 cups (14-16 oz) of strawberry puree.
3. Add basil. Add half your basil leaves and blend for 1-2 minutes until the basil leaves are in small pieces. Taste this mixture to test how strong the basil leaves are (I suggest you taste it because basil can be vastly different sizes and potencies, I would hate for your mixture to be overpowered). If you would like more basil, add it and blend again (you should be able to pick out the basil and taste it but it shouldn’t be overwhelming).
4. Add sweet and sour. Add the sweet and sour, tequila, and triple sec. Blend.
5. Assemble. Using a wet towel, wet the rim of a margarita glass and dunk the rim into sugar. Fill the sugared rimmed glass with ice and then the margarita mixture. Garnish with a strawberry slice and basil leaf.
6. Enjoy!

Need more recipes perfect for a barbeque? Give these Steak Kabobs with Sweet Soy Sauce Glaze a try!

For more adult beverages, try my easy Perfect Mojito recipe.

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