Summer Rita's

July is absolutely one of my favorite months! One reason is because here in MN, the weather somewhat starts to match the season, bbq's a plenty, fireworks, late night bonfires and not to mention the countless birthdays we celebrate in our families! 

Birthday's are my VERY FAVORITE holiday... I know technically they're not holidays, but in my family, we love celebrating this very special day. 

My partner and I have been together for almost 7 yrs and as luck has it our bdays are exactly 1 week apart     

( hmm.. destiny!) anywho, for my bday I usually enjoy trying a new place to eat but my love enjoys the simplicity of a home cooked meal...which  also happens to be one of my favorite hobbies:) 

This year on the menu she asked for turkey burgers and strawberry margarita's. Both, were new recipes to add to my collection, but as always I'm up for a cooking challenge!! 

When we go to Cancun in the winter one of our MUST stops is the best little hole in the wall restaurant called

"The Surfin Burrito" . 

You walk up the the register, fill out an order from and wait while sipping a cool margarita! For $8 US dollars you seriously get at least 40 oz drink filled to the brim with sweet berries and well blended liquor. 

The best part is if you can't finish it they'll give you a to go lid and off you go!! 

 Although we're thousands of miles away, it was my mission to recreate these memories in good old saint paul!

As my wheels were turning I turned to some of my favorite blogs for inspiration. The best thing about there being sooo many blogs now a days is that you can mix and match your favorite parts from each to create something all of your own! 

I hope you'll enjoy my adaption below 

( lots of pics, I love Step by Step recipes to make sure I'm on the right page)

Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

 

 This recipe is for one margarita, but add more or less depending on your likes and how large of a shaker you have!

I was a girl on a mission and seeing I was only making this for tonight  I wanted to save some cash and buy smaller bottles, with that being said I was able to make about 5 1/2 drinks which was MORE than enough for the 2 of us. 

What you'll Need

•  Orange Liquor I used Triple Sec but if you're feeling fancy grab some Grand Marnier
• Tequila 
• Lime Juice ( Fresh or Bottled will do)
• Strawberry Simple Syrup ( recipe below)
• Salted Sugar Rim Mixture  ( Find margarita salt at the liquor store and use the sugar of your choice)

For the lime juice I used the entire mini lime bottle ( you know the one, shaped like a lime usually .99) If you're mixing for a crowd, I'd suggest either buying at lease 2-3 or get your hands dirty and juice at least 6. I used an additional lime to finish up the last drinks.

Strawberry Simple Syrup

 

1 1/2 Cup water & 1 1/2 cup Sugar

1 package of Fresh Strawberries (make sure to save some to chop as garnish)

In a small pan combine equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil and let sugar dissolve, then turn off heat and let cool completely.   You'll know it's ready when the water is crystal clear.

To save time I poured the syrup into a glass bowl and set it into the freezer for 15-20 mins… just make sure to check on it in case you have a super freezer!

When it came time to hulling the berries I thought I'd try out one of the Buzz Feed Food "Kitchen Hacks" where you can use a straw to push the leaves out out of the strawberry and YES this seriously worked and saved me some time, plus i essentially kept 99.9 percent of the berry which meant i had even more berry goodness to enjoy!

Start at the bottom and push through

Tah- Da! 

Pull the stem/hull out from the top of the straw then move onto the next one! 

 Combine Simple syrup + 1 1/2 cups slices strawberries in a blender and blend until combined.  

Store in an air tight jar or container for up to one - two weeks.

 

 Set the berry goodness aside, the hard part is over! Now the fun can begin!!

Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

2 ounces Orange Liquor 

1 1/2 ounces Gold Tequila... or silver if you sooo desire

2 1/2 ounces lime juice

3 ounces strawberry simple syrup [recipe above]

lime + fresh strawberries for garnish

salt + sugar for the rim

  
Rim the ridge of your glass with a lime wedge and dip in a mix of margarita salt + sugar (50/50). Fill the glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup and lime juice with ice, and shake for about 30 seconds. Pour over ice and garnish with a lime slice and add a few chopped strawberries.

-Enjoy!  

XOXOX Angierita