It’s Friday and not only am I looking forward to the weekend, but I’m also looking forward to drinking a few cocktails. (Is it 5 o’clock yet?) The other day, I was reminiscing about a recent trip to New Orleans and I wanted to recreate one of their signature drinks, a mint julep, but with a Chic twist of course. I thought since blackberries are in season at the moment, I’d put them to good use. And what better way than in my drink?
With just a few simple ingredients and a cocktail shaker in hand, you can have a chilled drink to cool you down, in no time.
We’re going to begin by making a simple syrup. The name speaks for itself. It’s simple to make. Just equal parts water and sugar. Simple syrup is actually a common ingredient in most cocktail recipes because it removes the grittiness from the sugar and ensures it dissolves properly.
Once the simple syrup is completely cooled, we’re ready to make the blackberry mint julep. You’re going to need a cocktail shaker for this, or just a tall glass of some kind that you’re able to cover somehow. Throw in the blackberries and mint leaves. Muddle the two ingredients together until they’re broken down. Muddling is just a fancy cocktail term, which basically means to extract the most flavor out of the ingredients by beating them with a stick.
The alcohol of choice for this drink is bourbon whiskey. You can pour it in at this stage, adding as much or as little as you’d like, depending on how strong you prefer your cocktails.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the shaker, along with a lot of ice. Place the lid on and give it a few shakes to chill the drink and to blend the ingredients together. Strain the julep, to catch any of the seeds and pulp, into glasses that have been filled with lots of crushed ice. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh mint and a blackberry.
These are best drank cold with a few friends around to help you enjoy them on a lazy weekend afternoon. Let’s make this weekend a little more special with a delicious Chic cocktail. Enjoy!
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed, plus more for garnish
- 4 ounces bourbon whiskey
- lots of ice
- Combine the water and sugar in a small sauce pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Set to the side and cool completely.
- Depending on how big your cocktail shaker is, you're probably going to have to do this in batches. Start by adding the blackberries and mint to the bottom of the shaker. Using a small spoon or wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients together to develop their natural flavor.
- Throw in the bourbon, simple syrup (as much or as little as you'd like depending on how sweet you'd like the drink), and shake vigorously to combine and extract the most flavor. Strain the drink into cups that have been packed with shaved ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a fresh blackberry. Enjoy!
