This berry forward cocktail can be easily adapted to suit any berry (and lemon), but since our family favorite is wild huckleberry I wanted to highlight this special berry!
If you haven’t heard of huckleberries check out my post on them here. And finally the precious little pink lemons I had on hand found their home.
This is a refreshing cocktail that goes down easy though, so beware!
BERRY SYRUP VS SIMPLE SYRUP
My mother had just made fresh wild chokecherry syrup so we used that instead of a simple syrup. Chokecherries are similar to a huckleberry, but with a poisonous pit, hence their name. If you’re fresh out of berry syrup, simple syrup will work just fine in this berry cocktail. If you’re new to making simple syrup I recommend following this easy recipe!
COPPER CUPS
Copper cups aren’t just for mules! They work great for cocktails like this as well. And while we don’t use them all the time, our family has a special love for copper mugs because of our ancestral ties to Butte, MT. Butte at one time was known as the Richest Hill in the World due to the copper deposit found there and the urgent need for copper during the “dawn of the electric age and the requirements for copper wire.” Butte has a fascinating and rich mining history which you can learn more about here. We get our mugs through the Butte Copper Company and they ship worldwide.
SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
First muddle your fruit (berries and lemons) in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. You can also add mint or basil at this point, but when we have huckleberries we don’t like to taint the flavor. Then add your vodka, berry or simple syrup and ice. Shake and strain over your glass filled with crushed ice. To finish top with sparkling soda and garnish with lemon slices and fresh berries. Cheers!
Wild Huckleberry & Pink Lemon Smash
Ingredients
Method
- Place 2 lemon wedges, berries and herbs (if using) into your cocktail shaker. Muddle them lightly to burst the berries and extract the flavors. (If you don’t have a cocktail muddler you can use a wooden spoon.)
- Add vodka, berry or simple syrup (the amount will depend on your taste and the type of berries you are using) and ice. Shake until cold and strain into your glass filled with crushed ice.
- Finally, top with sparkling soda water and garnish with the remaining lemon wedge and fresh berries.
We just picked fresh huckleberries, I made a simple syrup with Stevia, got some fresh mint out of our garden fresh squeezed lemon juice, and lots of vodka. Delicious!
Hi Carri – So glad to hear you enjoyed the cocktails! Fresh huckleberries are the best!