It’s summertime and the sippin’ is easy. No time to make a fruity syrup or fancy infusion for your cocktail? No problem, here’s a simple straight-from-the-garden idea for making a refreshing drink with seasonal charm.
Stroll out to the garden and pluck a handful of ripe berries. My raspberries are finishing up while blackberries are gaining momentum. Blueberries, strawberries and mulberries will all be delicious too. Bring them back to the kitchen, or bring a glass and the few ingredients to the garden with you.
The secret to a rustic and simple cocktail is muddling the fruit right in the glass, adding the sugar and waiting a few minutes for the sugar to release the juices from the fruit and dissolve, creating an almost-instant fruity syrup to use as the base for a simple drink.
The result is not as smooth or as concentrated as a well-made syrup but the fresh-picked flavor and no-prep time frame are a big bonus for spontaneous enjoyment. Your guests will have fun doing their own muddling. Then you can slurp up the fruit in the bottom after finishing your drink.
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Red, White and Blue Spritzer; —————————
Muddle 6+ red raspberries in the bottom of a wine glass using the back of a spoon
Add 1-2 T of fine sugar and wait 1- 2 minutes, if you can, for the fruit to release their juice, then stir to dissolve all the sugar
Add a chilled white wine – a light, crisp style is best, like a grassy Savignon Blanc or go for a fruity Moscato
Top with sparkling water, if desired, and garnish with fresh blueberries
Equally good with a fruity red wine – classic spritzer proportions are 2:1 wine to seltzer but suit yourself
— For a tasty tea-totaling version, substitute chilled “red” rooibos tea instead of wine —
(“bottoms up” to you Rodney….)
per joy 
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