Treat Yourself to This One

Berry season is something that is so easily taken for granted.

The little boxes you see in grocery stores are available all year long so we forget that this is their actual season, this is the time that they are growing everywhere in crazy, natural, flavor-packed abundance, ripening at such a rate you can hardly eat them fast enough before they go bad.

Which is why you must drink them also!

Cue invention of the refreshingly minted blackberry smash.

Note:

If you prefer a sweet drink you may want to add a drop of simple syrup but I super ripe blackberries are sweet enough so I don't recommend it.

If you don't like mint, try substituting basil vodka.

If it's a thousand degrees where you live also, don't stop and take pictures because as fast as berries ripen at this time of year, ice melts much faster.

Blackberry Mint Smash

Ingredients (1 drink)

• 2 blackberries
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 3 oz mint vodka (or basil)
• ice
• soda water

Combine

1. Start by chilling your glass in the freezer.
2. When the glass is sufficiently cold, remove it and muddle the blackberries at the bottom.  If you don't have a muddler you can use a sturdy fork, the bottom of a shot glass, or a citrus reamer.
3. Add the lemon juice, stir, then fill the glass with ice.
4. Pour in the vodka, top with soda water, add a straw and enjoy!

Minty Fresh for the Fourth

As the temperatures rise in the summer so does the need for a nice, fresh mixed drink.

Don't get me wrong beer and wine are great, but there is something about being suctioned to a patio chair by sweat that makes a spirit poured over ice sound so spot on  -  throw some fruit or herbs into the mix and it's even better.

But of course, life is hard....

Mixed drinks take a little extra effort to make and as someone who is lucky if they have an ice cube in their freezer, it's a straight up blessing if the fresh fruit and herbs that were part of the cocktail haven't gone bad in the fridge.

The solution?

Infuse it and make it last forever!

Okay so forever is probably an overstatement and I don't recommend keeping infusions for over a year, but that still gives you more than enough time to finish the bottle.  These only take a few seconds to prep and a few days to infuse so if you prep your bottle tonight you're mojito game will be on point for the fourth.

Mint Infused Spirits

Ingredients

• 1 cup of thoroughly washed mint leaves per 750 ml bottle of alcohol
• Note: using pesticide free mint is ideal but at least 80 proof alcohol is a must!

Combine

1. Use your hands to tear up the mint leaves.
2. Remove one or two shots from the bottle to create space for the mint.
3. Shove the mint into the bottle.
4. Wait 3 days then do a scent check: if the bottle smells more alcoholy than minty you'll want to wait another day or two, if the bottle smells more minty than alcoholy it's ready.
5. Place a fine mesh strainer over the mouth of a jar and carefully pour the liquid out of the liquor bottle over it, catching the mint leaves along the way.  Note: this does not need to be refrigerated.
6. Enjoy:
1. Minty Moscow Mule (ice + 1.5 shots vodka + 4 shots of ginger beer + squeeze of lime) 
2. Mojito (ice + 1 shot mint rum + 1/2 lime juiced + soda water)
3. This would also be great as a vodka soda or with a splash of lemonade!
4. "Grasshopper" (ice + 2 shots mint vodka + 1 shot creme de cacao + milk)