blackberry-mint julep

On Monday morning, I arrived at work to find a large sprig of mint at my workstation. Explanation: my coworkers have caught onto my baking and cooking habit, and now leave offerings at my desk. Strange, wonderful and best of all, true. Of course, I immediately started looking up minty recipes. I remembered I had blackberries in the fridge – and then this little recipe from Martha Stewart popped up on my screen. Perfect.

Blackberry-Mint Julep

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves

1 pint blackberries

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

4 cups small ice cubes

4 sprigs mint, for garnishing

DIRECTIONS

Roughly chop mint leaves.

Puree the mint, blackberries, and sugar in a blender. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard seeds.

Rinse blender, then return puree to blender, and add bourbon and small ice cubes; blend until smooth. Divide mixture among 4 glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig. Yields 4 servings.

This recipe isn’t super-sweet, but it’s refreshing and has a great slushy texture. The bourbon keeps it from feeling fruity or girly, but there’s little enough that it goes down smoothly.

[my friend leigh volunteered her time and palette to this experiment]

Recommended for: that hot summer night when you just need to cool down and unwind, impressing the heck out of your friends, even if you don’t know a thing about adult beverage construction, and a tasty and gender-neutral aperitif for any spring and summer gathering.