Although the traditional cocktail of the province of Guanacaste, one of the most tourist-friendly regions of Costa Rica, is the Chili Guaro, North American expats in Tamarindo Beach have been recently looking for more refreshing alternatives. A former liquor store clerk who worked in that beach town recently spoke to The Costa Rica Star about an influx of tourists and foreign residents who used come into his establishment looking for ingredients to make their own strawberry margaritas.

Apparently, not all nightlife establishments in Tamarindo Beach are prepared to serve their thirsty patrons frozen cocktails, which are often requested by North American tourists. This is hardly surprising given the hot summer temperatures currently experienced in Guanacaste, the driest region of Costa Rica; besides, various stories surrounding the origin of the margarita point to Mexican resorts, and tequila is invariably the main ingredient.

The aforementioned liquor store clerk from Tamarindo Beach offered the following strawberry margarita cocktail recipe for do-it-yourself revelers:

Ingredients

• 10 large strawberries
• 5 ice cubes
• 2 ounces of tequila (preferably “añejo,” aged)
• 1 ounce of Cointreau liqueur (or an orange alcoholic spirit)
• 1 ounce of cane sugar (preferably brown or from liquefied “tapa dulce”)
• Half lemon
• 1 tablespoonful of sea salt for frosting the glass

To make this cocktail, freeze the strawberries for about an hour prior to placing them in the blender along with the ice cubes and the cane sugar. Add the tequila and Cointreau after blending for about a minute, or until the cocktail’s consistency resembles a granizado. Frosting the glass is easy: spread the salt on a plate, rub the lemon on the edges of the glass, turn the glass upside down so that it comes in contact with the salt and give it a couple of twists.

It should take about 10 minutes to prepare the strawberry margarita, which should be consumed at a pace of about 20 minutes in the shade.