Blackberry Mint Mimosa

One of my favorite things to do is experiment with new cocktail ideas, especially during the summer when there's all kinds of fresh fruits and herbs in season to play around with. And aside from the occasional flop - the kind where you realize the flavors you put together in your mind just don't mesh well in reality - creativity plus a little trial & error usual leads to a fun new drink for your recipe arsenal.

Now, I do love mimosas the classic way, but pretty much anything good at its most basic is fair game for some re-mixing (case in point: mimosa mojitos). This time, we're ditching the citrus completely in favor of a handful of plump, juicy blackberries, muddled into fresh juice and punched up with a touch of mint. What you get is a drink that's definitely quite different from the original but every bit as bubbly and refreshing. It's still a light-drinking cocktail that makes it perfect for spring and summer days, but with a bit more of an intense fruitiness from the blackberries, and a subtle mint flavor for a little extra twist.

This one won't be quite as quick and easy to make as your regular mimosa, but it's perfect for a sunny weekend when you have a little time on your hands and feel like working on your mixology. Do some cocktail-shaking and champange-pouring, splash a few blackberries in there, top it all off with a mint sprig, and you've got yourself a classy summer spritzer!

Blackberry Mint Mimosa

A summery spin on the classic mimosa that makes perfect use of the season's fresh produce with juicy blackberries and a touch of mint.

• Yield: 1 cocktail 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 ¼ ounces fresh blackberry juice*
• 5 spearmint leaves
• coarse sugar (I used Demerara), for muddling
• ¼ ounce simple syrup**
• dry champagne, well-chilled
• fresh blackberries, for garnish (optional)
• spearmint sprig, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Add juice, mint, and coarse sugar to a cocktail shaker and muddle to release mint oils. Add simple syrup and shake well.
2. Strain mixture into a champagne glass and top off with champagne. Garnish with fresh blackberries and/or mint sprig and serve.

Notes

*To make blackberry juice, muddle fresh blackberries and strain juices out through a cheesecloth.

***To make simple syrup, stir together 8 ounces (1 cup) water with 7 ounces (1 cup) granulated sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar has dissolved into the water. Store in a jar or other airtight container in the refrigerator. This will make enough for several drinks.

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