I love Fridays in the summer, and I also love cocktails. To me, nothing says summer like lemonade. Sweet deliciousness. Raspberries are also a sign of warm weather and are glorious right now. In celebration of the carefree summer months I love, I developed this fun raspberry vodka lemonade cooler with fresh summer berries. Sweet, yet tart, cool and refreshing, this may be just what you need to cool off and wind down this weekend.
Lemonade can actually be traced back to ancient times. Jewish traders in Cairo supposedly sold a drink called “qatarmizat“, which had a sweetened lemon juice in it. Lemonade made its way to Europe by the end of the 17th century; street vendors sold the stuff from tanks strapped to their backs. In Paris these “lemonades“, as they were called, became quite popular and were required to form an organized guild. By the 1700’s, lemonade had made its way to America. here, the classic lemonade stand became a symbol of the American initiative and hard work. I don’t make my own lemonade for this recipe, because it’s a cocktail recipe-and I like to keep these easy and fast. That said, the real stuff is not hard if you’re willing. If you are interested, check out this link. I also uses a touch of good quality raspberry simple syrup, if you are interested in making your own, here is a great recipe to try. I like to think of this fruity cooler as my salute to all of us who have ever popped up a lemonade stand as a kid in the blazing heat of summer. Cheers to all of us!
5 fresh raspberries, plus a few additional for garnish
1 once freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces vodka
3 ounces raspberry lemonade
1 teaspoon raspberry (or regular) simple syrup
good quality tonic
sugar, for dusting berries
sprig of fresh mint, for garnish
Directions
Step 1Place a good amount of crushed ice in a lowball glass and set aside.
Step 2Using a cocktail shaker, add the raspberries and muddle until the berries and nice and broken up. Add the lemon juice, vodka, raspberry lemonade and raspberry simple syrup. Shake vigorously for about 20 seconds.
Step 3Pour the mixture over ice. Top with tonic.
Step 4Gently coat a couple of raspberries with sugar and add to the cocktail. Finish with a sprig of fresh mint.
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Welcome to my Simmer + Sauce. I always thought I was going to be a lawyer, but going to culinary school was one of the best decisions I ever made. I'm a former professional chef from NYC who loves to eat, cook and talk about food. My focus is great food, with solid recipes and reasonable ingredient lists. Cooking should be enjoyable, not stressful. Many of my recipes are family friendly and often on the healthy(ish) side.
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simmerandsauce@gmail.com
This cocktail looks amazing!
Thank you Karly, I hope you try it!