Name: Non-Alcoholic Berry Smash
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 cocktails
Ingredients: 50 g raspberries; 37.5 g blueberries; 25 g blackberries; 37.5 g strawberries; 0.5 pcs lime; 150 ml sparkling water; 100 g ice; 1 sprig mint; 1 tablespoon cane sugar; 15 ml water; mint; lime; raspberries

Step by step process

Mint Syrup

1
Pour the cane sugar into a small saucepan, add water, and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2
Remove from heat, drop the rinsed mint sprigs into the hot syrup, and let steep for at least 10 minutes until the syrup cools and develops a strong herbal aroma.
3
Remove the mint from the syrup and pour the finished syrup into a small bottle or jar for easy measuring into drinks.

Preparing the Fruit

4
Gently rinse the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries under cold running water and let them drain on a kitchen towel so they do not dilute the drink with excess liquid.
5
Hull the strawberries and cut larger pieces into quarters so they are easier to muddle.
6
Cut one lime into wedges and squeeze out the juice. slice the second lime into thin rounds to use as glass garnishes.

Assembling the Cocktail

7
Divide the berries evenly among four sturdy glasses, setting aside a few raspberries for the final garnish.
8
Add about one tablespoon of mint syrup and one to two tablespoons of fresh lime juice to each glass, depending on how tart you like your drink.
9
Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, gently crush the fruit with the syrup and lime so it releases its juices while still leaving visible pieces.
TIP:
Gently rotate and press with the muddler, avoiding sharp movements. Extract the aroma and juice without dissolving the seeds (which causes bitterness) or breaking apart the fruit, softly mashed pieces should remain visible.
10
Fill the glasses with crushed ice almost to the rim and stir briefly with a spoon to blend the flavors and chill the drink quickly.
11
Top with chilled sparkling water so it fizzes up to the rim of the glass, then gently stir from top to bottom.

Serving

12
Garnish each cocktail with a sprig of fresh mint, a lime slice notched onto the rim of the glass, and a few whole raspberries on top.
13
Serve immediately with a straw while the drink is still cold and the sparkling water is still fizzing.

More tips:

If you don't have fresh berries, frozen mixed berries work just fine, let them thaw for about 10 minutes so they muddle more easily and don't over-chill the drink.

For a more festive version, replace the sparkling water with a lightly sparkling non-alcoholic prosecco or pink lemonade, the berry flavors really shine through.

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