STRAWBERRY RHUBARB COCKTAIL

If you were wondering what I did with the strawberries we got from strawberry picking, I went with a strawberry pie. Specifically, it was a strawberry balsamic pie from the The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie book and it was delicious. I had it for several breakfasts, straight out of the fridge and the pan with a fork... naturally. I also made a cocktail.

Once I decided I wanted to try to get strawberries and bourbon together and make strawberry bourbon babies, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I settled on the classic combination of strawberry and rhubarb. This rhubarb simple syrup is sooo good, I kept dipping my finger into it to lick off.  Oh there are so many possibilities with this rhubarb syrup - Mix it with club soda for rhubarb soda! Put it into some champagne for a rhubarb bellini! Drizzle it over some plain Greek yogurt! Yes, yes and yes. 

I thought the cocktail might be too sweet, but the lemon and mint give it the lift it needs and the rhubarb stands up nicely to the bourbon. It is refreshing and the kind of drink I would sip on all night long at a backyard party.

Strawberry & Rhubarb Cocktail
adapted from SAVEUR

Ingredients (for one drink): 1 lemon, 3-4 strawberries, 3-4 mint leaves, bourbon & rhubarb simple syrup.

1. Make rhubarb simple syrup: Wash and then cut up one rhubarb stalk into 1/2 inch pieces.  Put the pieces in a pot with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of simple syrup. When the mixture is boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain the mixture and you will have a pink rhubarb simple syrup. You will only use 1 ounce of this for one drink, so bottle it up and save the rest for later.

2. Muddle 3 lemon wedges, 3 mint leaves, 2 strawberries and 1 ounce of rhubarb simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add 1-1.5 ounces of bourbon and ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint and strawberries if you wish.