Summer Dahlia Cocktail
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
I normally find myself reinventing classic cocktails each month and coming up with wildly delicious versions of drinks that are fun variations of what first inspired me! This month is very different. I decided to invent rather than reinvent. Twelve years ago, the Paper Plane Cocktail was born and has since become a cult classic among spirits enthusiasts. This inspired me to write a new cocktail recipe: the Dahlia. Dahlias, to my mind, are summer’s final hurrah. They represent the height and close of summer. They represent late sunsets and the first chill in the air. A dahlia is one of my favorite flowers, and when dahlias fill my home, joy is the by-product. For the months of August and September, the dahlia represents long days, heat, and the promise of harvest. A dahlia is special and important. This cocktail represents all those things, and I’m hoping it’ll remain a part of your summer anthem until the last ones are plucked from the field and we bid farewell to one of the most magical times of year.
1 cup sugar (for sugared rims)
4 ounces simple syrup
4 ounces of Heritage Distilling Huckleberry Vodka
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups lemon sparkling water or Prosecco (to float)
1 cup white currents or any juicy summer fruit for garnish
First, up set up your cocktail station. Set a shallow bowl out for water and one for sugar. Dip the rim of each glass first in the water, then into sugar. In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup, vodka, and lemon juice with 2 cups of ice and stir vigorously 30-45 seconds. Pour the mixture evenly between 4 glasses. I don’t include the ice, but you absolutely can. Pour the sparkling water or Prosecco over the top to fill each glass (you’ll have 1/2 cup for each cocktail), then garnish with currants or fruit of your choice. The Huckleberry Vodka gives the cocktail its rosy glow and reminds me of a dahlia flower.
