The Strawberry Gimlet Recipe

Make purée

Place the hulled, roughly chopped strawberries, 1 tsp granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp lemon juice into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, about 20–30 seconds. If mixture is very thick, add 1–2 tsp water and pulse once.

Taste and adjust sweetness. If berries are not very sweet, stir in an additional 1/2–1 tsp sugar. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove seeds for a silky texture, pressing with the back of a spoon. Yield should be about 4–6 oz; measure 1 oz for the cocktail and refrigerate remainder for another use (will keep 48 hours chilled).

Chill a coupe or martini glass by filling it with ice water and setting aside while you prepare the drink, or place it in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Add 2 oz Tito's Vodka, 0.5 oz Cointreau, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, and 1 oz fresh strawberry purée into a cocktail shaker.

Optional: If your purée or strawberries are underripe and you prefer a sweeter drink, add 0.25 oz simple syrup. Otherwise omit.

Fill the shaker with ice (about 6 oz by volume or enough to ¾ fill the shaker). Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds—shake until the shaker is well-chilled and slightly frosted on the outside.

Dump ice water from the chilled glass. Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or martini glass using a Hawthorne and a fine-mesh strainer to remove ice shards and strawberry seeds/pulp for a silky finish.

Garnish with a hulled whole strawberry on the rim or a lime wheel perched on the glass. Serve immediately.