Hey Southerns, you know what season it is, well, besides Spring?
STRAWBERRY SEASON!
After eating the best strawberries I’ve ever had in my life in France, I came home pumped to experiment with local strawberries because lets be honest, grocery bought one’s just are NOT the same…
Blogger friend, Kenan agrees and went to Ponce City Market’s Farmers Market (held on Tuesdays) to grab from local growers, King of Crops. She showed up at my house with the cutest basket full, some even still had their stem. After hammering out ingredient details we got to creating with our partner for this post, Dixie Vodka.
**keep scrolling for recipe!**
Having Kenan there to bounce flavor combos off of and being able to pick her foodie brain was awesome! Learned a few things too like that Meyer lemons are less acidic and more floral than regular lemons and that sugar draws out the juices of strawberries. Converted and noted!
She had brought lavender so we def wanted to use that for one and since the mint vodka was already flavored we opted to use with our plain vodka drink and made a simple syrup.
Strawberry + Lavender Champagne Cocktail with Dixie Vodka
1 oz strawberry puree with Meyer lemon juice (see note)
1 oz lavender simple syrup (see note)
1 oz Dixie vodka
1 oz club soda (optional)
2 oz dry champagne
lemon twist or strawberry for garnish (optional)
Stir together puree, lavender syrup, and vodka in a champagne flute or coupe. Top with chilled club soda and champagne. Garnish with lemon twist or strawberry.
For puree: Wash and hull a quarter pound of strawberries (about 1 cup). In a food processor or blender, puree berries with freshly squeezed juice of 1 Meyer lemon (2-3 tablespoons). Yields about 6 oz. of puree, enough for 6 cocktails. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator; best if chilled before making cocktails.
For lavender simple syrup: Heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon dried lavender, and cover. Allow to cool to room temperature, strain out lavender, and chill in an airtight bottle or jar. (For easy cleanup, use a mesh tea ball for the lavender.)
~Recipe written by Kenan Hill in partnership with Lady Flashback and Dixie Vodka~
Sit in window that faces city jungle, kick back cocktail and enjoy (responsibly!)
The second drink we made was really fun with a salty strawberry rim, but you’ll have to visit Kenan’s site to get it ;)
How pretty is that salt?!
Look close and you can see Flynn’s new collar, it’s a little bow tie!
Didn’t really expect to show the whole cart because there’s all this random party supplies tucked in but I actually like how this photo turned out. You’ll see these appear soonish in a Moroccan themed post I have in the works.
Have fun getting your strawberry party on y’all and be sure to pair it with Dixie Vodka!
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