I got some out of season blackberries on sale yesterday which leaned pretty far to the tart side for munching on. Being on sale, and out of season, I suppose that was to be expected, but that didn't mean I couldn't make a great cocktail with them. It was just a matter of helping Mother Nature along a bit.
To turn my slightly sour blackberries into a great cocktail ingredient I simply turned them into a delicious simple syrup. Problem solved, cocktails served.
The
BLACKBERRY DAIQUIRI
INGREDIENTS
2 Oz Light Rum
1 Oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Oz Blackberry Simple Syrup
(Recipe Below)
Pinch of Sea Salt*
1 Cup Ice
Garnish: Sugared Blackberries (Recipe below.)
Tools: Cocktail Shaker, Hawthorne Strainer
Glass: Coupe
DIRECTIONS
Chill glass in freezer.
Make the Blackberry Simple Syrup from the recipe below and set aside to cool.
Shake the ingredients with a cup of ice until chilled, strain into the cold coupe, garnish with the sugared blackberries and serve.
* Why the sea salt? To balance out the tartness of the lime juice and the particularly tart blackberries that I had without adding additional syrup.
BLACKBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP
Ingredients
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Water
1-1/2 Cups Fresh Blackberries
1/4 Tsp. Lemon Zest
1/8 Tsp Lime Zest
Directions
Add the ingredients to a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat then simmer until the sugar has dissolved and berries are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and let it cool completely.
Strain into a bottle squeezing out any excess juice from the blackberries.
Makes 10 – 12 oz.
Save some for ice cream and waffles!
SUGARED BLACKBERRIES
Ingredients
1 Egg White
1 Tsp. Water
1 Pint Berries
1 Cup Sugar
Directions
Whip the egg white and water until slightly frothy.
Dip the berries in the egg white then drop the berries one by one into the sugar and toss until coated.
Lay the berries out to dry on parchment paper until they're no longer sticky.
National Blackberry Day is September 12th and National Daiquiri Day is July 19th.
