Summer has officially arrived in Boston and it's been pretty darn hot here in the city. I think its been close to 90 degrees with high humidity for the past 4 days. It just so happens Eat Fit Not Fat falls on the 4th of July this year. So instead of cooking in this darn heat I went the patriotic cocktail route. This cocktail went together so easily. We had 75% of the ingredients on hand and used fresh basil from our garden! (I knew that garden would come in handy, who knew it would be used to feed my adult beverage addiction?!) Thanks to my brother and sister in-law, we have plenty of tasty bourbon on hand! The GINORMOUS bottle you see below was gifted to us as an engagement present this past weekend. Thank you Tim and Suzanne!
This cocktail makes the perfect compliment to your 4th of July celebration. Leave out the bourbon for a child or non-alcoholic version. You could also switch out the basil for mint. Which I might try next time. Happy 4th of July Eat Fit Not Fat/2 Fat Nerds community! Please enjoy lots of delicious treats this holiday 🙂
Ingredients: (Makes 2 cocktails)
22 blackberries, divided
4 tbsp bourbon, we used Bulleit, obvy.
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
1/2 cup ginger beer, we used Goslings, divided
12 fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish, divided
Large ice cubes
1) Squeeze lemons and place juice aside. Shred fresh basil into several pieces. Divide into 2 cocktail glasses of your choosing.
2) Place 8 blackberries into each cocktail glass.
3) Muddle aka gently crush berries, basil, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice together. Don't over crush. I did not have a beverage muddler (definitely not the official term, but something I will add to my wedding registry 😉 ) So I used the other side of a wooden spatula. I probably stained the top of the spatula with blackberry juice, but heck thats what a registry is for, right? JK
4)Add 1-2 large ice cubes or 3-4 smaller cubes. I used Mike's whiskey ice cube holder to make nice large cubes. Pour in 1/4 cup of ginger beer and 2 tbsp bourbon ( approx. 1 shot) into each glass.
5)Garnish with a sprig of basil and 2-3 blackberries. Serve immediately.
Approx. Calories: 150 per cocktail including bourbon (not bad for a tasty cocktail on a summer day)
I went to Michaels and picked up these make shift cocktail "swizzle" sticks for 99 cents.
Happy 4th everyone!
Recipe inspiration from: http://www.self.com/body/recipes/2014/06/blackberry-summer-smash/
Love the blackberry base. Happy holiday!!
This looks really good! I’m going to have to try this in the summer with some mint :3
It is super good! Ellie and I have made it and absolutely loved it!