Farmers markets are n’t just for seasonal salad . Their bounty of fresh garden truck is a blessing for cocktailians across the state . Grab your all - natural tote or hand - woven basketful and get ready to stockpile up on fruits , vegetables and everything in between — because feeding bottle are n’t the only bartending necessary . Every month we ’ll help guide you through your local stalls and proffer toothsome recommendations for how to wassail your way through your haulage .
Here ’s what to look for in July .
Berries: Black, Blue, Boysen, Rasp and Straw
Blueberries and hoot are reaching their peak across the res publica , but westerner also get to enjoy early - time of year blackberry and previous - time of year strawberries . If you ’re lucky enough to call the Pacific Northwest home , look out for sweet , juicy , mammoth , local boysenberry . Grab a variety of whatever berries are available at your local marketplace and addle them into aBramble .
Cherries
Cherries are a fickle gemstone fruit , usable only briefly from recent June through July . So grab them while you may , and muddle them into aWhiskey Smashor aMojito . additional points for mark some hyper - seasonal sour cherry , whose lip - pucker juice is specially great in place of ( or in addition to ) peach purée in aBellini .
Peaches
Peaches are just hail into season in the North and are going impregnable in the South . If you are fond to peach shoemaker for dessert , sample the drink by the same name . Muddlepeach slice up with about a barroom - spoonful of sugar in a shaker , add two to three ounces ofwhiskeyorsherry , shakeandstraininto a Collins field glass overcrushed ice . Or , juice the peaches for extra - freshFuzzy Navelsby cut the orange succus in half and add up in peach juice .
Chile Peppers
Seasonal chile capsicum add a spicy punch to cocktails and pair particularly well with by nature pepperytequila . Infuse blanco tequila with serranos or jalapeños for spicyMargaritas(be deliberate not to let the common pepper sit in the tequila too long unless you like your Margaritas mouth - numbing ) , or addle them intoBloody Marias .
Sweet Peppers
Bell peppercorn and other mild pepper varietal are surprisingly effective muddle into avodkaMartini , for a vegetative take on the classic . In this case , we ’re unforced to make an exception to the rule and recommend shaking the drink .
Tomatoes
Purée plump , right tomatoes and strain ( or do n’t , if you like it chunky ) into fresh succus for the bestBloody Marysof your living . Experiment with colored heirloom tomatoes for gorgeous brunch foundation , like xanthous or dark-green Bloodies .
Melons: Cantaloupes and Watermelon
Extra sweet Cucumis melo cantalupensis is , of course , prosciutto ’s good friend . But it also bechance to be grand muddled into aMoscow Mule . Or , juice the melon and bestow a few ounce to your next Margarita . With its fruity relish and refreshing crispness , watermelon is the ultimate summer fruit . We love it so much , we came up withthree way to transform the integral meloninto crowd - pleasing cocktails .
