As we all know, strawberry season is upon us. So is a fresh herb and everything green season. My favorite drinks involve fresh ingredients of some kind. When I was working at a bar, I made these drinks with flavor and mouthfeel levels and these drinks were mostly spirit forward. But at home, even though I have 99% of the same ingredients, minus a barback, I usually just add tonic water to a spirit, maybe some liqueur and some citrus, fresh herbs, and some fruit if I got it.

Strawberry summer spritzer

I will always love a good Martini, a Negroni on a huge block of ice and a really nice Manhattan, but for ease of cleaning up and having a tall glass of drink to slowly sip while pretending to still work on a Friday evening, I chose to make long drinks with just a few good ingredients. This strawberry summer spritzer was born purely because of what I already had in my fridge and two dusty Cachaca bottles on the shelf. Oh, and the 8 liters of Tonic water in my basement, with its expiry date long gone.

Strawberry summer spritzer ingredients

This all started with some fresh strawberries that were tossed with a couple of tablespoons of white sugar. This is a super quick and easy way to get some strawberry “syrup” because the sugar will make the strawberries release all of the water and natural sugars. This can keep in the refrigerator for a day or two but is intended to be eaten straight away.

Next on our agenda is Cachaca.

It is Brazil’s national spirit has been produced for around 500 years and is a type of rum, also referred to in its native land as Aguardente de Cana. As it is distilled from the fermented juice of the sugar cane (rather than the molasses that is a by-product of the sugar-making process), cachaça is similar to the Martinique Rhum Agricole. – The Whiskey Exchange

What drink goes with strawberries?

I would steer clear from brown spirits, but it is not a rule. All white and light spirits will go well with strawberries, for other ones, some thought must be put behind the crafting of a drink.

What mixes well with cachaca?

The national drink of Brazil is the Caipirinha, which is just muddled limes, sugar, cachaca and ice. All kinds of fresh fruit and herbs will go well with the herbal notes of the spirit. Also tonic water. Just add tonic water to anything and everything. It is the simplest cocktail ratio there is.

Sometimes I make these in a larger pitcher. Sometimes I just shake them up in a cocktail shaker with like 2 ice cubes, extra alcohol, and pour in portions, and then top with more ice and tonic water. There really is no correct way or recipe to make this basil strawberry cocktail. This post is more about how to try different stuff and realize that it all can be topped with tonic water and that is it.

I like to find new and easier ways to drink all these wonderful spirits from all over the world that is often overlooked because people do not know what to do with them.

What kind of liquor is Cachaca?

Cachaca is made of sugarcane juice. Unlike rum, which is made from molasses. It has a pungent and herbal taste. A freshness of some citrus, hay, flowers, and honey. But not all Cachacas will taste the same.

How do you use cachaca?

You make cocktails with it or just drink it.

Can you drink cachaca straight?

Just like Agricole Rhum, it can be enjoyed straight. I even find it quite sweet on its own. I would like it cold, but from a snifter works too.