Craving a truly special blackberry lemonade vodka tonic? Not just good, but amazing? The magic isn’t in a fancy liquor store bottle, but in a simple, jewel-toned syrup you’ll create yourself. Plump, fresh blackberries, a hint of granulated sugar, and a surprising pinch of sea salt, all gently warmed and then strained into a concentrated burst of fruity perfection which is then mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice. This isn’t just a simple syrup; it’s liquid gold, ready to transform a basic vodka tonic into a refreshing, sweet-tart, and utterly irresistible cocktail experience. Get ready to elevate your happy hour. Cheers.
Do you remember your first drink? The whole experience remains a bit fuzzy in my memory, but I’ll shamefully admit that my first run-in with alcohol involved peach schnapps. I won’t admit to the age that I was when this momentous and hazy occasion took place, but I will admit that no one should experience peach schnapps as their first sip of alcohol. I’m really not sure why it even exists in this universe, or why anyone would choose to purchase it with hard-earned money, let alone willingly choose to ingest its foul, disgustingly sweet liquid substance. Perhaps that is why it was shoved in the back of a pantry closet, on the highest shelf, forgotten, dejected, and hidden from the world. I’m pretty sure that bottle of liquid nastiness was purchased sometime in the early 70s, most likely before I was even born, from the appearance of its faded and raveling label. Clearly, its first victim declared truce way before I came into the picture with my curious thirst for booze.
There are some things our parents don’t discuss with us. Sure, they preach to us about the evils of underage drinking and that we should never consider drinking and driving. They fall short, however, when it comes to providing wisdom on the subject of what alcohol we, as young individuals, should steer clear of. Perhaps they feel like this is something we need to discover on our own, or maybe they prefer to believe that we will wait until an older age, when responsibility and education will help us to make better choices. Or maybe, just maybe, they feel that by allowing us to try totally disgusting things on our own without prior knowledge of their disgustingness, it will prevent us from partaking of them in abundance in the future. If that’s the case, I can definitely swear that there is no chance of my ever willfully consuming peach schnapps again in my lifetime. Lesson learned. Don’t even get me started on the subject of wine coolers.
Ingredients:
- 2 (6-oz.) Containers of Fresh Blackberries
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 1 Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
- Ice
- Vodka
- Tonic Water
Directions:
- Rinse the blackberries, and then place them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the granulated sugar, over low heat.
- Smash the berries and sugar together with the back of a slotted spoon, cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, and discard any seeds or pulp.
- Combine the blackberry juice with the fresh lemon juice.
- Fill a large glass with ice; add a 1/4 cup of vodka, 1/4 cup of juice, and then top the glass off with tonic water.
- Stir well before toasting your friends, your cat, or even yourself.
Suggestions:
- Store the juice mixture in a tightly covered glass container in the refrigerator.
- You should be able to get anywhere between 6 to 8 drinks out of this berry mixer.
Improvements:
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
- Use raspberries in place of blackberries, or a mixture of the two.
- Replace the vodka with whiskey.
Ingredients:
- 2 (6-oz.) Containers of Fresh Blackberries
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 1 Cup of Fresh Lemon Juice
- Ice
- Vodka
- Tonic Water
Directions:
- Rinse the blackberries, and then place them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the granulated sugar, over low heat.
- Smash the berries and sugar together with the back of a slotted spoon, cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, and discard any seeds or pulp.
- Combine the blackberry juice with the fresh lemon juice.
- Fill a large glass with ice; add a 1/4 cup of vodka, 1/4 cup of juice, and then top the glass off with tonic water.
- Stir well before toasting your friends, your cat, or even yourself.
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