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End of Summer Cocktails: The Peach and Blackberry Smash

Education & Community Engagement

Hold on to the last days of summer with four art-inspired cocktails that we will share over the weekend! Crafted by two adult education students from Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.  COCKTAIL #1: The Peach and Blackberry Smash Cocktail by Tijana Gavrilovic 

The Peach and Blackberry Smash Cocktail by Tijana Gavrilovic

FROM THE MIXOLOGIST “Nothing inspires me more than fresh, high quality ingredients. The artist has a clear vision—we focus on these ripe fruits and the softness of the shadow makes it easy to place it in space. It’s simple and effective, you can almost smell and feel it just by looking at it. Crafting a cocktail or a dish is a delicate dance, where you have to find the perfect balance of flavors, spices, aromas, AND the way you present it. I was trying to accentuate the freshness of the fruit and keep everything else ‘in the shadow,’ but in a way that it compliments the final product.” 

Sharon Core, Peaches and Blackberries, 2008, Chromogenic print, 13 ½ x 17 ½ x 1 ¾ in, The Phillips Collection, Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection, 2015

 INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 oz Peach vodka (or regular vodka)
  • 1/2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
  • 3 blackberries, plus more for garnish
  • 1 peach
  • Fresh mint (or sage—both add great aroma, mint makes it more fresh and sage makes it more sweet)
  • 1/4 lemon
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup (or agave syrup)
  • Club soda (or Sprite for a sweeter drink)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a glass, muddle lemon, 3 blackberries and ½ of a fresh peach.
  2. Add ice to the glass, all the way to the top.
  3. Pour Peach vodka, St Germain liqueur, simple syrup in the glass with muddled fruit and ice.
  4. Take 3-4 leaves of fresh mint and give it a ‘slap’ to release the aromatic oils. Add it to the glass.
  5. Give it a stir. Top with soda, and garnish with a mint sprig, peaches, and whole blackberries.

* To make this into a mocktail, omit vodka and St. Germaine, and add more soda instead. **If you want your drink to REALLY pack a punch, top it with bubbly wine of your choice! ***Make your own simple syrup. All you need is 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Mix them together in a small sauce pan and bring the mixture to boil. Then take it off the heat and let it cool. ABOUT THE MIXOLOGIST Born and raised in Serbia, Tijana Gavrilovic moved to Washington, DC, in 2015. She always dreamed of being a chef. In 2018/2019, she took a Culinary Arts class at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School. Learning about flavor profiles and the ingredients that compliment/contrast each other highly influenced her bartending style.