Earlier this week I finally mustered up the courage to attempt (keyword: attempt) to clean-out my old car that’s literally been rotting away in my driveway for the past two years. I’d share more details, but frankly, it’s not exactly the best food-blogging fodder. Let’s just say that 15 minutes of serious elbow grease was all that I could withstand – not to mention, some industrial cleaning supplies were in order. So instead, it was off to the market! It was still early morning, and images of fresh produce began to shimmy their way into my thoughts. Low and behold, I stumbled upon a huge mound of my absolute favorite berries . . . olallieberries!!
You see, olallieberries are blackberry and raspberry hybrids – aka the perfect berry! They have a relatively short season, which is NOW, so do yourself (your mom, brother, housemate, cousin, neighbor, etc) a favor and grab some while they last. And while you’re at it, bookmark this cocktail. Wait, do people still bookmark things? Err, do whatever you to do to save recipes — Pinterest, yes Pinterest!! It was an impulsive, yet delicious creation. One of those, “let the ingredients do the talking” kinda recipes . . . bursting with berry flavor, and weighted with a smokiness from the mezcal. I’m ready for the weekend.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz mezcal
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz agave syrup
- 1/2 oz St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)
- 6 whole olallieberries (ripe)
- key lime wheels (or regular lime) and more olallieberries (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the olallieberries in an old-fashioned glass, add the agave and lightly muddle - just enough to break apart the berries.
- Add the lime juice, St. Germain, and mezcal and briefly stir to combine.
- Use a blender, food processor, or Lewis bag to crush your ice. You're looking for as close to a snow-like consistency as possible.
- Fill your glass 3/4 of the way with crushed ice. Briefly stir once more to create some dilution.
- Top with another heaping mound of crushed ice, garnish with a few fresh olallieberries and key lime wheels and serve!
(images by HonestlyYUM)
If you want a true olallie, you’d have to use the little wild blackberries of the Pacific Northwest, and technically, ANY berry from here would do, as olallie is a Chinook word for ‘berry’. Doesn’t mean blackberry, could be any berry…wild strawberries, oso berries, buffalo berries, etc, etc.
Ooh, good to know! Thanks for stopping by, Tsinuk!!
Awesome! I wanna know where you got that cocktail spoon too!
Thanks Brian! It’s vintage, and I’m pretty sure I found it at an estate sale.
Olallieberries are the best, I so wish I could find them locally so I could give this a shot!
The color of this is just insane!! What a perfect summer drink!
I’m just so in love with your photography! Totally dreamy!
I love this drink! The olallieberries sound so delcious!
This looks so refreshing! I have all these ingredients at home…MUST TRY right now!!
http://www.OnTheRye.com
Wow!!!! But wait, so olallieberries look a bit like blackberry but taste sweeter like raspberry ?!?! Either way, I love it, and need to keep a look out for this hybrid.
Thanks so much for the recipe. I am loving your gorgeous photos as always 🙂
These look delicious. Any cocktail with St. Germaine in it is something I have to try. What do you substitute if the perfect olallieberries are not available…suggestions?
Thanks so much Shannon!! Great question! You can substitute blackberries or raspberries if you can’t get ahold of any olallieberries.
The photos and cocktail are as usual, brilliant. I’d love to have one right now (even though it’s very early in the A.M.!) As for you car, you need to call….this guy: https://oneroomwithaview.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/hk-pulp-fiction.gif 😉