Blooming great!
Summer fruits, flowers give refreshing boost to cocktails
Labor Day is less than a week away — where did the summer go? Even if there are fewer chances to savor the sun and warm weather, there are great ways to savor the fruits and flowers of the season — in drink form of course. We've found some great sips and syrups — and even a spread — that are wonderfully versatile, especially as ingredients for creative cocktails. Each mines fruits and/or florals for fresh, vibrant takes on summer's bounty.
First up, organic sparkling craft sodas from Sipp. Lightly sweetened with agave, the Zesty Orange, Ginger Blossom, Mojo Berry, Lemon Flower, Ruby Rose and Summer Pear blends of fruits and herbs are fine for drinking on their own, and are ready to step up to the plate, creative-cocktail-wise. Available at DeLuca's, Target and other Massachusetts retailers.
BLACKBERRY MINT MARGARITA
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
4 oz. Sipp Mojo Berry Add the ingredients in a highball or margarita glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a lime wedge or round. We bet you'll find a lot of uses for the fab lineup from Floral Elixir Co. — the all-natural flower syrups add a delicate, sweet touch to tea, sparkling water, lemonades, mocktails and, of course, cocktails. In violet, hibiscus, lavender, rose, cherry blossom and other flavors, they're made with real flowers, and a scosh of cane sugar. You only need to use a little, so those bottles will look gorgeous on your bar cart for some time. 8.5 ounces ($15) or 2 ounces ($6), at the Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
For more retailers, check out drinkyourflowers.com/ locations.
THE CHERRY BOMB MARTINI
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. dry vermouth 1/2 oz. Cherry Blossom Elixir
1-2 dashes Scrappy's
Cardamom Bitters Stir ingredients on ice, and pour into glass.
Like a chic cotton sweater, Polaner offers a transition piece than spans summer and fall tastes with its new Fruit & Maple spread. In strawberry, raspberry, peach and blueberry, all with pure maple syrup, the spreads are made for, well, spreading and baking and such, but clever mixologists found a way to add it to a cocktail. $3.99 for 8 ounces, available at Stop & Shop.
SUMMER STRAWBERRY BASIL COCKTAIL
1/4 c. Polaner Fruit & Maple Strawberry Spread 1/4 c. water
1 t. lime juice 1/4 c. basil leaves torn, plus more for garnish
2 T. vodka
Seltzer Strawberries for garnish In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk Polaner Fruit & Maple Strawberry Spread and water.
Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool. Add lime juice, basil and vodka to strawberry mixture and refrigerate for at least an hour.
When ready to serve, strain mixture over crushed ice, add seltzer and garnish with slices of strawberries and sprigs of basil.