It’s the time of year when I start to look forward to local strawberries popping up. Or at the very least, some big beautiful berries that hail from Florida or California. I figured they were the perfect candidate for our second installment of the #CrushFridayVA series here on the blog!
Fresh sliced strawberries are macerated in sugar, and then given a quick pass through the blender to break apart – you’re aiming to keep some chunkage going on in the strawberry still. I love to see that in a cocktail, it let’s you know that it’s the real deal!
That puree is then mixed with vodka, fresh OJ, triple sec, and a splash of sparkling water – the standard crush ingredients. I happened to have some strawberry flavored sparking water, so I went with that, and it was a nice addition.
It’s light and refreshing and bubbly. And you can’t beat that gorgeous berry red hue with a stick. It has me yearning for the warm days of summer that are knocking on our door. Happy Friday, y’all!
The Strawberry Crush
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 oranges, juiced
2/3 cup vodka
1/3 cup triple sec
1/2 cup sparkling water or lemon-lime soda
sliced strawberries, for garnish
Toss strawberries and sugar and let sit 10 minutes. Place strawberries and syrup in blender or food processor and give a couple of pulses, until strawberries are pureed – but a few chunks still remain.
Pour mixture into the bottom of a quart mason jar. Add in the orange juice, vodka, triple sec, and sparking water. Shake to combine.
Fill glasses with ice and pour cocktail over. Garnish glasses with a sliced strawberry.
Makes about 3-4 servings
