- 2 frozen strawberries
- 2 ounces jalapeño-infused tequila
- 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
- 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
- dash cardamom bitters
- 1.5 ounces spicy ginger beer — not ginger ALE, which is a perfectly fine beverage, but we’re looking for something a little more authoritative than that for this particular drink.
Muddle the frozen strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. One of the interesting aspects of using frozen fruit in cocktails is how the strawberries just break apart and grind down to Strawberry Goop. Fresh berries would be a little more stubborn and insist on maintaining their integrity. The frozen ones understand what’s going on and just get with the program.
Add two ounces of spicy tequila, and dry-shake the mixture. This means to shake it without ice. Many ingredients, including most fruit, have flavor compounds that are not water-soluble. In this case, what that means is that some of the most strawberry-y flavors will stay chemically bonded to the strawberry solids and won’t infuse into a water-based solution. Most of those same esters are alcohol-soluble, however, so by dry-shaking our Goop with tequila, and no melting ice, we can do the cocktail version of talking them out of their dorm room and joining the party.
Once you’ve dry-shaken the strawberry-tequila-jalapeño slurry, you can go ahead and add five or six ice cubes, the two types of juice and the bitters. Reshake the mixture for 10 to 20 seconds, or until you hear the ice start to break up. Ask your device to play the theme from Hawaii 5-0; this will give you the right rhythm.
Strain the strawberry-tequila-pineapple-and-friends mixture over fresh ice in a rocks glass, and top with ginger beer. Stir gently to combine.
I don’t know if anyone has told you recently, but you are super cool. The general public really has no idea the extent of your sense of style and general vibe. You know who does appreciate it though? This drink. The spicy tequila and lime juice are mellowed out by the pineapple juice, which, in turn, is made even zingier by the cardamom and ginger. Little red pieces of strawberry will float around in the glass, looking like a complimentary lava lamp.
“You’re so coooooool,” each will say, as it swirls by.
They aren’t wrong. This is an excellent drink for making new friends.
Featured photo. Photo by John Fladd.