Raspberry Buzz

The Great Raspberry Wish

Last week, we had some very special guests staying with us: our just-turned-five nephew, Drew, and his family. Our patio was buzzing with Hoola Hoop rattle, sidewalk chalk scraping, some fancy dance-Karate moves, and a big question mark as to what to serve for Thursday Happy Hour.

Drew requested raspberries. Not being raspberry season, we did the next best thing: a bag of frozen organic berries from Trader's. They sweetly transformed into two kinds of drinks -- one for the grown-ups and one for the kids.

Happy Hour Idea #36: Raspberry Syrup Recipe 3 cups frozen raspberries 1 cup white sugar 1 cup water squeeze of 1/4 lemon juice (or a tablespoon of orange juice) Heat sugar and water on high heat till sugar dissolves. Turn off heat (and drop in a lemon or orange peel slice for citrusy flavor) and allow to cool completely. Remove peels. This is simple syrup. In a blender, puree defrosted berries and juice. Strain berry mixture to remove most of the seeds. Pour berries into a jar or other glass receptacle. Add simple syrup. Refrigerate for up to one week. Note: Do not shortcut and heat berries in syrup. That makes jelly.

Raspberry Buzz (for grownups) 2 oz vodka 1 oz raspberry syrup 3/4 oz ginger liqueur (we used Domaine De Canton) 1/2 teaspoon blood orange bitters (we used Stirrings) Fill shaker with ice, add ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist and a stir stick. Or pour over ice and top with soda. Raspberry Buzz 2 (for kids, drivers, nondrinkers, and pregnant people) Mix 2 parts soda water and 1 part syrup or to taste. Add a tablespoon of orange juice. Stir gently. Pour over ice and serve with a straw. Effectively, it's a raspberry Italian soda. Thanks to Imbibe Magazine for the syrup idea.

CAUTION: This cocktail recipe may be too delicious to put down. For best results, drink one nonalcoholic version for every alcoholic version. This method will keep you standing. If you plan to drive or are responsible for children, please stick to Buzz 2. Or someone else might take over as grownup for you. Ever read Lord of the Flies? Not pretty.

CAUTION #2: Do not wear a new white sweatshirt while making raspberry syrup. This may seem obvious, in retrospect.

Copyright © 2009, Pybop, LLC (for thursdayhappyhour.com). All rights reserved. Questions? Ideas? Ask us on Twitter: @thurshappyhour.

Happy Hour Idea #36: Raspberry Syrup Recipe 3 cups frozen raspberries 1 cup white sugar 1 cup water squeeze of 1/4 lemon juice (or a tablespoon of orange juice) Heat sugar and water on high heat till sugar dissolves. Turn off heat (and drop in a lemon or orange peel slice for citrusy flavor) and allow to cool completely. Remove peels. This is simple syrup. In a blender, puree defrosted berries and juice. Strain berry mixture to remove most of the seeds. Pour berries into a jar or other glass receptacle. Add simple syrup. Refrigerate for up to one week. Note: Do not shortcut and heat berries in syrup. That makes jelly.

Raspberry Buzz (for grownups) 2 oz vodka 1 oz raspberry syrup 3/4 oz ginger liqueur (we used Domaine De Canton) 1/2 teaspoon blood orange bitters (we used Stirrings) Fill shaker with ice, add ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist and a stir stick. Or pour over ice and top with soda. Raspberry Buzz 2 (for kids, drivers, nondrinkers, and pregnant people) Mix 2 parts soda water and 1 part syrup or to taste. Add a tablespoon of orange juice. Stir gently. Pour over ice and serve with a straw. Effectively, it's a raspberry Italian soda. Thanks to Imbibe Magazine for the syrup idea.

CAUTION: This cocktail recipe may be too delicious to put down. For best results, drink one nonalcoholic version for every alcoholic version. This method will keep you standing. If you plan to drive or are responsible for children, please stick to Buzz 2. Or someone else might take over as grownup for you. Ever read Lord of the Flies? Not pretty.

CAUTION #2: Do not wear a new white sweatshirt while making raspberry syrup. This may seem obvious, in retrospect.

Copyright © 2009, Pybop, LLC (for thursdayhappyhour.com). All rights reserved. Questions? Ideas? Ask us on Twitter: @thurshappyhour.

Comments

[David Oates]

Interesting. Thinking Gin could be a substitute for Vodka? What does everyone think?

[Shelly]

Yeah, I think gin would add some complexity. We'll try that. Thanks, David!

Shelly