Strawberry Smash Cocktail

Happy Friday!  Who's ready for a summer drink?  With this great weather Chris and I have been digging in to the fresh fruits and veggies!

I came up with this light and yummy cocktail when I discovered Marilyn Monroe Strawberry Vodka from Three Olives (lately I've had a Diageo product loyalty because my best friend Holly works there BUT this was an exception).  I LOVE the show Smash which is centered around a Marilyn Monroe Broadway musical.

So when I saw the bottle in the liquor store I thought "MUST HAVE" and "must make a Smash themed drink".  I also thought "Chris is going to kill me if I buy another flavored vodka" as our bar cabinet has an extensive collection of them but hey Marilyn and vodka can't be turned down.  I'm still grappling with the show being cancelled and that the finale was approximately a month ago (it may still be saved on my DVR, no judgements, thanks) but hey it's been a busy spring/summer and denial is the way to go when it comes to TV show cancellations/closures (i.e One Tree Hill, ER...you get the idea).

Strawberry SMASH Cocktail

Ingredients:
- 2-3 fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
- 2-3 fresh mint leaves
- 1 oz. simple syrup (add more or less based on your preference)
- soda water (amount depends on your drink strength preference)
- 1 1/2 oz. strawberry vodka

Instructions:
- Slice strawberries in half or quarters depending on their size. Tear the mint leaves off the stem and tear in half then in half again.
- Muddle strawberries, mint and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
- Add vodka and ice then shake until chilled.
- Strain mixture into a cocktail glass over ice (you can scoop a little bit of the mushed up fruit mixture into the glass I just don't love lots of floaty things in my drinks).
- Add soda water and stir once to combine.
- Enjoy!

This is very light and refreshing!  Now that our strawberry patch is producing fruit I can use them instead of store bought.  You could probably puree the strawberries for less of a floating gunk factor but muddling worked for my purposes and if you blended it wouldn't be called a smash cocktail it would be a blended drink (details, details).

I tend to have simple syrup around all summer to make Tom Collins but you could substitute with flat 7up or Sprite.  Simple syrup is easy to make and can be stored in the fridge so here is how you make it:

Simple Syrup

Ingredients:
- 2 parts sugar
- 1 part water

Instructions:
- Bring water to a boil on the stove.
- Stir in sugar until dissolved then remove from heat (do not let syrup come to a boil or else it will be too thick).
- Let cool and store in a well sealed bottle in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

So easy and so much better than using premade mixes.  I mean it is called SIMPLE syrup for a reason, right?!

This weekend is the Kenny Chesney concert so we've got a whole group put together for tailgating!  Then its on to 4th of July week festivities!

Cheers!
Steph