The Zucca Brasi is a whiskey-based cocktail that combines Rye, Zucca amaro and my homemade strawberry shrub. It’s a very unique cocktail that really packs a punch. This recipe utilizes a strawberry shrub that I made using local strawberries from the farmers market, Demerara sugar and strawberry infused malt vinegar.

Making shrubs, or drinking vinegars is my all-time favorite way to upcycle the bits of fruit that usually go unused. This recipe is a DIY zero waste method to make a mango shrub to use in cocktails, or mocktails.

I always get my best cocktail ideas when I’m eating. I love a good caprese salad. Oddly enough, it has all the components of what I look for in a cocktail- great acidity, herbal notes, a creamy texture and just a touch of salinity. Instead of simply infusing the ingredients into a spirit or making a syrup, I thought it would be more fun to create a more abstract vision for this drink.

When tomatoes are out of season, I like to use cape gooseberries in my caprese salad. Cape gooseberries or golden berries as they’re also known, are a relative of the tomato, but are more closely related to a tomatillo. They have an amazing sweet and tart flavor that is a mix between sweet and savory. They kind of taste like a cherry tomato mixed with mango. They were the main inspiration to my caprese-ish cocktail that combines gooseberry shrub, basil, gin and burrata to make a mighty fine cocktail.

I know its officially summer when I start to see fresh picked berries at the farmers market. The star of the season for me are these beautiful, tiny Tristar Strawberries. For their size, they pack the most intense strawberry flavor. I always want to bottle up that bright, sweet flavor so I can enjoy a bit of summer anytime of the year.