We drank a serious amount of this cocktail on our visit to Gabriola Island. It started with a lovely recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appetite for a Blackberry Ginger Vodka Cocktail and gradually transformed over two weeks, as we switched alcohols and tried different citrus juices. It is reminiscent of the delicious blueberry cocktail that our friend Kerthy invented at our wedding three years ago, but this one is a little bit spicy from the ginger.
My mother and I consumed the final batch of blackberry cocktail watching the sunset and swimming in a peaceful bay near her house. We made a swim-up bar on a tree stump that is partly submerged in water at high tide. We had taken the cocktail down to the water because there was repair work being done on the deck that filled the house with toxic fumes. My husband was helping with the repair, which was time sensitive and sadly had to be done on our anniversary. That is the unsung truth about marriage….you may end up fixing your mother-in-law’s deck on your anniversary, while she and your wife drink cocktails at the beach. Don’t feel too sad. For one thing the deck turned out great, and for another my husband and I had a beautiful celebration the next day which involved swimming, eating fish and chips and watching the sunset over a lighthouse.
The other funny thing about the swim up bar is that we took the cocktail down to the water specifically so that we could photograph it in the beautiful sunset light. What really ended up happening was that we got impatient, took photos of each other drinking the cocktails and then went swimming. By the time the pretty sunset happened there was not a whole lot of the cocktail left to photograph. It was, however, one of the best evenings I have ever spent with my mum.
BLACKBERRY GINGER GIN COCKTAIL
- 2 or 3 cups of fresh ripe blackberries, muddled a bit with the back of a spoon
- 3 bottles of ginger beer (we were using three 275 ml bottles of Fentiman’s Traditional Ginger Beer, which is the most delicious ginger beer I have ever tasted)
- The juice from 1 orange
- The juice from 2 lemons
- The juice from 1 lime
- 1 and 1/2 cups of good quality gin (we were using Bombay Sapphire)
- several sprigs of fresh mint
Mix it all up and drink it chilled!
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Big Sis Little Dish 
Wait a minute! Where is the great photo of you at the swim-up bar?
You’re right! I forgot to add it. I’ll do that now.
Love the photos and the story. Love those Gabriola blackberries. Miss you.
I reached the end of your recipes, to find gin. Thank you! 🙂
Gin is an unusual liquor in that it gets most of its flavour after distillation. In the old days, you could get gins that were “heavy” on lavender. There are some gins which have a little lavender in them now. But, take a new bottle of good gin, pour out an ounce (just to taste it), and add 1 heaping tablespoon of culinary lavender to it. Screw the top back on. Put the bottle in the freezer on its side. Every week for a month, give the bottle a 1/4 turn. Filter the lavender out of the liquid. You will be left with a pale yellow (maybe a hint of pink?) gin, with a strong aroma of lavender.
Works with any spirits, but the only ones I’ve used are gin, vodka and everclear. Most liquors don’t seem to fit with lavender, but maybe you will find others?
Hello Gord!
I love the idea of lavender gin. I will have to give it a try!
Erin
Explore the world of gin cocktails drinks at the Fine spirit expo in Australia. This is the best opportunity for the gin cocktail lovers to taste a wide range of gin and vodka under one roof. Also meet leading gin sellers in Austria to learn more about the taste, brewing process and age of the gin cocktails.