Peak summer has arrived and there's never been a better time to enjoy a refreshing drink in the sunshine from the comfort of your own deck.
Haskap berries have become the "it" berry as of late across Canada, but few folks know that the University of Saskatchewan is largely to thank for that. While wild haskaps can be found across Canada, the school's agricultural research department helped domestic the berry shrubs for commercial use (i.e. making them a viable crop for Canadian farmers).
The more you know!
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This is one of the many interesting prairie-food-related tidbits you'll find in the best-selling Canadian cookbook Prairie: Seasonal, Farm-Fresh Recipes Celebrating the Canadian Prairies. Co-written by Twyla Campbell and Dan Clapson, the food writers offer up a seasonally-organized book with 120+ approachable recipes for home cooks.
This haskap cocktail recipe by Campbell is one of the many all-too-sippable drinks you can find within the cookbook too!
"Sparkling, tangy and refreshing all in one: sporting a glorious dark purple hue, this cocktail tastes as good as it looks. Use a gin that has a citrus forward flavour profile, as opposed to a vegetal or herbaceous profile, to complement the fruit in this drink," writes Twyla Campbell in the introduction to her tasty Gin Haskap Smash cocktail recipe.
Gin Haskap Smash cocktail
Juice of half a lime
¼ cup fresh haskap berries
1 oz Haskap simple syrup (see recipe in next section)
2 oz Canadian-made gin (we especially love Saskatoon's Black Fox Farm & Distillery)
4-6 oz club soda
1 mint sprig
In a tall glass, add the lime juice and berries. Muddle gently with the back of a spoon. Add simple syrup and stir. Fill the glass ¾ way with ice, add gin and top with club soda.
Garnish with mint sprig and enjoy immediately!
Haskap simple syrup
2 cups fresh or frozen haskap
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Add ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the element and let cool. Strain contents through a mesh sieve into a glass jar and store in the fridge.
Author's note: The haskap berry makes a gorgeous dark purple, tangy syrup that works well with clear spirits like gin (especially citrus-forward gins), vodka and tequila.
- Yield:
- 1 cocktail
