Idle Hands Awake

Somewhere, far away, there is a magical land void of nearly all humidity, with a constant daytime temperature between 65º and 74º.

This land might be called Southern California, but regardless of its name or location, one thing is clear: I do not live there. And until I do, I will spend summers melted to the couch, cat hairs glued to every sweaty pore, and whining like a baby pterodactyl.

Blackberry lemonade spritzer was invented for sticky grumpy times like these.

(Actually, the weather has been tolerable this week, but I planned this post a few weeks ago and am a lazy-ass blogger, so I’m rolling with it. At least now we’ll be prepared for when the humidity inevitably strikes again).

This drink is sooooo delicious and sooooo refreshing. I mean, obviously lemonade is an instant summer pick-me-up. Add in homemade blackberry syrup and fizzy sparkling water, and we’ve almost got ourselves a mocktail, folks. I’ll take 50.

Blackberry Lemonade Spritzer

Serves 6

Time: 20 min. prep, 2.5 hours to chill

What You Need:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup regular water
• 1.5 cups blackberries
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from approx. 8 lemons, depending on juiciness)
• 4 cups sparkling water or club soda
• lemon slices and blackberries to garnish

Step One – Combine the regular water, sugar, and blackberries in a small saucepan, and heat on medium until just boiling. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar has dissolved, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the blackberries are soft enough to crush with a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step Two – While the blackberry mixture is cooling, juice the lemons and pour into a large pitcher.

Step Three – Strain the cooled blackberry mixture into the lemon juice, discarding the boiled blackberries. (It’s ok to leave in some bits, but be warned that those blackberries turn into little sugar bombs during cooking; too many will make the final drink way too sweet!). Add the sparkling water and stir well.

Step Four – Chill for two hours. Then pour over ice, garnish with lemon slices and blackberries, and enjoy!

I’m obviously not a summer person—what about you? What’s your favorite hot-weather treat?