From PORCH PARTIES by Denise Gee
Serves 2
With its deep ruby hue, this standout drink is a beautiful marriage of seasonal blackberries and fresh mint. Dallas cookbook author Denise Gee calls it the “perfect porch-crowd pleaser.”
10 fresh mint leaves
16 fresh East Texas blackberries
½ cup rye whiskey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons simple syrup (see recipe)
½ cup ginger ale, plus more for topping off
Garnish: skewers of fresh blackberries
Muddle the mint and blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Add the whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup and ½ cup ginger ale. Add ice and mix with bar spoon. (Don’t shake—remember there’s ginger ale in there.) Pour into wide-mouth or tall cocktail glasses filled with ice. Top off with extra ginger ale to taste. Garnish, if desired.
Simple Syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour the syrup into a clean container and store in the refrigerator indefinitely. Makes about 1½ cups.
Reprinted with permission from Denise Gee, PORCH PARTIES-COCKTAIL RECIPES AND EASY IDEAS FOR OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING, Chronicle Books © 2009, Photograph by Robert M. Peacock.
Denise Gee is the author of PORCH PARTIES-COCKTAIL RECIPES AND EASY IDEAS FOR OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING, Chronicle Books ©2009 and SOUTHERN COCKTAILS: DIXIE DRINKS, PARTY POTIONS & CLASSIC LIBATIONS, Chronicle Books © 2007 and SWEET ON TEXAS:
LOVABLE CONFECTIONS FROM THE LONE STAR STATE, Chronicle Books © 2012.
