Happy Spring everyone! The trees are in full bloom, the days are warmer and the grass is so vibrant and greener; isn’t Spring gorgeous? It is also one of my favorite seasons of the year, next to Fall. I must not complain much about this past Winter. It wasn’t all that bad at all but still I was so ready for nicer, warmer and more beautiful days.

To me Spring time means chilly mornings, crisp air, chirping birds and sweet berries. The snow mounds have all melted away and we’ve been getting frequent spells of rain. There are tiny buds and baby leaves on the trees. Squirrels and bunnies are coming out to play. We have also had visits from deer and wild turkeys in our backyard so far. It sure is a very pretty sight all around.

Getting our vegetable patch ready, berry picking, backyard lunches, and celebrating our daughter’s birthday are our favorite activities of the season . If I were in my hometown (Chennai) now, I’d be drowning myself in mangoes, jack fruits and palm fruits (nungu). How I wish I had unlimited access to these fruits in this part of the world also. I try to make the most of the seasonal local produce here, but that doesn’t stop me from yearning for the fruits from home.

Spring is when you get the sweetest strawberries of the year here. We haven’t gone berry picking yet, but we’ve been getting pounds of pounds of strawberries  from our local grocers every week. We love to eat them raw most of the time, but we enjoy them in baked goods and beverages as well occasionally. The recipe for margarita mix that I’m sharing with you here is one of my very old recipes. I keep changing the fruit in it based on the season, but the base recipe is pretty much the same. If you are not a big fan of strawberries, you can replace them with mangoes, pineapples, peaches, watermelon or any fruit of your liking.

I usually make my own drinks when we have guests over. These homemade mixes are free of preservatives and nothing can beat drinks made with fresh fruits. You can make the mix a day or two in advance and pop it into the fridge. When it is time to serve your guests, fill tall glasses with ice, pour in the mix, garnish and you are good to go.

These drinks are big time party pleasers. Be it cocktail parties or barbecues or lunches/dinners, they are absolutely a great addition to your menu. You’ll never go back to store bought mixes once you start trying this recipe. Cheers!

Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time : 15 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 lb fresh strawberries (cut in quarters)
2-4 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 cup sugar

For garnish

lime slices or wedges
mint leaves

Preparation

Combine sugar, a cup of water and ginger in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Keep stirring until sugar has dissolved (about five minutes). Allow to cool. Set aside.

Blend 3/4 lbs of the strawberries and add to the sugar/simple syrup. Add lime juice and two cups of water, mix well and strain. Transfer to a pitcher. Add remaining strawberries and refrigerate.

To make Margarita

Combine four-five parts of the margarita mix, two parts of tequila and one part of triple sec in a pitcher. Mix well.

Fill a tall glass full of ice and pour in the margarita. Add a slice of lemon and/or mint leaves for garnish.

Serve cold.

To make Limeade

Fill a tall glass full of ice and pour in the margarita mix. Add a slice of lemon and/or mint leaves for garnish.

Serve cold.

Note

1. Choose the quantity of ginger based on your taste preference. We like it really spicy and we go for four full tablespoons of grated ginger.
2. If the pulp or seeds of the berries don’t bother you, you don’t have to strain them out. Just strain out the ginger from the sugar/simple syrup.
3. The color of the drink deepens as it sits in the fridge.
4. You can freeze the mix for a longer shelf life.