Driveway Drinks: Ground Cherry Vesper Martini

Kick off your long weekend with a strong drink

Last September, I tried my first ground cherry. Thinking back on that memory now feels like a scene out of a fantasy movie. A sunny morning before a small town parade-- a quick stroll through the crowded farmer's market before the show started to buy something to snack on. A vendor offered me a ground cherry to try and I bought a bag. We sat with friends on the curb and showed the kids how to peel them out of their weird little papery little husks and popped them into our mouths while the marching band passed by and local politicians shook hands and we sat, fat and happy in our blissful ignorance.

Somehow, against all logic, it is September again. The parade this year is canceled. We stand 6 feet apart in line for fruit at the market. We wear masks. There is no shared bag of fruit with friends packed together on the sidewalk.

But. We can still get together. The weather and the produce this month is some of the best of the whole year. I'll take my frustrations out on the ground cherries, pummeling them in the bottom of the cocktail shaker until they release their juice. Add gin, citrusy Lillet and ice. Shake and strain. I'll make cocktails for my friends and we'll sit spaced out in camping chairs on the driveway. I'll tell them more than they care to hear about ground cherries and Lillet and Vesper martinis and we'll hear the marching band practicing at the high school in the distance. Memories of last year and the reality of this year trapped in a chilled glass.

Ground Cherry Vesper Martini

Makes 1

Ingredients

2 oz gin

2 oz ground cherry juice (from about 2 oz of ground cherries)

1 oz Lillet Blanc

Fresh ground cherries for garnish

Method

In cocktail shaker, use a dowel or muddler to squish and stomp the ground cherries until they release their juices. Add ice, gin and lillet and shake until frosty.

Strain through fine mesh strainer into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with ground cherries.