One of my favorite flavor combinations is grapefruit with basil. Something about the tangy citrus and the sweet fragrant basil creates the perfect balance for me. Throwing in tequila gives it just the right amount of kick. You really can’t go wrong with great citrus, fresh herb and tequila too. The combination is almost always foolproof.
If you’re a margarita lover like myself, you’ll want to try this updated grapefruit margarita that feels fresh and has a great bite to it. A classic margarita is obviously the best. But swapping it out for seasonal ingredients is always a nice change of pace. I’ve made my fair share of margaritas from strawberry to pomegranate and a classic skinny margarita.
But today I’m going to show you how to make a delicious grapefruit basil margarita. It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo, cocktails with friends or taco night.
This cocktail can be served on the rocks no problem. Maybe try making an infused salt rim to spice things up. A bit of cayenne or even chopped basil to hone in on the flavor profile would be fun.
That’s part of the reason why I love cocktails, they’re so easy and fun to switch up and make your own. This cocktail is super easy to create and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Here’ show I do it.
Grapefruit Basil Margarita Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 oz silver tequila
- 1.5 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz of fresh lime juice
- 1 squeeze of honey or agave – you can also make your own simple syrup if you like. Bonus points for making a basil-infused simple syrup.
- 3-4 basil leaves
METHOD
- Tear the basil leaves into a shaker.
- Add your grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake vigorously. You want to break up the basil leaves so shake hard! At least 30 seconds.
- Pour your grapefruit margarita into a glass and garnish with fresh basil.
TIP: If you aren’t a fan of tequila, you can easily swap out the liquor for vodka or gin.
I served this cocktail in a martini glass just for fun. A margarita usually goes into a rocks glass though but rules are meant to be broken right? Feel free to garnish your glass with a lime, a sprig of basil, and even rim the glass with salt or cayenne and salt mix for a bit of a kick. Or try a basil infused sugar. It’s really so fun to mix things up and cocktails make it so easy to do just that.
This recipe is actually REALLY good with vodka even though I’m not a fan of vodka. Grapefruit goes well with most white liquors so swap it out with whatever you prefer! You can also truly enhance the flavor of the grapefruit basil margarita by adding in grapefruit infused vodka which is easy to find. Using infused liquors helps to enhance flavors which can be great if your fruit may not be super ripe.
