What to do with 3 qts of strawberries? Well, make liqueur, and a nojito called Strawberry Smash.
What's a nojito you may ask? Well mojito's popularity of the past few years has created a bit of a backlash so a nojito is anything that's not a mojito but is just as refreshing.
Some pictures of the process:
My first strawberries of the season. It was very difficult to keep from eating the strawberries as I cleaned and hulled them.
The smashed together basil, rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. I went the extra mile and attempted to bruise/break apart the rhubarb pieces. I don't know if it was necessary but it was a great stress reliever.
These ingredients needed to chill out in the fridge (ha!) for three hours while the sugar drew out the juices from the strawberries and rhubarb and so the basil could infuse said juices.
After straining out the pulp (and adding a little vodka as a preservative) I gathered just about a pint of juice.
The final suspects.
- 4 oz of the strawberry-rhubarb-basil infusion
- 2 oz of Lillet
- 1 oz of gin
- juice from a quarter lemon
Garnish with a bit of basil.
It's a bit of work but I highly recommend this drink. The basil plays background to the rhubarb and strawberry. The Lillet and gin complement the fruit flavors by adding a floral component.
Very refreshing. In fact, I think I'll have one now...
