Midsummer came a week early this year because my bestie is going to be on an airplane for most of the day today. We did “our” thing – meeting up at ten in the morning to wander over to a new organic pick-your-own farm down by the river.
Every year we do this. Often on Midsummer proper but the so-called Strawberry Moon seemed as good a substitute as any. We enjoy jam-making the old-fashioned way – nothing but strawberries and sugar in an old dark pot. There’s nothing quite like watching strawberries dye your wooden muddler red as you smush them in a pot to make you feel connected to spirit.
My Grandfather was an avid gardener who grew his own vegetables all the way through the grocery store revolution of the 50s and 60s. The candied taste of strawberries is home to me. I can feel my Nana’s hand on mine. This weird understanding of how to do this – how to save this wonderful flavor for the cold months ahead.
So much glorious berry goodness. I will choose to squirrel the jars away until the wintertime when I need a hit of the lovely warmth and radiance of high summer.
With the jam cooking, I turned to my second strawberry endeavor: making strawberry black pepper cocktails. Yes, you heard me right. I was inspired by the flavor combination but wasn’t particularly interested in the original cocktail combination. Why hadn’t I thought of making a black pepper cocktail syrup before now?
Given the change in season, I felt like an out with the old/in with the new energy was in order so I prepared the black pepper syrup with the intention of banishment. And then I got to cocktail experimentation which is, I will admit, one of the more fun parts of the process. Our first attempt, a strawberry black pepper magarita was an amazing success.
All of the wonder of summer with a banishing kick. Black pepper syrup really brings your drink up a notch without overwhelming, I am very pleased with the results. And the person who thought up pairing it with strawberries? Yeah, they knew their stuff.
I have ended up preferring the cocktail with brown liquor rather than tequila which is no surprise if you’ve met me – a bit of strawberry muddled in some black pepper syrup in a rocks glass, top with rum or rye and Cointreau at a 2:1 or 3:1 ration depending on your sweet tooth. You can thank me later. Don’t forget to think about what you want to banish from your life while you muddle the fruit.