With over 10 years of experience of making homemade cocktails, I've learned the magic of liquor infusions. Liquor infusions are one of the best ways to creatively use ingredients to level up your at-home cocktails and give them something extra special. This strawberry infused tequila recipe is a perfect way to enjoy the flavor of strawberries in any tequila cocktail of your choice! The best part? All you need is two ingredients and a little bit of time!
I wanted to make a strawberry cocktail without using strawberry simple syrup, to cut down on the sugar content of the cocktail. Infusing the tequila this way gets you great strawberry flavor without the addition of sugars! This infusion is a great base for a summer drink like this Strawberry Ranch Water!
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💕 why you'll love this strawberry infused tequila recipe
🍓 bursting with berry flavor. Think of every reason you love the flavor of strawberries, but in liquid tequila form. Fruity, floral, and fresh!
🙌 simple technique. Making this tequila infusion is oh-so-simple, and the majority of the time it takes to make the recipe is hands-off!
🤩 impressive & inventive. Get ready to impress your friends at your next gathering with your ingenious use of strawberries and tequila. You can literally just add soda water and you’ve got a delicious cocktail!
🛒 ingredients
- strawberries - the best part about this recipe is that you can use berries that you might have forgotten about in your fridge. While you want them to still be fresh, they don’t have to be at peak ripeness for you to get super flavorful tequila.
Make sure that you wash them well, and trim and hull them for the best flavor. Strawberry hulls don’t have too much flavor, and can even be bitter, so I like to leave them out. The leaves of strawberries are also safe to eat, but they do impart a leafy green taste to the finished infusion. It’s up to you, though!
In a pinch, you can even use frozen strawberries to make this recipe! - silver tequila - Silver tequila, or blanco tequila, has a much more versatile flavor profile than gold or aged tequilas, also called reposado or anejo. Since we want the main flavor of the tequila to be strawberry forward, silver works best for this!
Gold tequila has been aged which gives it a mellow flavor, but it also can add flavors depending on how it was aged. Reposado tequila is aged for a minimum of two months, and anejo tequila is aged for a minimum of one year.
🍹 All about tequila
- blanco - also called silver tequila. It is bottled shortly after distilling but can be aged for up to two months. It can be the most assertive in flavor, which is why you often see shots of it paired with salt and lime. But there’s another reason: this tequila partners beautifully with citrus flavors. Select blanco tequila when you will be making citrus-forward cocktails like margaritas and palomas.
- reposado - also called gold tequila. This type of tequila has been aged for at least two months and up to a year. It is typically aged in oak barrels, which imparts a wonderful flavor ranging from vanilla to spices. Reposado tequila works well in drinks like elevated margaritas, mules, old fashioneds, or French 75s. You can also enjoy this tequila neat to really taste the full flavor profile.
- añejo - also called aged tequila. It is aged for over a year, and up to three years. Typically it is aged in oak barrels, and it has a wonderfully smooth flavor that can range from slightly floral to caramel ad vanilla. You can use this tequila in cocktails, but because this tequila is so special in flavor, it is usually enjoyed neat from a special glass made just for sipping tequila.
🍳 instructions
Step 1: Wash, trim, and hull your strawberries.
Step 2: Place strawberries in a large glass jar.
Step 3: Pour a whole bottle of tequila overtop of the strawberries. Save the bottle for storage after you’ve strained the berries to minimize needing containers.
Step 4: Seal the jar to make sure it is airtight.
Step 5: Give the jar a gentle shake or swirl, and allow it to sit in a cool dark place for 3-7 days.
Step 6: Give the jar a gentle swirl or shake every other day, and give it a taste each day until it is to your liking. This can take anywhere from 3 days to a week.
Step 7: Once the tequila is at your preferred taste, strain out the berries by pouring the contents of the jar through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup.
Step 8: Discard the berries. Pour the strawberry tequila back into the original bottle, and seal it shut.
Hint: This recipe is very easy to scale up or down, so you can make exactly as much tequila as you need! Add about ¼ more than you think you’ll need, as some tequila will be absorbed by the fruit. The general ratio to keep in mind is 1:1. One cup of berries to one cup of tequila.
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🍽️ Serving Tips - Serve this tequila in any cocktail you would use tequila in, from margaritas to palomas! It is also perfect for sipping over ice, or made into strawberry ranch water!
ℹ️ Troubleshooting Tips - Make sure to taste your tequila as it infuses. For years, I thought longer infusions = better infusions, but that’s simply not the case. In fact, the longer you let something infuse, the more likely it will be too intensely flavored. When left to infuse for two weeks or more, this strawberry tequila can take on a very floral, almost perfume like flavor profile. Stick to around 5 days for the perfect flavored tequila, but you can push it up to a week.
