House of Payne (Death & Co.)

 

I'm not sure if this cocktail obliquely references Thomas Payne or if the bartender was punning on the hip-hop group and the feeling most Negronis give your tongue from their bitterness. I do know that I love Negronis and raspberries but never considered mixing the two. 

One thing I love about muddling raspberries in a stirred cocktail is that they impart their clear red juice into the spirits and you can just strain out the seeds and pulp and no one would be the wiser. It is as if you used a non-alcoholic raspberry liqueur! The color of this Negroni is impressive, and the berry juice gives it a sweeter texture than you expect. I can't believe I just made this in my mixing glass and not a shaker, but doing so would mean making a cloudy Negroni. That I just can't do.

• 3 raspberries
• 1 1/2 oz. London dry gin (Bloom used)
• 1 oz. Plymouth sloe gin (Mr. Boston used)
• 1 oz. Campari 
• 1 raspberry garnish

Muddle 3 raspberries in a mixing glass before adding liquid ingredients and ice. Stir and double strain over a single cube of ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with one raspberry on a cocktail pick.

Ramble

 

What do you get when you make a Bramble with raspberries instead of blackberries? The answer is, a Ramble! This is a super conventional recipe: raspberries, gin, sugar syrup, ice. That's it; I added the rosemary because it is suggestive of one of the botanicals in MurLarkey's ImaGination gin. I've gone too long without it on my bar, and I'm super pleased how well it improves a simple recipe like this. 

The funny thing is that the Ramble has a kind of backwards preparation designed to get the muddled raspberries on top of the ice and not stuck at the bottom of the glass. It uses a shaker to chill and combine a gin sour that sits underneath the ice then re-shakes raspberries and simple syrup to add extra sweet raspberry syrup and hunks as a float of sorts. The effect is that the pink syrup drizzles down through the crushed ice and creates a two-tone look that's extra pretty.

• 2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 1/4 oz. simple syrup
• 3 raspberries 
• (Optional rosemary sprig garnish)

Combine gin, lemon juice and 3/4 oz. of the simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass full of crushed ice. Empty the shaker and add the raspberries with the remaining simple syrup (3/4 oz.). Muddle the berries gently in the syrup and pour over the ice. Garnish with berries or optional rosemary.

La Valentina (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

If you are looking for a beer and tequila cocktail, look no further. Often beer and spirits cocktails offend either beer drinkers or spirits purists. I have to say that the design of this drink, from crushed ice to raspberries (muddled and garnish) will win over everyone. You don't really notice either the beer or the tequila, which is to say, this drink is on the sweet side and it sneaks up on you.

And that is more than a bartender can ask for in a recipe involving tequila and wheat beer. The two go great together, mostly because wheat beer is a very forgiving mixer with any spirit. The muddled fruit, however, make the cocktail a little 2006. Let's just say that sometimes it is wise to please everyone. And a bar like Death & Co. can tend to turn off low-brow drinkers, even if they don't display any pretension. That's not the case with La Valentina.

• 3 raspberries
• 1 1/2 oz. blanco tequila
• 1 oz. grapefruit juice
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 1/2 oz. Blanche de Bruxelles beer (Einstok wheat used)
• 3 raspberries for garnish

Muddle raspberries in a shaker and add remaining ingredients except for beer. Short shake with 3 ice cubes to combine and double strain into a Pilsner glass full of crushed ice. Pour on the beer and garnish with 3 raspberries on a cocktail pick.

Under The Boardwalk (Non-Alcoholic)

Wow! What a delightful beach drink that is delicious and non-alcoholic! Makes me think of a beach fruit smoothie tent at Atlantic City. If you have a blender and plenty of fresh fruit, you can make this drink during summer months when peaches are in season.

• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 peach pealed and diced
• fresh raspberries
• sparkling water

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water and raspberries in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass (or Hurricane glass as pictured). Top with sparkling water and stir. Garnish with raspberries.

Ambrosia

I love that this cocktail exists. It's one of those champagne drinks that I wouldn't think of to make and requires a lot of raspberries in the prep, but it is so worth it.

This rendition of Ambrosia is all-American, and most of it is made with Virginia spirits. I got some Lairds Old Apple Brandy, which is really rich and fruity. Plus, I used Catoctin Creek's 1757 Reserve brandy which is like a bomb of grape and oak flavors. Add to this a dry Korbel sparkling wine and raspberry syrup, and it tastes like a mouthful of fresh and dried fruits.

• 1 1/2 oz. apple brandy
• 1 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1/2 tsp. raspberry syrup
• chilled champagne or sparkling wine 

Combine brandies and syrup in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled white wine glass and top off with champagne and garnish with raspberries. (Directions say to drop the berries in the glass, but I was afraid that the dark color of the liquor would make them look strange. Once I unloaded them into the glass and gave it a stir, though, I can see why this is the best option for drinking.)

Canadian Daisy

The Daisy is a pretty standard whiskey, lemon, soda highball. I'm not sure why the Canadian Daisy is the only one that get's raspberries and raspberry syrup, but I'll take it. I guess Canadians, as much as anyone, love their raspberries. In this way it differs from the other Daisy variations: the Star Daisy, the Vodka Daisy, the Bourbon Daisy, and the Whiskey Daisy. The difference is that where all the other drinks used grenadine, the Canadian uses raspberry syrup for color and sweetener.

• 2 oz. Canadian whiskey
• 1 tsp. brandy
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. raspberry syrup
• sparkling water
• fresh raspberries

Combine whiskey, lemon juice and raspberry syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and float brandy on top. Garnish with raspberries.

Bayard Fizz

Raspberries and raspberry syrup make this drink a fresh and summery drink. I know it is pretty much winter now, but the ripe fruit warms the heart and makes for a great fizzy drink. Luxardo helps add complexity to what would be an ordinary Gin Fizz.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 tbsp. maraschino liqueur (Luxardo used)
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. raspberry syrup
• club soda
• fresh raspberries

Combine all ingredients except raspberries and soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and add raspberries.