Hi, everyone. Hope you’re enjoying your summer and have made time to cherish this beautiful weather with good food and drink. Here in New England we have had one of the hottest Julys in the last quarter century! And with warm weather comes nice juicy fruit and vegetables. What has made this year unlike many years past has been the simple fact that the extremely hot weather has made many of our crops ripe at the same time. This includes strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and peaches.
Since I can remember, I have loved blueberries above all fruit. When picked at their peak they have a combination of sweetness
and tartness that can make for some unusual drinks as well as desserts. This month, I have chosen a drink that will offer thirst quenching refreshment and is easy to drink, but has a complex and satisfying taste (as well as health benefits)! You’re gonna want to exhale and take a deep breath from this drink’s bouquet before you even sip it. Enjoy!
The Antioxinator
blueberries, fresh
3 basil leaves
2 Tb. simple syrup
2 oz. Grey Goose L’Orange
1 oz. sparkling elderflower*
cranberry juice
orange wedge
Place 4 blueberries into pint glass. Place 2 basil leaves into glass. Add 4 squirts, or 2 tablespoons, of simple syrup into glass. Muddle everything in the glass for 10 seconds, or until crushed. Pour 2 ounces of Grey Goose L’Orange into glass and shake for 10 seconds. Add 1 ounce of sparkling elderflower. Strain into highball glass packed with ice. Add a splash of cranberry juice for color and taste. Garnish with orange wedge cut into a small triangle or quarter. Place 1 basil leaf next to orange wedge and top leaf with 1 blueberry. Add a straw and enjoy!
This cocktail makes for a great sipper anywhere outside in the summer. The orange, blueberry, cranberry, basil, and elderflower offer sweet, tart, floral and spicy flavors in a classic presentation.
*If you are unable to find sparkling elderflower, soda water works fine.
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