Sometimes life demands that you have a cocktail. Everything from long days to late nights, birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations bring with them a desire to raise a glass of cheer and imbibe with friends. As a woman who has a fair amount of her life invested in a winery, I’m all for it. The tricky part comes when all of the celebrations and long days and hot nights come one right after the other and you find yourself at the end of the week with an empty bottle of booze and a lingering headache. Sometimes it’s time to dry out. I feel this is the perfect place for a “mocktail”.
Mocktails are cocktails without the booze. Kid-friendly and pregnant-lady friendly, mocktails can act as a stand in for your gin and tonic should you find yourself as the designated driver at a party and don’t want to be the only one there drinking a soda out of a can. Mocktails can be pretty high-brow and totally hold their own should you find yourself swilling with a group of hipsters or socialites.
This Blackberry Mint Mocktail is a riff on a mojito and therefore makes it perfect for a hot summer day. The mint is refreshing with a fruity kick from the blackberries. You don’t have to use club soda here. You could use Sprite or some kind of other lemon-lime soda, but I would cut the sugar down in the blackberry syrup considerably. You can, of course, make this drink a true cocktail by adding in a jigger of your favorite booze. I prefer any of the clear varieties in this particular mix.
Make this Low-carb/keto-friendly by substituting my favorite Monkfruit sweetener for the sugar!
Looking for more refreshing beverages? Give these a shot!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
- 3/4 cup sugar or Monkfruit sweetener
- 1 cup water
- 8 mint leaves
- 4 limes
- Club soda
- Ice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the blackberries, sugar and water together. Bring to a boil them simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- Pour the blackberry syrup through a fine mesh strainer and into a glass container. (At this point you can store this simple syrup in the fridge for a couple of days)
- To make one drink, pour 3 tablespoons of the blackberry simple syrup into the bottom of a shaker. Add in the juice of ½ a lime and a mint leaf. Muddle (that means mush) the mixture together with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon. Add in a handful of ice to the shaker and give the mix a shake or two (if you would like to add an ounce of rum, vodka or gin, add it to the glass before shaking).
- Fill a high ball glass with ice and pour the contents of the shaker in. Top with club soda and enjoy!
This drink looks absolutely refreshing! Perfect for summer!
Thank you!! It’s perfect for a hot day!