Refresh Your Summer with Frozen Berry Margaritas!
I don’t want to jinx it, but we’re finally getting a break from the rainy stretch we’ve had in New England. The last few days have been warm, sunny, and perfect evenings for dinner and drinks on the patio. One of my go-to cocktails during the summer is a margarita on the rocks or frozen for a refreshing variation. Made with tequila, triple sec, and lime juice, margaritas create a sweet, citrusy flavor and slightly tart. A salt rim can cut the tartness, or a sugar rim can sweeten a margarita. Frozen variations blend the liquors and lime juice with ice to create an adult slushy. If you want to take the classic recipe to the next level, frozen berry margaritas are the ultimate porch rocker cocktail.Â
Never Make Frozen Berry Margaritas with Ice Again
While I love a classic margarita with tacos, the layers of a frozen margarita can separate if it sits too long. Once a frozen margarita is blended, the ice crystals will melt faster than ice cubes. Water is denser than alcohol, so as the ice melts, the water will sink to the bottom of the glass. The result is layers of water, alcohol, juice, and slush that require constant stirring for an evenly mixed drink from start to finish. If you don’t have a stirrer, you’re left with a film of slush sloshing against your lips. Replacing ice with frozen fruit creates a cocktail with less water content and almost no separation!Â
Frozen Berry Margaritas
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 6 oz. tequila
- 4 oz. triple sec
- 2 oz. lime juice
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
Instructions
- Prepare four margarita glasses by coating the edge of the rims with lime juice or honey. Dip the rim into kosher salt or sugar, and set aside.
- Add the frozen strawberries, blueberries, mango, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and pineapple juice to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared glasses and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Creating Custom Frozen Berry Margaritas
My favorite perk of this recipe is that it’s easy to swap out the fruits and juice added to create custom frozen berry margaritas. So long as the total amount of fruit is the same, the thickness will be consistent. You can purchase fresh fruit in the produce section and freeze it beforehand, or purchase already frozen fruit. When browsing the frozen fruit aisle, you’ll typically find plenty of fruit blend options that make excellent frozen margaritas. You can choose a blend of fruit that is already mixed or create your own using the list of ingredients below as inspiration!Â
Berries
With berries in season, it’s the perfect time to add fresh or frozen varieties to your frozen berry margaritas. You can stick to the recipe above and use blueberries or strawberries, but there are plenty of variations you can make, including:Â
- BlackberriesÂ
- Cranberries (if you have some in your freeze from the fall. Dried cranberries will not blend well in frozen drinks)
- Pineberries are white strawberries with red seeds. They’re often mistaken as underripe strawberries, but they will not turn red, and have subtle notes of pineapple.Â
- Raspberries
Stone Fruit
Stone Fruit is another fruit in season and can give your frozen berry margaritas a flavor boost ranging from sweet to tart, depending on the variety. If you freeze fresh stone fruit, cut the fruit in half and discard the pit prior to freezing.
- Cherries
- Nectarines
- White flesh nectarines have a sweeter flavor than regular nectarines with notes of floral flavors.Â
- Peaches Â
- White flesh peaches also offer sweeter flavors with notes of floral, similar to white flesh nectarines.Â
Tropical Flavors
Shopping the tropical section of your local produce department can provide endless flavor combinations when making frozen berry margaritas at home. You can find some frozen varieties, such as mango, in the frozen fruit section. However, many of the varieties will only be available fresh. You can cube fresh fruit and freeze them for at least six hours before blending. Some tropical fruits to blend include:
- Banana
- Dragon fruit has notes of pear and kiwi.
- Guava has a flavor with notes of floral, fruit, and hints of lemon.
- Kiwi
- Passion fruit
- Papaya has a sweet flavor similar to melon when ripe.
- PineappleÂ
- Star fruit has a flavor that is sweet and sour with bitter undertones.Â
Juices to Try
The type of juices you add to frozen berry margaritas is an easy way to change the flavor profile. You can also use syrups as well! Below is a list of ideas to get you started:Â
- Agave syrup
- Cream of coconut can add a tropical twist and works well with frozen berries. I don’t suggest using coconut water or milk as the coconut flavor isn’t as strong.Â
- Mango juice
- Orange juice
- Grapefruit juiceÂ
- Pomegranate juiceÂ
- Prickly pear juice, also known as red nopal cactus, has a flavor similar to raspberries and strawberries. It’s also loaded with vitamins and antioxidants!
- Tropical juice blends Â
Keep Cool This Summer With Frozen Berry Margaritas!
The next time you have friends or family over for dinner on the patio, make a batch of frozen berry margaritas and beat the heat! If you want to keep a batch of frozen berry margaritas chilled, an insulated steel wine bottle works perfectly. At least an hour before blending your margaritas, place an empty insulated wine bottle in the freezer with the cap off. Once blended, transfer the cocktail to the bottle and replace the cap. Even if sitting outside, the bottle will keep cocktails chilled for hours. What are your favorite fruits to use in margaritas? I’d love to hear in the comments!