Strawberry Mango Margaritas

LSU Health Sciences Center acceptance. Tuesday. 3:47 p.m. The kitchen table. The email: "We are pleased to offer you admission." I read it three times. I called Mama. She screamed. I called Daddy. "That's my girl." I called MawMaw Shirley. "Doctor Robinson." Not future. Just the name. Just the fact.

I cried complete tears. The tears of a thing that is finished — not the work, but the uncertainty. Ten years of "will I be enough" answered. I am enough. LSU says so. MawMaw Shirley said so ten years ago. She was right first.

Mama made celebration jambalaya on a Tuesday. Daddy said grace: "Thank you for this daughter. Thank you for this food. Amen." Seven words. The best grace he has ever said.

Mama had the jambalaya going before I even finished crying, and somewhere between Daddy’s seven-word grace and the first bowl hitting the table, somebody put a cold glass in my hand — something bright pink and sweet and icy, the kind of drink that says we are celebrating right now, in this house, tonight. These Strawberry Mango Margaritas were exactly that glass. If you’ve got news worth screaming about, news worth a MawMaw saying your name like a title she always knew you’d earn, you deserve something this festive in your hand while the good food cooks.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
1 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup silver tequila
1/4 cup triple sec or orange liqueur
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, adjusted to taste
1 cup ice cubes, plus more for serving
Coarse salt or Tajin, for rimming glasses
Lime slices and fresh strawberries, for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the glasses. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip into a shallow plate of coarse salt or Tajin to coat the edge. Set aside.
Blend the fruit base. Add strawberries, mango, lime juice, and honey to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30—45 seconds.
Add the spirits. Pour in the tequila and triple sec. Add 1 cup of ice and blend again until the mixture is slushy and well combined, about 20 seconds.
Taste and adjust. Taste the mixture and add more honey if you prefer it sweeter, or an extra squeeze of lime for more tartness. Blend briefly to incorporate.
Serve. Fill the prepared glasses with ice, pour the margarita mixture over the top, and garnish each glass with a lime slice and a fresh strawberry. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Strawberry Mango Margaritas — The Toast We Raised for Doctor Robinson