Cocktail advice for gorgeous white raspberries

September 22, 2013 8:26 PM

I have gorgeous white raspberries around which I would like to craft a cocktail to celebrate my lady-friend's return from a week abroad. What do you recommend?

We tend to like alcohol or fruit forward cocktails that aren't too sweet. My first instinct was to muddle the raspberries with 2oz gin, and shake together with a 1/2oz of cointreau and two squirts from a bottle of key lime juice. On the first sip I felt like the lime and cointreau were over powering the drink, but it's starting to grow on me. Still... I'd like to find something that I think will wow her. And we needn't hold to gin of course, we are both big fans of bourbon, so a raspberry bourbon cocktail would be really fantastic.

Any suggestions?

posted by jrb223 to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

What about infusing the raspberries into the bourbon, or vodka if you really want the fruit to shine, and then adding mixers? Light mixers, so you can achieve the fruit forward note you like?
posted by Miko at 8:35 PM on September 22, 2013

For bourbon drinks, you could make a berry syrup (and keep a few for garnish-- might want to get them soaking up some booze right now) and use the syrup in place of simple syrup for something like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. I'm no mixologist, so that's where I'd start. Plenty of drinks are jam-sweetened, so maybe you could work from such a recipe.

Since I became a bourbon drinker, scotch is not as easy to drink for me, but scotch and berries has always worked pretty well for me.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:36 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

There was this drink called a Lemon Todd, some guy named Todd created it.

If (drunken memory serves) it was a drop of some dark berry liqueur, Vodka, and lemonade. DELICIOUS!!

Go ahead and substitute Kirsch, a clear fruit brandy for the berry liqueur, and proceed by garnishing with Raspberries.

I have a naughty naughty naughty Sangria recipe that will work here if you Memail me, but it is a STRONG POTION, and I refuse to hand that recipe out lightly.

Totally delicious, and the second (and last!) time I made it, guests were phoning me after leaving my apartment in Soho (Manhattan, NYC) for directions home. Manhattan is basically a grid pattern of streets, and I did not live off the beaten path, or anything close to that.

Your move:))
posted by jbenben at 8:37 PM on September 22, 2013

I had an amazing sake-based raspberry cocktail the other day.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:05 PM on September 22, 2013

Something like a kir royal. Maybe gin, tonic, splash of Chambord, garnish with your berries.
posted by vrakatar at 9:14 PM on September 22, 2013

For some reason I am thinking a raspberry version of a mojito - white rum, white raspberries, mint, plenty of ice. I'd muddle some of the raspberries and leave some whole for contrast. Depending how sweet they are you may or may not want to add sugar.
posted by Athanassiel at 9:24 PM on September 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Kir Royale.

Champagne and raspberries, with a couple whole berries floating on top. Finish off with a twist of lemon.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:01 AM on September 23, 2013

Champagne, white raspberries, and a small splash of Cointreau, Amaretto, Apricot brandy, or another pale, fruity liqueur.
posted by theora55 at 7:20 AM on September 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Another way to treat the berries for kir-type drinks: put some in a small jar; fill the rest of the jar with vodka; put in the freezer. Add the vodka-frozen berries to your fizzy drink in champagne flute. They will keep the drink cold and release flavor as they thaw. You can also pour in some of the vodka.

(If you have time, you can store the berries and vodka outside the freezer for a while to infuse the vodka.)
posted by BibiRose at 7:31 AM on September 23, 2013

I bet the raspberry bourbon would taste good, but it's dark. One of the benefits of the gin cocktail is that you'll still be able to see the fancy paleness of the golden raspberries. Your recipe actually sounds like a good start - if the lime and Cointreau were too much, have you fussed with the ratios? Try with just a few drops of lime juice. Reduce the Cointreau until the orange isn't overpowering, and if it's too tart, do a simple syrup, or maybe do a sugar rimmed glass and just let the drink be tart. It's okay to have a recipe that's just gin and raspberries; if that seems plain then do a fancy garnish. Raspberries and a long twirl of orange or lime zest on a skewer?
posted by aimedwander at 7:32 AM on September 23, 2013