Basil Lime Margaritas

With Summer in full swing, I wanted to share a few delicious cocktails that my brother in law made for us a few weeks back. I am not that creative with drinks and tend to just stick to what I know, so it is always fun to go over to their house and taste a few new concoctions and expand my horizons a bit.

I am going to share this recipe today and then another one in a week or two that both use the Basil Simple Syrup we made here on the blog a few weeks back. Check out that post and whip up a batch. Today we are going to make a pitcher of Basil Lime Margaritas.

I have to admit that I was a little leery when Andy started mixing me cocktails with herbs in them. Based on my South Florida upbringing, I have been ok with mint in drinks for years and the way that the local bars mix up the most delicious mojitos…  But for me, herbs belong in the dinner or the appetizer, not the cocktail, so I was half expecting it to taste like a salad!  To my surprise, the flavors went together well, especially with the liquor that Andy had picked. I would have never thought of that!

In the past few months of having the occasional happy hour over at Andy and Alli’s house, I have realized my inadequacies in the “bar” department… I have been really proud that I keep a “well stocked bar” which until recently I thought included 1 bottle of each of the following: vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, and maybe a sipping liquor, like a nice bourbon or rum.

Andy on the other hand has multiple bottles of gin that are distilled to bring out different flavors and go better with different mixers, an assortment of tequilas that compliment a variety of margaritas and other concoctions… and the list goes on… (at first glance into his liquor cabinet I though he was storing essential oils in there but no… that was his impressive collection of different types of bitters… ha!)

I have SOOOO much to learn and before I do, I need to move out of our current 240 sqft home so that I have have a decent place to put all the bottles that I want to acquire…

Ok, enough of me lamenting my cocktail inadequacies, here and on to the main event… margaritas!!!

T0 mix up a pitcher of Basil Lime Margaritas you will need:

1 cup Herencia Mexicana Tequila
1/2 cup Cointreau 
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup basil simple syrup (to taste)
salt and lime wedges for garnish

First of all you need a half cup of fresh squeezed lime juice. You can take the time to juice them like we did or pick some up at the store. If you opt for the store bought kind, just make sure that you are not buying the concentrate.

But in all honesty, if you are going to use these delicious liquors to mix up this margarita and you already went through the trouble to make the Basil Simple Syrup… use fresh lime juice!!

We used a lot of limes…

To prep your glasses, use two small plates. Put a few tablespoons of lime juice on one plate, enough to coat the bottom of the plate and coarse ground salt on the other. Dip the rim of the glass in the lime juice then into the salt. Garnish with a lime wedge and set aside.

Fill your pitcher up with ice then add tequila and triple sec, basil simple syrup and lime juice to the pitcher of ice.

Stir, stir, and stir a little more.

Fill your glasses with ice and strain your margarita into the glasses and enjoy!

PS if you decide to take pictures with said drinks, for Instgram or any other purpose and want to take your hair out of the “lazy ponytail”, don’t let your photographer/husband catch you in the act… haha!

There, isn’t that better with the hair down?!?!

Thanks for the drinks Andy, Cheers!!!