Who's up for a drink? Because this Thai-inspired basil margarita with spicy Thai bitters is pretty awesome!
The inspiration for this drink came out of our recent trip up to Napa Valley, where the boyfriend and I found these Thai bitters along with several other Thai-inspired foods and products. Although the storefront selling these bitters was closing just as we walked in, the owners graciously agreed to stay open just long enough for us to do a taste test...
We sampled a few of the bitters and syrups at the store, but kept coming back to these Thai bitters. They were advertised as being hot, and that was definitely the predominant flavor. But they also had subtle hints of herbs used in Thai cuisine like lemongrass, mint, galanga, and kaffir lime leaves. Even though we're not big drinkers, we had a friend in mind who we thought might appreciate these bitters, so we decided to pick up a bottle.
After coming back home and presenting these Thai bitters to our friend, he immediately wanted to share them with us. What a great friend, right? A few minutes of experimenting later, and he came out of the kitchen with these Thai-inspired margaritas in hand.
The margaritas were made with tequila, lime, and agave syrup, with muddled Thai basil and a generous amount of the fiery Thai bitters. The resulting drink was refreshing thanks to the fresh lime juice and Thai basil, with a nice kick of spice from the bitters. Combined with a little agave for sweetness and the salt around the rim, it had all of the fantastic flavors of a perfectly balanced Thai drink...
The boyfriend and I liked the margaritas so much that we decided to order our own bottle of Thai bitters online, just so we could recreate this drink at home. Here's our version of this spicy Thai-inspired basil margarita. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Recipe
Thai-Inspired Basil Margarita with Spicy Thai Bitters
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Don Julio tequila
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce agave syrup
- 1 sprig Thai basil 6-8 leaves
- ½ dropper Thai bitters
- 2 Tablespoons coarse kosher salt
- 10-12 ice cubes
Instructions
- Run a wedge of lime around the edge of your glass, then press the glass into a shallow dish containing coarse salt to coat the rim in salt.
- Add the Thai basil leaves to the bottom of the glass and muddle until they are well broken down.
- Combine the tequila, lime juice, agave syrup, and Thai bitters in a cocktail mixer filled with ice and shake until combined. Pour into the glass and garnish with a slice of lime and sprig of Thai basil. Enjoy!
Barb
I made a test drink today in preparation of a girl’s happy hour. I purchased thai basil from my asian market and got the bitters through Amazon and the agave syrup from my local supermarket. This is THE best margarita I have ever had. I know the girls are going to love it. The bitters give the sweet margarita a little heat at the back of the throat. It would be so easy to drink more of these than one should. The only change to the instructions that I made is that I muddled the basil in the shaker, then added the ice and other ingredients. Shook and stained. Poured over ice in a glass and added basil as a garnish. Thank you for sharing the recipe for this beverage.