Fresh or Frozen Strawberries:
Fresh strawberries are always preferred and in season between April and July, but there are seasons when they are not at their best and frozen strawberries can be used instead. When using fresh strawberries in drinks remember to remove the stem (hulled) and rinsed. Also, for many applications such as muddling and blending, slicing or dicing the berries is recommended.
The following recipes use real strawberries in the drinks and for a few, which are noted, a syrup, preserves, or a puree are used.
- Banana Split Smoothie (non-alcoholic)
- Berry Patch (non-alcoholic)
- Champagne Bowler
- Champagne Punch
- Cherub's Cup
- Christmas Jones
- Dessert Fizz
- Dutch Tulip
- Flaming Homer
- Hawaiian Margarita
- Kentucky Kiss - puree
- La Berceuse
- Las Fresas
- Love Potion #9
- May Day
- Midori Melon Eye-tini - syrup
- PAMA Paradise
- Paradijs
- Red Velvet Shortcake
- Strawberry Berryoska
- Strawberry Daiquiri
- Strawberry Flapper
- Strawberry Julius (non-alcoholic)
- Strawberry Lemonade (non-alcoholic)
- Strawberry Margarita
- Stoli Accomplice
- Union Square
- Virgin Miami Vice (non-alcoholic)
Strawberry Spirits:
For as popular as strawberries are, there are relatively underused inside distilled spirits themselves. Strawberry-flavored vodkas are few very few - Smirnoff and Stoli make one - though with in a week's time you can infuse your own.
Liqueurs are slightly more prevalent as strawberry is naturally prone to being sweetened - sugars actually bring out the sweetest side of the fruit - and you can find a handful of schnapps and liqueurs at the liquor store, most are rather tasty with XUXU, Fragoli and Bols being my top choices. Creme de fraises is another strawberry liqueur to look for. Tequila Rose is probably the best known strawberry liqueur and it is used in a couple of these recipes. It was more popular in the creamy, sweet drinks of a couple decades ago than it is now, but the tequila-based liqueur still has some uses.
- Floating on Cloud 9
- Jim Beam Fruit Punch
- Pink Raspberry Margarita
- Red Stag Lemonade
- Strawberry Rosemary Punch
- Strawberries 'n Cream
- The Rhube
- Victoria's Secret
- XUXUBana
Strawberry Garnishes:
I typically do not distinguish garnishes in the cocktail flavor lists, but I make an exception for strawberries. The following recipes show the versatility of the strawberry as a garnish and when it is employed as such it becomes an integral part of the finished drink that I cannot ignore it.
There are a few common ways to garnish a cocktail with strawberries. Simply cutting a slit into a smaller fruit and resting it on the glass' rim or using a single slice of a larger fruit are the easiest. Sometimes you may want to dip the berry in chocolate - great for Valentine's Day - if the drink is of the more decadent variety. Also, take a whole strawberry, slice it thinly while keeping it intact and lay or skewer with a cocktail pick the slices as they are on the drink or rim for a strawberry fan.
- Bahama Mama
- Club Cocktail
- Ebony & Ivory
- Emboldened Cherry Blossom
- Kissy Suzuki
- Mad Eye Martini - preserves
- Midori Berry Bliss
- Strawberry Kissel Explosion
- There Will Be Rum
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