story and cocktail recipe by Shelby Hinte

I woke on Monday morning to the steady buzz of my alarm. As I opened my eyes I found myself blanketed in darkness and thought, I must have set my alarm for the wrong time. I burrowed into my covers feeling pleased with this mistake and reached over to reset my alarm. It was no mistake. The days have officially gotten shorter — it’s dark when I wake up and dark when I drive home from work. In an attempt to add some light to these ever-shortening fall days, I thought there must be a cocktail out there waiting to be made that will brighten these dark days. So, while everyone else I know was doing their morning Sun Salutations in the dark, I was picking raspberries (October is their last month in season) and daydreaming about what they might taste like soaked in whiskey.

A take on the traditional Whiskey Collins, the Fall Frambuesa is a bright cocktail that makes the most of New Mexico’s early October offerings. Whiskey and barrel aged bitters (I prefer Fee Brothers) will take the edge off of those shorter daylight hours while fresh lemon juice and seasonal Spiced Raspberry Syrup (recipe below) create a perfectly complex autumn aroma. This blend of whiskey, warm spices and bright fruit will have you warming into those early Fall evenings from the very first sip.

frambuesa-prep

Fall Frambuesa

  • 2 ounces Whiskey (Bourbon will add a sweet touch while Rye will add spice)
  • 1 ounce Lemon Juice
  • 1 ounce Spiced Raspberry Syrup
  • 3 dashes barrel aged bitters (Fee Brothers recommended)
  • Splash Seltzer

In a Collins glass build all ingredients over ice. Top with Seltzer. Garnish with fresh raspberry and mint sprig.

Spiced Raspberry Syrup

  • 6 cups raspberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 Star Anise pods
  • 3 dry Juniper Berries

Combine raspberries, sugar, star anise pods, juniper berries and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until raspberries break down slightly and release some of their juice, about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat; let stand for 15 minutes.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

+ other stories

Shelby Hinte is a writer from Southern New Mexico. She currently writes and tends bar in the Bay Area. In 2015 she was a featured female bartender at the Girl’s Inc. annual TASTE event in Oakland.