I know better but I've done it again. Eager to have spring start and not content to just buy some basil at the grocery store, I decided to purchase a couple of plants last week and put them into pots and harvest their leaves instead. Then it snowed and night temperatures fell into the 20's and the error of my ways (and my impatience!) were made evident; again. Boxes were located, old sheets were found and some rocks to hold everything in place were resourced from the garden to provide much needed protection from the elements we know all too well can be (and often are) the harbinger of our spring in the Rockies. Still, I wasn't going to let a bit of snow keep me from celebrating the advent of spring and what better cocktail than this Strawberry Basil Margarita to help with that celebration?
Now that our weather this week seems content to be much warmer, my little plants can be uncovered during the day and just protected at night and though I lost two plants to Mother Nature, none of them are really large enough for a big harvest so I carefully removed 8 of the best leaves and was able to complete my task at hand. Luckily, strawberries are starting to come into the market that are red and juicy and while I consider summer the ideal time for margaritas, I've learned to love making diverse combinations depending on the freshest produce of the season and for this season I simply love the combination of strawberries and basil. This vibrant and beautiful cocktail is simply a perfect one to serve if you're like me and need a dose of spring!
I'm a bit late with this post today. Sometimes life gets in the way and it's good. A friend showed up yesterday afternoon when I was making the cocktails for this post and son of a gun...she and I just drank them without worry of a photograph. I think I had also planned to muddle the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain them but that idea sort of went out the window as my friend Pam and I were chatting. I could have rectified that today but I recall how she got a spoon to finish off the berries at the bottom so why ruin that experience? Muddled in the glass it is and yes, by all means grab a spoon!
Of course yesterday's event meant I had to make them again; poor, poor me. Let's just call it dedicated recipe development; I can attest they were good last night and just as good again today...Cheers!
Strawberry and Basil Margarita
