This strawberry rhubarb margarita is the perfect way to celebrate spring and Cinco de Mayo. The perfect balance of sweet, tart and tequila! Made with a homemade strawberry rhubarb syrup and served perfectly chilled on the rocks with a salted rim. Cheers to your new summer drink!
You guys – SPRING IS HERE! I have a mad serious love for rhubarb. Growing up we had a few different rhubarb bushes and I would pick it fresh and eat it raw all spring long. I would peel down the skin, sprinkle it with salt and eat the whole thing. It’s the perfectly tart and crunchy and I LOVE it!
A few weeks ago my friends at Frieda’s Produce asked me if I wanted some organic rhubarb and I emailed back in 2.2 seconds with YES PLESE GIVE ME ALL THE RHUBARB! Luckily they know I’m weird so they were not taken back my aggressive email. Since I no longer have access to my childhood garden it can be hard to find rhubarb around here. There is a guy a few houses down the road that has it every year but I have yet built up the courage to knock on his door and be all “heyyyyyy can I take all that rhubarb off your hands?” I could also buy it in the store but they seriously charge such an insane price that I won’t buy based purely on the fact that the price annoys me. I know – it’s irrational.
So while I love rhubarb on its own I also love it when it’s paired with strawberry. It gives it a nice sweetness that helps balance all that natural tartness. For this margarita, I made a homemade strawberry rhubarb syrup that is ready in just 15 minutes! Plus look the color of that syrup! I swear I swoon just looking at it! I sorta wish I could bottle that color so I can paint my nails the same color.
I personally think a salted rim is important in any margarita but a sugar rim could be used here as well. I think it will depend on how sweet you like your cocktails. The syrup brings a bit of sweetness but it’s not overly sweet so keep that in mind while putting these babies together.
Oh, and guess what? I’m not just making a margarita because I love tequila I’m making a margarita because it’s almost Cinco de Mayo! I was asked to celebrate the upcoming holiday by Kate of Hola Jalapeño. She is putting together a little margarita week celebration and there was no way I could not take part in anything related to margaritas.
{Seriously, I love margs! Check out my cilantro margarita, fresh grapefruit margarita or my mango margarita boozesicles!}
So I know it’s a few days away from Cinco de Mayo but I think it’s totally okay to make one of these margaritas today!
{Looking for more strawberry rhubarb treats? Try my strawberry rhubarb coffee cake, buckwheat crepes with strawberry rhubarb compote or my strawberry rhubarb crisp.}
Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita
Ingredients
For margarita:
- 3 ounces strawberry rhubarb syrup chilled
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce triple sec
- Kosher salt for rimming the glass
- For garnish: lime wedges and sliced strawberries
For syrup:
- 1 cup quartered strawberries
- 1 cup 1/2 diced rhubarb
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
For margarita:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add in strawberry-rhubarb syrup, tequila, lime juice, and triple sec.
- Shake until cold.
- Add kosher salt to a small plate.
- Lightly dip the rim of your short cocktail glass in water and dip in the kosher salt to create a kosher salt rim.
- Fill the glass with ice and pour the margarita over the ice.
- Garnish with lime wedges and sliced strawberries.
For syrup:
- Add all ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan and set over medium heat.
- Let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Try not to smash down the fruit as it cooks but it will start to get very soft.
- After 15 minutes the mixture should be deep red in color.
- Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Let the mixture drain for a few minutes without pushing the fruit through the strainer.
- Once strained let it cool in the refrigerator.