Woohoo, it’s Friday! This week felt so long…I blame the two short weeks in a row for making me feel like Friday should have been here yesterday. But, it’s here today and that means pizza and cocktails! The best part of the week.

This time of year, all around Seattle, you’ll find blackberries. They grow on the side of trails, roads, and yards–seriously, everywhere! They’re one of my favorite berries and the base of one of my favorite shrubs. The last few years, every time they’re overflowing at the market, I make blackberry shrub with balsamic vinegar and then, eventually, make a whiskey sour with it. It’s a sunny, blue sky-kind of Friday today and I’m in the mood for a sour, and it just so happens that I have some blackberry shrub in my fridge (& we always have whiskey in the cabinet). Enjoy!

Blackberry Sour
Tools & Extras: Boston Shaker, Cocktail strainer, coupe cocktail glass

2 oz. Bourbon (Rye works well here, too!)
3/4 oz. Blackberry Shrub*
1/4 oz. Simple syrup
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Egg White

• Add everything but bitters to the cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds.
•  Then, strain out the ice by straining the liquid into the other half of the shaker (if you’re using a Boston shaker) or into a cup.
• Dump the ice and shake again vigorously for 15-20 seconds.
• Strain into a chilled coupe glass & garnish with a few drops of the shrub–run a toothpick through the shrub & make a design of your own choosing

*Note: To make a blackberry shrub, I use about 2 cups of blackberries & about 1.5 C granulated sugar. Mix that together, add a splash of balsamic vinegar & lightly mash the berries. Cover & store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, stir once a day. After 3-5 days, strain through a fine strainer into a medium-sized bowl–I use a muddler to work a lot of the fruit pulp through the strainer & scrape the underside of the strainer to get the delicious pulp! Then, add about 1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar, stir, & bottle. Shrubs are great to personalize: use a different vinegar or a combination of them; add in some cracked pepper with the fruit at the beginning; adjust the sugar to your preference and the sweetness of your fruit. Whatever you do, enjoy it!