Spiced Blackberry Fizz
Christy Bradley
Commons Club at Virgin Hotel
New Orleans
At the Commons Club in New Orleans’ Virgin Hotel, Christy Bradley is the “spirit guide.” Her job includes crafting house-made shrubs—a combo of vinegar, sugar and fruit. The ingredient was popular in colonial days as a preservation technique, but shrubs are having a resurgence as a way to balance flavors in cocktails and mocktails. Warm winter spices including star anise, cinnamon and allspice add more flavor notes and non-alcoholic ginger beer adds fizz.
Ingredients
Spiced Blackberry Shrub
1 cup blackberries
1 cup sugar
Ground cinnamon, to taste
Ground allspice, to taste
Ground nutmeg, to taste
Star anise, to taste
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Ginger Syrup
4 qt. water
4 qt. sugar
5 large slices peeled gingerroot
Mocktail
1½ oz. ginger beer
1 oz. soda water
1 oz. egg white
1 oz. ginger syrup
1 oz. spiced blackberry shrub
1½ oz. fresh lime juice
Blackberry, for garnish
Steps
1. For shrub, in large jar with lid, combine blackberries, sugar and spices; stir or shake to blend. Allow ingredients to stand overnight at room temperature.
2. Stir vinegar into blackberry mixture; let stand overnight at room temperature. The next day, pour mixture through chinois or fine sieve to remove seeds; reserve strained liquid, which is the shrub.
3. For ginger syrup, in large saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add ginger and allow to steep 1 hour.
4. Into chilled, tall glass, pour ginger beer and soda water. In cocktail shaker, shake egg white vigorously for 1 minute. Add ginger syrup, blackberry shrub and lime juice. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously 1 minute more.
5. Slowly strain mixture into chilled glass with ginger beer and soda water so it fizzes up. Garnish with a blackberry.
Photo courtesy of Commons Club