BS in the Kitchen

Strawberry Balsamic Smash

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Having received an excellent bottle of reduced balsamic vinegar, then coming across a drink with balsamic vinegar(!?) in Bon Appetit, my favourite foodie magazine, I felt the stars had aligned! Now I’m not much of a drinker, but I enjoy a casual beverage here and there, and this unique drink was right up my alley. The sweet and tart balsamic vinegar paired really well with the fresh fruit, cucumbers, and earthy flavour of the gin.

Strawberry Balsamic Smash

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine August 2012
  • 2 1/2″ lime wedges
  • 3 1/2″ cucumber rounds, divided
  • 1 fresh strawberry, hulled
  • 1 tbsp. simple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of gin

First make your simple syrup. You can make a larger batch if you’re serving several people, or a smaller amount if your are an enjoying a drink by your lonesome! Simply combine 1 part cold water to 1 part sugar (ex. 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar) in a jar, shaking until sugar has dissolved.

In a 16-oz. mixing glass or cocktail shaker, muddle your lime wedges, 2 cucumbers rounds, strawberry, simple syrup, and balsamic vinegar several times. Add gin, then half a glass of crushed ice, stirring, then filling with more crushed ice. Garnish with a cucumber round.

Now just kick up those feet, relax and sip this delicious drink! As a side note, if you do end up using a reduced balsamic vinegar, it will be sweeter than a regular balsamic, so you may want to half the amount of simple syrup.

Enjoy!

Bob

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Comments

  2. I don’t know why I never thought of making a drink out of balsamic and strawberries, what a brilliant idea! I think this mixes all of my favorite ingredients really, I need to try this asap.

  3. I wish these things were all seasonal, it’d be that much more bomb if you could tell the ingredients were freshly picked. But the flavors here are fantastic, I want to try it now!

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