If you aren’t using your strawberry-infused tequila right away, store it in the fridge to keep it from spoiling. Yes, the alcohol does preserve it to some degree, but because we are dealing with produce, which can spoil, it’s better for longer term storage to refrigerate it.
⚖️ Scaling Tips - This recipe is very easy to scale up or down. If you are making a half batch, simply cut the amount of the ingredients in half. Keep in mind, you will lose some volume of tequila because the strawberries absorb it, so add about ¼ more tequila than you think you will need.
🔆 top tip
You can use two smaller jars, or cut the recipe in half if you don’t have a large enough container. I’ve even used a zip-top bag in a pinch. 😛
♻️ substitutions
Missing an ingredient? No problem. Check out these tried-and-true substitutions, or comment below with your question. I’m here to help you troubleshoot!
- tequila - you can use gold tequila if it’s all you have. You may want to lessen the infusion time to 3 days, or stick to 5 or 7 depending on your preference. Make sure to taste the tequila each day until it reaches the strawberry flavor you like.
- rum, gin, or vodka - you can also infuse other silver or clear liquors can with strawberry flavor! Try rum, gin, or vodka!
🎛️ variations
Feeling like a rebel?! 😈 Feel free to stray from the recipe card using these variations, or leave me a comment with your own!
- strawberry-vanilla - add half a vanilla bean for a strawberry-vanilla-flavored tequila!
- tropical - add in tropical fruit like pineapple, mango, or kiwi for an extra beachy vibe.
- spicy - add in a few slices of jalapeño 8-24 hours before you use the tequila for a sweet and spicy kick. Do not infuse jalapeños for more than 24 hours, though, or it’ll be way too spicy. If you want to skip the heat but keep the pepper flavor, remove the membranes and seeds from the pepper. Check out my recipe for jalapeño infused tequila here!
🧰 equipment needed
- 1 extra large glass jar - Large glass jars are perfect for infusions. For this recipe, you’ll need a jar that can hold at least 50 ounces, or 6 cups. I love using large Weck jars because they have a wide mouth and are easy to get things in and out of, but this large jar from Ball also works very well!
- pairing knife - you’ll need a pairing knife to trim and process your strawberries.
- cutting board - a small bamboo cutting board like this one is perfect for this recipe.
🫙 storage tips
If you are going to be using the tequila within a week or so, you can store it out of direct sunlight in a cool dark place, unrefrigerated. Otherwise, store it in the fridge to maximize freshness and flavor.
This strawberry infused tequila will keep stored in the fridge for up to 6 months. It will actually keep indefinitely, but the flavor will start to deteriorate. You can also keep it in the freezer if you like!
💬 q+a
You can use it however you’d use regular blanco tequila. Mix up some strawberry margaritas, strawberry ranch water, or strawberry palomas! You can also enjoy it simply over ice with a twist of lime.
While the amount of time will vary based on your personal preference, I’ve found the best infusion time to be around 5 days. That means you can put this recipe together on a Monday and be enjoying strawberry tequila by the weekend!
You can use gold tequila or reposado, but I wouldn’t advise using añejo tequila, or aged tequila. Tequilas that are aged already have flavors to them, so for the best strawberry flavor, use blanco tequila, or silver tequila, for this infusion.
🍽️ recipe
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
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🥣 recipe
Strawberry Infused Tequila
Equipment
- 1 large mason jar 64 ounce capacity
Ingredients
- 400 grams fresh strawberries washed, hulled, and trimmed
- 750 ml tequila about 25 ounces
Instructions
- Wash and trim your strawberries. Remove the stems and hulls for the purest strawberry flavor. You can slice your strawberries if you like, but it isn’t necessary.
- Place strawberries in a large glass jar.
- Pour a whole bottle of tequila overtop of the strawberries. Save the bottle for storage after you’ve strained the berries to minimize needing containers.
- Seal the jar to make sure it is airtight.
- Give the jar a gentle shake or swirl, and allow it to sit in a cool dark place for 3-7 days.
- Give the jar a gentle swirl or shake every other day, and give it a taste until it is to your liking. This can take anywhere from 3 day to a week.
- Once the tequila is at your preferred taste, strain out the berries by pouring the contents of the jar through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup.
- Discard the berries.
- Pour the strawberry tequila back into the original bottle, and seal it shut.
- Store it in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
🧯food safety
Food safety is an important ingredient in any recipe for success! Here are some tips to keep you safe in the kitchen!
- Always enjoy alcohol responsibly, and never give alcohol to anyone under 21 years of age. For more information about responsible alcohol consumption, click here.
- For the safest storage, keep your alcohol infusions in the fridge for longer-term storage. Contrary to what you may have read, infusions can spoil, especially if they still have the organic matter in them.
- If anything ever smells or tastes "off," it's your best bet to toss it.
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