Muddled Raspberry-Mint Crushed-Ice Cooler
Ruby Veranda
Fresh raspberries and mint meet bright lime and a little maple over a frost-cold crown of crushed ice. A small soda finish keeps this ruby cooler lively without drowning out the fruit.
15 minutes to mix20 minutes to chill2 finished drinks
01
What you’ll need
- 200 g fresh raspberries, washed and drained
- 4 extra fresh raspberries (about 20 g), for garnish
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL; about 40 g) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water
- 12 fresh mint leaves (about 3 g), plus 2 small mint sprigs (about 2 g) for garnish
- 0.1 g fine salt (a tiny pinch)
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) plain sparkling water, refrigerated
- 350 g crushed ice, divided between the two drinks
02
Mix the drink
- Set two 400 mL metal julep cups in the refrigerator. Wash the mint and pat it dry. Keep the sparkling water refrigerated and unopened until the drinks are ready to assemble.
- Put the 200 g raspberries in a bowl or sturdy mixing jug with the maple syrup and lime juice. Press gently with a muddler or the back of a spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until the berries release their juice and no large pieces remain. Add the cold water and salt and stir until evenly mixed.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over a measuring jug and pass the raspberry mixture through it. Press the pulp gently with a spoon to extract the juice without forcing all the seeds through. Scrape the underside of the sieve once and discard the remaining seeds and pulp.
- Cover the strained raspberry base and refrigerate for 20 minutes, until thoroughly cold. Stir once before dividing it equally between the two chilled cups.
- Put 6 mint leaves in each cup. Press them gently against the inside of the cup twice with the back of a spoon to release their aroma without shredding them. Add roughly three-quarters of each drink's ice allowance and stir the base up through the ice with a long spoon for about 10 seconds.
- Add 60 mL cold sparkling water to each cup. Fold it through with one gentle lift of the spoon, then add the remaining crushed ice to form a small crown. Do not shake the drink or add the sparkling water before chilling the base.
- Place 2 reserved raspberries and 1 small mint sprig on each ice crown. Serve immediately, while the cups are frosty, the mint is aromatic and the ice is still distinct.
03
Serve it beautifully
The glass, temperature and first aroma all shape the drink. Set those details before the final pour.
- Use two food-safe 400 mL stainless-steel or silver-plated julep cups, chilled in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. The metal keeps the presentation frosty; if unavailable, use similarly sized sturdy cups.
- Use freshly crushed clean ice, 175 g per drink, keeping a little back for the crown. Avoid large whole cubes, which do not give the same cold, lightly diluted finish.
- Finish each drink with exactly 2 fresh raspberries and a small mint sprig. Gently clap the garnish sprig between your palms once before setting it into the ice to release its aroma.
- Keep the base and sparkling water refrigerator-cold, about 4 C, and assemble only when guests are ready. Serve within 2 minutes; the drink becomes softer and more diluted as the crushed ice melts.
- For advance preparation, refrigerate the strained base in a covered container for up to 24 hours. Add the mint, ice, sparkling water and garnishes only at serving time.
- Nutrition is estimated per drink, including its garnishes, and varies with straining and syrup brand. Use pure maple syrup, fresh produce, plain water and plain sparkling water only: no honey, bitters, fermented mixers, alcohol-based extracts or alcohol-free spirits are required.
At the table
What to pair with it
Crisp vegan zucchini fritters with a lemony white-bean dip.
Grilled peach and rocket flatbread with vegan almond ricotta; use a seed-based ricotta if avoiding nuts.
Small black-bean and roasted-poblano tostadas with fresh cabbage slaw.
Estimated per drink
Nutrition at a glance
- Calories
- 95
- Fat
- 0.2g
- Saturated fat
- 0g
- Carbohydrates
- 24g
- Fibre
- 1g
- Sugars
- 18g
- Protein
- 0.6g
- Sodium
- 25mg
Raspberries provide the fruit flavour, although straining removes much of their fibre.
Estimates vary with ingredient brands, substitutions and serving size.You may also like these
