Homemade Beer-a-Ritas

Strawberry Beer-a-Rita

Earlier this year, I shared my favorite margarita recipe, highlighted by my favorite homemade sour mix. Since I refuse to admit summer has almost come to an end, I am still making margaritas but experimenting with different recipes.

Last year, I had my first Corona Rita when they were very popular, but I knew I wanted to try making my own at some point. I also traveled to Texas, where one restaurant had a full menu of beer margarita variations. This past weekend, I finally revisited the beer margarita, making it at home to my own taste.

 Here is my Homemade Sour Mix Recipe again just in case you missed it earlier this spring. This can be used to make margaritas on the rocks, or blended with ice for a frozen variation.

First, you need to make simple syrup from sugar and water. I amended the recipe from three cups sugar to two cups sugar, mixed with three cups water. Boil this combination until the sugar is completely dissolved. I suppose you could use sugar substitutes like Splenda, though the proportions may be different. Let it cool in whatever container you prefer. Once it’s cooled, add two cups unsweetened lime juice (I do not recommend Rose’s as it is sweetened), and two cups lemon juice. You now have your own homemade sour mix. Adjust as needed; it may be too tart to your liking. More water can be added to dilute the mix. You can add additional sugar later, depending upon the drink recipe. This can be kept in the fridge for about two weeks or so.

There are a few different ways to make beer margaritas. At home, I didn’t have anything to hold the beer properly or the right glass, so I went for the mixed together version, which sounds interesting but is surprisingly good.

Here is a basic Beer Margarita recipe from All Recipes. Combine one can frozen limeade, 12 ounces tequila, 12 ounces water, 12 ounces beer (use a lighter beer like Corona or Corona Light so the flavor isn’t overpowering), ice and one lime, cut into wedges. You can use the limeade can to measure and add some triple sec for an extra kick. Adjust with extra water if the mixture is too sweet, and strain the pulp from the limeade before mixing if you prefer. You could also substitute part of the water for club soda or lemon-lime soda. This recipe makes about six cups.

I liked the recipe, but I wondered if it would be good as a strawberry version. Actually, it was pretty good and just as easy to make.

This Strawberry Beer Margarita recipe is very similar to the Bud Light Straw-Ber-Ritas you can buy in small cans at the store, but it can be adjusted to suit your own taste. Amounts are approximate and can be adjusted. I used a can of strawberry daiquiri mix and blended it with ice first in a blender. I combined this with one third (two liter) bottle of Diet Seven Up, one Corona Light and about 4 ounces of tequila (approximate). I also added the juice from one fresh squeezed lime and a touch of salt. This will make about six servings.

This recipe is very easy to tweak based on your own personal taste. If you like sweet, you will like this, otherwise you could add more ice to the mix, water, or only use three-fourths of the can of strawberry daiquiri mix to cut down on the sweetness.

Corona Light is a skunky beer by nature, so this could also be substituted with Bud Light, Blue Moon or another light beer depending upon what you like.

If you have a large goblet that can hold a beer, you may want to try this Moon-A-Rita recipe from Cocktail 365. Note: this recipe is for just one margarita in a large goblet style glass. Double or triple for a batch, with each glass getting its own Blue Moon beer. In a blender, combine: one cup ice, one ounce tequila, half ounce triple sec, half ounce sour mix (use store bought or recipe above), two ounces mango puree. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large goblet glass that will also hold a beer bottle inside of it without falling out and leave about one third of the glass empty. Open up a beer and submerge the head of the bottle into the cocktail. Be sure to hold the beer bottle along with the glass when you drink it so you don’t end up with a mess! Recommended beers: Blue Moon Belgian-Style Ale, Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat.

Family Sangria Tasting!

Sangria is a great alternative to wine in the summer and something I like to make at home. Last year while on vacation with my family, we had a group sangria recipe taste test. So this year when we were all together again, we had our second annual event.

My aunt Mayanne used to be a bartender so she took the lead on the mixing. We started with a white merlot and a pinot grigio and concocted three different sangria recipes from each. I recorded the recipes but we started from scratch, just thinking about what would go best together. We did not tell any of the taste testers what was in each recipe; they judged on taste alone.

I am including recipes but please note they are approximate and we used two liter bottles of wine. All of these could have cut fruit added (apples, oranges, lemons, limes) and should be served cold over ice.
About 10 of my family members rated the recipes on a scale of one to five, with five being the best and gave us their comments.

Winter Sangria
While sangria is typically a summer drink, we used Yukon Jack Cinnamon in this recipe to give it an extra kick.
One-third bottle white merlot
Half can lemon-lime seltzer
One-third can cranberry-lime seltzer
Large splash triple sec
One-third to half a nip Yukon Jack Cinnamon
Rating: This recipe scored a 2.6.
Overall, most taste testers thought the spicy finish was a little off-putting but would be good at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

White Merlot Sangria
I couldn’t come up with a creative name for this one, but it was fruity and classic like most sangrias you get at a restaurant. This one would be great with some fruit after sitting for an hour or so.
On-third bottle white merlot
Large splash triple sec
Half can lemon-lime seltzer
Half nip blackberry brandy
Juice from a quarter slice of each-lemon and lime
Rating: This recipe scored a 4.
Many of the taste testers called this “true sangria” that was “refreshing and light.” My cousin Lauren said, “Nailed it!”

Blue Cab
Equal parts white merlot and cabernet sauvignon
Three-fourths nip blueberry vodka
Rating: This recipe scored a 2.4
The taste testers loved the nose on this recipe. My cousin’s husband Chris said, “This puts a smile on your face just smelling it,” but felt it had too dry of a finish to be called sangria and was not sweet. “It tastes like cheap red wine,” my brother’s girlfriend Brittany said. While my aunt and I agreed this wasn’t the most usual sangria recipe, we really liked it.

Fruit Splash
One-third bottle pinot grigio
One apple, cut up
Pomegranate liqueur
Splash peach schnapps
One-third can cranberry-lime seltzer
Rating: This sangria scored a 2.9.
While my aunt and I found this sangria slightly plain and boring, the taste testers called it “refreshing,” “tart” and “crisp,” yet my uncle Mike said he “wouldn’t think of this as sangria.”

Fruitilicious
One-third bottle pinot grigio
One half to three-fourths UV Salty Watermelon Vodka nip
One-third can Fresca
Half a lime-squeezed
Rating: This was the overall favorite recipe, scoring a 4.5. It was not only a pretty pink hue in the container, which would be great for parties, but my family felt it was also a perfect drink for the beach. “This is what a sangria should be,” my uncle Mike said, while my brother’s girlfriend joked that she would “bathe in it.” Even though we only had one recipe left, someone else commented, “It’s going to be hard to beat this one.”

Sour Patch Sangria
One-third bottle pinot grigio
1/8 tube Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade (use sparingly!)
Three-fourths can Limonata
Lime wedges-squeezed
Rating: This recipe closed out the tasting with a 3.6. Only my family members who like sour, like my cousin Lauren who gets credit for the name, liked this recipe. “I love it, but I like sour,” said my mom who rated it a five, while my cousin Katie said, “It’s tart, and makes you pucker.” My brother’s girlfriend agreed and gave it a four. It was too sour for my cousin and aunt, while my uncle said it was “alright.” My brother said it had too much grapefruit.

Overall, Fruitilicious took the top spot this year and Blue Cab took the bottom with the group. The key to all of this is don’t be afraid to try something new and different, according to your own personal taste. I like to experiment so something like this is the perfect opportunity, especially if you come out with something everyone likes.