Drink Up!

Summertime is the perfect time to get together with friends, cook up some yummy recipes on the BBQ, and incorporate some of your favorite herbs into some fabulous and refreshing cocktails.  You can create some creative and complex flavors using just a few simple and fresh ingredients.

Fresh Picked Strawberry Spritzer

Macerate fresh strawberries with sugar until berries become soft.  In a shaker, combine with Gin or Vodka and ice, shake.  Add seltzer or lemon soda, and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

 Raspberry Mojito

One of my summertime favorites.  In a shaker, combine Rum, ice, simple syrup, fresh mint, the juice from half a lime, and fresh or frozen raspberries.  Shake.  Add seltzer or lemon soda and garnish with a lime slice.

Blueberry Limoncello Martini

Combine one part vodka, two parts Limoncello, Wild Maine or regular Blueberries, and ice in a shaker. 
Add a splash of seltzer or lemon soda.  Garnish with fresh blueberries, a lemon slice, and a sprig of lemon verbena.

Bloody Mary

One of my favorite pre-dinner cocktails this summer, the brunch favorite, the Bloody Mary.  I use fresh celery stalks from my garden and accompany with fresh sugar snap peas as a tasty snack.

Combine one part vodka or gin with two parts bloody mary mix with ice, olive juice, a celery stalk, salt, pepper, tabasco, and worcestershire sauce in a shaker.  Garnish with celery, an olive, and freshly ground pepper. 

Lemon Verbena Martini

Using a mortar and pestle, combine one tablespoon sugar and a sprig of fresh lemon verbena until a paste forms.  In a shaker, combine sugar mixture, one part vodka, one part limoncello, and ice.  Shake.  Add lemon soda, and garnish with a sprig of lemon verbena.

Salute, Cheers, and Enjoy!