Berries are in season and they are perfect in fresh fruity cocktails. Try these recipes to up your berry game. We often find during the summer that we have a ton of berries on hand. When the blackberries are cheap at the grocery store you can’t help but pick up a pint or two. Who can say no to raspberries at the farmers market or a fruit stand selling fresh picked strawberries. If you are anything like us you end up with more berries than you know what to do with. With these recipes you won’t have a shortage of uses for those delicious little fruits packed with the taste of summer!
Berry & rosemary juniper gin fizz
Ingredients:
● 2 ½ cups of blackberries
● 4 lemons, chopped into little pieces
● 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked
● 10 juniper berries
● 5 tbsp honey
● 2 cups Bombay Sapphire gin
● 1 litre soda water
Instructions:
1. Divide the blackberries, lemons and rosemary evenly between each tumbler.
2. Add a juniper berry and ½ tbsp honey to each tumbler. These can be made ahead of time and sit in the fridge until your guests arrive.
3. When you’re ready to serve, use a muddler or rolling pin to mash the berry mixture until the fruit is crushed.
4. Fill each glass with ice, top with gin and a dash of soda water, stir well and serve.
– Recipe by Anna Jones for Jaime Magazine
Honey Basil Bourbon Blueberry Smash
Ingredients:
● 10 basil leaves
● ½ cup blueberries
● 1 cup soda water
● ½ cup tonic water
● 2-3 shots of bourbon – depending on how stiff you like your drinks!
● A few cubes of ice
● Honey to drizzle (sub maple syrup or agave for vegan version)
Instructions:
1. Combine basil, and blueberries in a mixer and muddle. I don’t have an official tool to muddle so I just used the end of a metal measuring spoon.
2. Add the soda, tonic, bourbon and ice to mixer and shake a few times.
3. Pour mixture into cocktail glasses and drizzle with honey. You can also drizzle honey in glass prior to pouring.
4. Taste and top off with more soda or tonic as needed.
– Recipe by Chelsea Dinsmore
The Seductive Swan
Ingredients:
● 1.5 oz Russian Standard Vodka
● 5 blackberries
● 3 oz Lemonade
Instructions:
1. Muddle four blackberries in bottom of a tumbler.
2. Add ice, Russian Standard Vodka and lemonade.
3. Garnish with remaining blackberries.
– Recipe by Tom Fischer
If you didn’t have any berries on hand before you read this, you’ll go out and get some now! Remember that frozen berries work just as well so if you can’t find them fresh just visit the freezer section. For all of spirits in these recipes visit us at Bill’s Package Store. We have a great variety of Gin, Bourbon, Vodka and more. We are located at 1651 Ft. Campbell Blvd in Clarksville just down the street from Fort Campell Army Base and across from the Planet Fitness.