How To: Make a Bourbon Berry Cocktail

Who says bourbon can't be a ladies' liquor? Next time you're hosting a dinner party, pick up a mix of berries at your local grocery store. The delicious fruit will highlight the earthy flavors of your favorite bourbon whiskey, resulting in a wonderfully tart and smooth aperitif for your guests. In the below recipe, I opted for Wild Turkey 81 proof.

Bourbon Berry Cocktail

Ingredients:

• A small handful of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries
• A sprig of fresh mint
• 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon (I used Wild Turkey 81, created specifically for cocktails)
• Ice
• 1/2 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce of simple syrup
• A dash of seltzer water
• Optional: garnish with a lemon twist

Equipment:

• Cocktail shaker
• Muddler
• Glass or tumbler

Step 1 Gather Your Ingredients and Equipment

To quote Anthony Bourdain, "The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it: you know where to find everything with your eyes closed, everything you need during the course of the shift is at the ready at arm's reach, your defenses are deployed."

Step 2 Add Berries to the Cocktail Shaker

Use the muddler to muddle the berries until they are crushed and the juices are released.

Step 3 Add Ice and Other Ingredients to the Shaker

Fill the shaker with ice. Add the bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup.

Step 4 Shake and Strain

Shake and strain into a glass. Top off the cocktail with a dash of seltzer water.

Tip

• Simple syrup is a simple combination of sugar and water. You can make it in one of two ways. For the first, bring water to a boil and dissolve sugar in the water. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, take it off the heat, allow it to cool, and then bottle it. The second way is even simpler. Take equal parts sugar and water, and put it in a bottle. Shake until all the sugar is dissolved.

Step 5 Enjoy!

In the end, I topped the cocktail off with some leftover berries and mint leaves to make it extra refreshing, but you can opt to leave them out.