Smash Leftover Raspberries For A Refreshing Rum Drink
Delicate raspberries are delicious, but they are fragile ingredients. Whether you've simply purchased too much fruit for the week ahead or forgot to store the berries correctly, there's no reason why any of this fruit should end up in the trash. If you notice your seasonal fruits have become bruised or are nearing the end of their prime, you can easily use the less-than-perfect pieces in your next cocktail.
The bright sweetness of raspberries paired with the subtle-tasting notes of white rum is a smooth pairing that is difficult to top when it comes to making refreshing cocktails at home. Muddling raspberries in the bottom of a glass and topping with a shaken batch of lemon, a hint of sugar syrup, white rum, and a splash of ginger beer can create that perfect, refreshing drink that can elevate any backyard party. Your ingenuity will impress your guests, and you'll feel great knowing no fruit has gone to waste in your kitchen.
Making the most of what you have
Once you've started to experiment with mixing rum and raspberries, cocktail recipe variations are endless. Shaking raspberries, rum, lime, and apple juice can make for a sweet base to build a highball cocktail that can be topped with ginger ale, or garnish raspberry-infused rum mules with sprigs of rosemary.
If you don't have rum stocked at home, raspberries can also be incorporated into gin cocktail recipes. In a similar fashion, muddle withering berries into a glass or purée the fruits to add to shaken mixtures of gin, simple syrup, and lime juice for a refreshing take on the gimlet. If your at-home bar is stocked with rum and find yourself with other delicate fruits like blueberries and strawberries nearing the end of their usability date, these fruits can also be mixed into cocktails to create delicious, flavorful recipes to serve to guests. Garnish glasses with fresh herbs and mint leaves to ensure the presentation is as fresh as the taste of your berry-inspired cocktails.