Yes my friends, the summer fruit is ripe. My fingers and lips are stained by the abundant blackberries that grow dark and sweet on the trail side. A little while ago I was up the coast at a bar in Gualala, the owner was a slick old bachelor who appeared to be generously sampling his own stock. He strolled over and after flipping a glass high in the air Vegas-style, poured me a shot of cranberry infused vodka, I was impressed by it's simple but rich flavor. It gave me the idea to do the same with wild blackberries. The process is simple enough; pick a jar full of berries and steep them in vodka, but this elixir has a special ingredient. While tearing the highly invasive Cape Ivy from a rose bush outside my Mom's house I stopped to smell the small pink flowers. The scent reminded me of the taste of a perfectly ripe blackberry. So i picked some, added it to the jar and gave it another day to fully absorb the flavors.
The berries were picked on the first quarter of a late July moon. A spiraling pressure system off the coast cast bands of negative ions through the wooded valley.
A connoisseur
The look of a ripe berry.
A jar full of berries
Bounty!
Rinse and strain
Fill jar until berries are covered with vodka (I used Tito's)
After two days of infusion I picked rose petals to add.
A handful at the top and another day of infusion.
Pour and filter
Ruby Elixir
The first taste
Cheers
Sammy and I agreed that it was the finest spirits we had ever tasted. That being said, I believe another batch is in the works.
Awesome post.
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