Putting booze and sugar on fruit is a really easy way to (1) impress your party guests and (2) salvage sub-ideal fruit. Taking inspiration from her love of booze-infused jams, my mom came up with this dressed-up strawberry dessert, and it quickly became one of her great triumphs in flavor pairings: the sugar and the Cointreau (my mom’s preferred brand of triple sec) work as amplifiers for the sweet, tangy flavors of the strawberries, and the touch of orange zest freshens everything up. Eat the strawberries by themselves—as my sister and I did as kids, probably getting unknowingly tipsy in the process—or do as my dad would do and spoon them over good-quality vanilla ice cream (for us Texans, that means Blue Bell or bust).
Serves 4 to 6
1 In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Taste and add more sugar, if needed, keeping in mind that the strawberries will get a shade sweeter as they macerate. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2 Serve immediately—don’t leave the strawberries in the fridge for much longer, or they’ll get too soft.