Irish Blackberry and Garden Mint Cooler with Sparkling Apple over Crushed Ice

Make the blackberry syrup: combine 2 cups blackberries, the sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300 g) ripe blackberries, plus 12 for garnish
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
• 1 large handful fresh mint leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
• 6 oz (180 ml) Irish whiskey
• 2 cups (480 ml) chilled sparkling cloudy apple juice or dry cider
• 1 crisp apple, thinly sliced
• Crushed ice, to fill
• Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Make the blackberry syrup: combine 2 cups blackberries, the sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, crushing the berries against the side of the pan, until the fruit has fully collapsed and the syrup is glossy and deep purple.
3. Add the handful of mint leaves, pull the pan off the heat, and let them steep exactly 5 minutes — any longer and the mint turns grassy and bitter.
4. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly on the solids to extract everything, then chill the syrup until cold, at least 1 hour.
5. Stir the lemon juice and whiskey into the cold syrup. Taste and add a spoonful of water if the sweetness is running ahead of the fruit.
6. Pack four tall glasses to the brim with crushed ice and divide the blackberry mixture among them, pouring slowly so it settles through the ice.
7. Top each glass with the sparkling apple juice, then stir once with a long spoon to draw the color up through the drink.
8. Garnish with three blackberries, a slice of apple, and a mint sprig slapped once between your palms to release its oils. For a zero-proof version, leave out the whiskey and add an extra splash of sparkling apple.
9. Blackberries are the great free harvest of the Irish late summer, spilling out of every hedgerow along the country lanes from August into September, and picking them has long been a family expedition rather than a shopping trip. Pairing them with apple is the natural move on an island where orchards and hedgerows share the same field boundaries. Use berries that are dull-black and heavy rather than shiny — the glossy ones are underripe and will make the syrup sharp.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 265 kcal
• Protein: 1g
• Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 35g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 27g
• Sodium: 45mg