Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The easiest (and most delicious) pitcher drinks you will ever make.

I secretly long to be Martha Stewart. I dream of having perfect, mosquito-free garden parties where everyone drinks perfect summery drinks from mason jars and everything is recorded for posterity in dreamy, short depth of field-y photos.

This was right before the tree caught fire.

But I am not Martha Stewart, I am a normal person. I do not have hundreds of hours or thousands of dollars or a team of photographers. To make my parties awesome, I must rely on my own wit and daring, plus a few tricks I've picked up over the years. One of which is: pitcher drinks. You can mix them up the night before, pop them in the fridge, and when it's party time, impress your guests with your cocktail making skillz without having to spend the entire time in the kitchen. These are my absolute favorite - I make them for almost every party I have, and they are always a huge hit. Plus they're almost stupidly easy to make. And did I mention delicious?


Strawberry Basil Margaritas
(Okay, so of course this was inspired by the drink they serve at the Volcano, but the pitcher recipe is my own.)
12 strawberries, hulled and sliced
8 basil leaves (harvested from the back porch!)
one can frozen limeade concentrate
tequila! (I prefer the gold for this recipe.)

First, mix up the limeade. The package will say to add 4 1/3 cans of water; I usually add 3 cans of water and 1 1/3 cans of tequila. (If your friends are squeamish about drinking, or you like your margaritas less strong - well, add a bit less.) Lightly muddle the basil, or smoosh it gently with the back of a spoon - this will help the basil essence to diffuse into the drink. Add the strawberries and basil to the pitcher and stick the whole thing (covered) into the fridge overnight, or for at least four hours.

When you retrieve the pitcher everything will have turned a nice pale pink. Serve over ice, and wait for the compliments to pour in.

10 comments:

  1. dude seriously i love this drink. i was very sad that it was all gone the other night by the time i was done with my glass of sangria. the only problem with a delicious cocktail is that it disappears!

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  2. Have I mentioned how much I miss your drinks? I'm going to keep your blog in my back pocket and use your drinks to impress the new people I meet up in ND. I will become ridiculously popular with your drinks and my cooking. :)

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  3. Yes you will. Margaritas are the #1 way to win friends and influence people. And your sopapilla cheesecake is something else.

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  4. Can I cheat and use frozen strawberries? I know fresh they're plentiful this time of year, but what if I'm longing for a summery style drink in January?

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  5. I've never done this with frozen strawberries, but it's worth a try. Obviously you want to thaw the strawberries before you slice them...and maybe use one of those pitchers with the strainer on the spout, so if the strawberries fall apart you won't wind up with little strawberry bits in your drink. Let me know if you try this - I'd love to hear how it turns out.

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  6. Loved it! Found this on Pinterest. Great Inspiration!

    http://www.binksandthebadhousewife.com/2012/05/pinspiration.html

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  7. Really fantastic - everyone at the party loved it, whether they normally preferred boozy drinks or sweet drinks, and whether or not they liked tequila. This should be a standard party drink!

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  8. I don't like tequila, but thought I'd make this for a party last night... It was delicious! The guests and I enjoyed a wonderfully summer feeling drink, even though it's still chilly in MN in May! :). Thanks for a great recipe that I will surely make again on a hot July day!!

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    Replies
    1. Can't wait to try this. Having neighbors for fish tacos! This sounds like the perfect drink to accompany them!

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