Today it's all about strawberry syrup and the cocktails you can make with it. Even though the season for strawberries has passed, it doesn't mean we cannot have some cocktails with great strawberry flavor. A few weeks ago I wrote about making your own strawberry syrup, which will now come in handy in the following recipes.
I believe an ingredient should be versatile and have a use in more than just one specific cocktail, therefore I want to offer you three more recipes which utilize my home-made strawberry syrup. Since the internet is full of recipes for Strawberry Margaritas and Daiquiris, I decided that there will not be any of those here. I want to share some fresh recipes that aren't as worn out.
Something For All Ages
Making cocktails all the time can be very unhealthy as they contain sugar and alcohol, often in large amounts. So I find it always nice when there is a non-alcoholic alternative I can offer my guests or drink myself.
With non-alcoholic drinks it' best to concentrate on just a few ingredients. Those ingredients themselves might be sophisticated (a special home-made shrub for example), but using too many ingredients often ends in an unidentifiable mixture of fruit juices. Which is why this first drink is very simple, but delicious nevertheless.
- 3 Parts Strawberry Syrup
- 1 Part Lime Juice
- 8 Parts Soda or Mineral Water
Fill a tall glass with ice and add the strawberry syrup and lime juice. Stir thoroughly, then add the soda water. Garnish with a lime wheel.
A nice strawberry treat to enjoy on a warm and sunny day, bringing back the memories of summer. And as the leaves are falling and the last sunny days are upon us, put those preserved strawberries to good use and enjoy this tasty refreshment.
If you have no limes available you can always use lemon, but be sure to use a bit less lemon juice it is usually more acidic. I chose lime juice since lime and strawberry are such good friends, so it just made sense.
Something For The Lightweights
When drinking cocktails it doesn't always have to be one that knocks you down. There is a perfect alternative which keeps it light and prevents you from getting too drunk while drinking all night. It's called a shim. One way to make a shim is to use a spirit with a low ABV as the base. Since strawberry are a delicate fruit I chose a floral vermouth as company.
Fraisette
- 40ml Dolin Dry Vermouth
- 10ml Strawberry Syrup
- 80ml Soda or Mineral Water
Pour the vermouth and strawberry syrup into a pre-chilled Old-Fashioned glass on ice and stir thoroughly. Add the soda water and garnish with a slice of lemon.
Recipe adapted from Schweppes.de
As the original recipe contained way too much water I reduced the amount used. Of course I also increased the amount of vermouth which gives this cocktail a bit more character. Nevertheless it is a rather smooth and floral cocktail with lots of herbal notes. The strawberry flavor accompanies those flavors without drowning in a sea of other ingredients. To make it even better the strawberry never gets too dominant either and the small amount of syrup guarantees that the cocktail won't be overly sweet.
Something For The Bon Vivants
Since the first two cocktails were rather light in taste and alcohol content, I feel obligated to deliver something unhealthy but deeply satisfying. And when thinking about strawberries I have to think about cream. If you like to indulge, then end your meal with some strawberries and cream combined in this luscious cocktail.
Pink Irishman
- 45ml Bushmills Irish Honey
- 15ml Strawberry Syrup
- 45ml Cream
Add the Bushmills, strawberry syrup and cream to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a pre-chilled Old Fashioned glass.
A creamy and fruity cocktail with a touch of whiskey and honey. The balance between whiskey and strawberry is great and you will miss neither when drinking this cocktail. I imagine this will work even better with a finer whiskey liqueur with a stronger taste of honey as I find the Bushmills a bit flat in that regard.
Because this cocktail is inspired by the White Russian, I heed the advice of David Wondrich and shake the cream with all the other ingredients.
Some folks build this one on the rocks, floating the cream on top. No. – David Wondrich about making a White Russian
Another variation which will taste great is, if you substitute the whiskey for a mild blanco tequila. Unfortunately I could not test this as I lack a proper tequila right now, but I will try this in the near future. The result will probably taste like Tequila Rose but much fresher and less sweet.
Something At The End
I love strawberries and I love this syrup. It captures the essence of this fruit so well and allows you to enjoy a nice strawberry drink even when it's cold outside. Especially the Pink Irishman is something so indulgent, that it's a great drink to lift one's spirit on a rainy day. Nevertheless the Fraisette ended up as my favorite since the vermouth and strawberry combo is just so clean, crisp and refreshing.
I'm sure there are lots of other great cocktails out there which feature flavorful fruity taste without falling into the Frozen Whatever category. So if you know any good recipes and want to share them, feel free to leave a comment or give me hint on Twitter.
Next week I want to continue putting my home-made syrups to good use and feature something from the second part of the syrup series. I'm not quite sure what syrup I will choose, but as I want to write about all of them anyway it will probably depend on the mood I'm in next week. If you don't want to miss it you can always subscribe via email or follow me on Twitter.
Title image via pixabay.