Summer Berry Smash Mocktail with Spicy Honey
The Summer Berry Smash tastes like summer in a glass. Juicy strawberries, fresh mint, a squeeze of lime, light soda bubbles and a sweet-and-spicy hot honey syrup come together into a fresh, bright and anything-but-ordinary flavour. This is not just strawberry lemonade: the spicy honey gives the drink character — first the berry sweetness, then the citrus freshness, and finally a gentle piquant warmth. The perfect mocktail for summer, a picnic, brunch, a party on the terrace — or simply a moment when you want something beautiful, cold and with a wow factor.
Preparation
- 1
Make the syrup. Mix the spicy honey with warm water in a 1:1 ratio. Stir well until the honey dissolves completely, then let it cool. Keep it in the fridge and use it for lemonades, mocktails, tea or desserts.
- 2
Build the citrus base. Squeeze the juice of a lime wedge into the glass. It adds freshness and balances the sweetness of the strawberries and honey.
- 3
Add the strawberries and spicy honey. Add the sliced strawberries and the hot honey syrup. Muddle the strawberries lightly so they release their juice and aroma — do not press too hard, you want a juicy texture, not a purée.
- 4
Add ice and bubbles. Fill the glass with ice and top it up with sparkling water or soda.
- 5
Final touch. Stir gently. Garnish with a strawberry slice and a few fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately, while the drink is cold, fragrant and at its most refreshing.
Chef's tips
- —Want more heat? Add a little more hot honey syrup. Want a berrier flavour? Add more strawberries, or try raspberries.
- —Want more depth? Replace part of the soda with chilled berry tea. For a fresher version, add more lime juice.
- —Do not muddle the mint too hard. Better to clap the leaves lightly between your palms to release the aroma without the bitterness.
- —For a beautiful serve, use a tall clear glass, plenty of ice, strawberry slices against the walls of the glass and mint on top.
- —Make the syrup ahead — then the drink comes together in a couple of minutes.
