Wild Blackberry Cosmopolitans . . . Better than the Original!

With wild blackberries plentiful in July, I'm thinking . . . why not try a twist on the cosmopolitan cocktail? Instead of using the traditional cranberry juice, I'll use the blackberries, muddled in a shaker until they release their juice. Wow! Better than the original!

Here is my recipe to make one cocktail:

• 1-1/2 oz. vodka

• 1 oz. Cointreau

• 1-1/2 oz. wild blackberry juice

• 1/2 lime, squeezed (1 tablespoon or 1/2 oz.)

• Ice

Rinse martini glass, leave wet, and put into freezer. Put blackberries in a shaker, and muddle (mash) until they release their juice. Add remaining ingredients with about a cup of ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into martini glass.