Crimson Tide
Few things say summer like a ripe, glistening strawberry. With the season in full swing, bartenders all over the city are blending, muddling, and pureeing this quintessential summer fruit into luscious cocktails. Here's what they're serving up:
At Sushi-Teq, they're offering a strawberry and blood-orange frozen margarita . This blend of strawberry and blood-orange purees and Milagro silver tequila is served in a margarita glass and garnished with strawberry slices shaped like flower petals and topped with blood-orange zest. InterContinental Hotel, 510 Atlantic Ave., 617-747-1000.
On the waterfront at Joe's American Bar and Grill, bartender Amanda McGurrin blends up her tall strawberry daiquiri with Bacardi silver rum and freshly frozen strawberries. Then it's poured into a goblet and topped with a "vanilla smile" of fresh whipped cream. 100 Atlantic Ave., 617-367-8700. joesamerican.com
Maxwell's 148 in Natick gets berry excited with their Belkin Farm strawberry mojito , which starts with Tommy Bahama white rum with simple syrup and limes -- a la the traditional mojito -- and muddles in fresh strawberries from nearby Lookout Farm. 148 East Central St., Natick, 508-907-6262. maxwells148.com
The strawberry pink peppercorn margarita at Great Bay muddles limes and strawberries with strawberry-infused tequila, and adds a dash of spicy-fruity pink peppercorn syrup. This refreshing drink is served tall, and rimmed with sea salt and crushed pink peppercorns. 500 Commonwealth Ave., 617-532-5300. greatbayrestaurant.com
At Cambridge restaurant dante , they offer up strawberries two ways. One is a play on the mojito called the strawberry mint smash , which uses fresh strawberries muddled with mint and Cold River vodka. Also on the menu, a strawberry rossini , which incorporates prosecco and fresh strawberry puree. 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, 617-497-4200. restaurantdante.com
Augusto Lino, bar manager at Cambridge's UpStairs on the Square, riffs on the rossini with the Lolita, which combines vodka, strawberries, and champagne. Lino painstakingly makes his own strawberry liqueur using overripe crushed strawberries and vodka. The mixture sits for five days, then it's strained and another batch of strawberries is added for another five-day infusion. Then it's strained again and . . . well, maybe you should just taste it. "The liqueur has a super strong strawberry flavor," says Lino, who tops his mix with lots of bubbly. "Any champagne that is not bone dry will ruin it." 91 Winthrop St., Cambridge, 617-864-1933. upstairsonthesquare.com 
