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Cocktail History
The Strawberry Booster is a blended cocktail that was created by Clare Liardet and was first published in her book Dry: Delicious Handcrafted Cocktails & Other Clever Concoctions. It’s essentially a cocktail-style strawberry smoothie, but instead of using milk, it’s made with a base of lemon juice and ginger syrup paired with a salt, strawberries, mint, and balsamic vinegar and topped with sparkling water. However, this variation adds in vodka and uses both honey and ginger syrup to tone down the spice.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.
Vodka: This is a spirit made with fermented grains or potatoes and water, which are distilled and then filtered to develop a clean, neutral flavor.
Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a sweet flavor.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger root, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a spicy, aromatic flavor.
Balsamic Vinegar: This is a type of vinegar made with cooked grape must that’s fermented and then aged to develop a rich, sweet-tart flavor.
Strawberries: This is a type of berry grown on low plants that has bright red skin speckled with yellow seeds and tart, sweet flavor.
Mint: This is an herb made from the leaves of the mint plant, which are harvested and used for their cool, aromatic flavor.
Salt: This is a mineral composed of sodium chloride that has a granulated, crystal texture and savory flavor.
Soda Water: This is a carbonated beverage made with water and dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which gives it a fizzy, neutral flavor.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut citrus into slices or wheels. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Blender: This is used to blend up ingredients. I used the Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPowder Electronic Bar Blender.
Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Bright red color
• Aroma: Mint and berries
• Taste: Bold strawberry flavor backed by tart citrus, slightly sweet honey, and spicy ginger
• Finish: Savory vinegar notes with more berry
Kendall’s Take: “If you’re a serious imbiber, you might be a little ‘meh’ about this drink because it’s pretty tart and a lot of work to make, but I loved it. The Strawberry Booster is frothy, fruity, and delicious. I think it would be the perfect lower-ABV poolside sip on a summer day when I’d prefer to avoid falling asleep in a chair before 2:00pm.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Dry: Delicious Handcrafted Cocktails & Other Clever Concoctions by Clare Liardet.
Strawberry Booster
Description
The Strawberry Booster is a blended cocktail that was created by Clare Liardet and was first published in her book Dry: Delicious Handcrafted Cocktails & Other Clever Concoctions. It's essentially a cocktail-style strawberry smoothie, but instead of using milk, it’s made with a base of lemon juice and ginger syrup paired with a salt, strawberries, mint, and balsamic vinegar and topped with sparkling water. However, this variation adds in vodka and uses both honey and ginger syrup to tone down the spice.
Ingredients
Method
Add lemon juice, vodka, honey syrup, ginger syrup, balsamic vinegar, strawberries, mint leaves, and sea salt to a blender.
Pulse until thoroughly mixed and frothy.
Fill a lowball glass with cracked ice.
Fine strain blended cocktail into lowball glass.
Top with soda water.
Using a bar spoon, stir for 3-5 seconds.
Garnish with mint sprig and strawberry slice.
