It’s that time of year when you have a great excuse to come up with fun cocktails centered in the red, white and blue arena. We’ve had a lot of celebrations themed around the 4th of July, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to come up with something new! I stuck with one of my favorite summer fruits, added one of my favorite fresh herbs (because fresh herbs in cocktails is SO in), tossed in my favorite hard liquor and came up with cocktail perfection! This strawberry thyme vodka spritzer is a little bit of sweet, a little bit of tart and a lot of delicious.
Maybe it’s the fact that summer, aka no school, is in full effect. Maybe it’s the fact that my husband has been traveling a LOT. Or maybe it’s that my backyard is still not ready and keeping my three little boys inside is slowly killing me. Whatever it is, cocktail creation has been in full effect over here. So I’m taking this opportunity to post my first “official” cocktail on the blog! I have a few other drinks like my Blueberry Mint Lemonade or my Anti-Inflammatory Juice that are delicious with a little splash of liquor, but they aren’t official cocktails. Cue “Woohoos” and “Oh yeahs” because it’s about to get fancy up in here! Side note, if you don’t have a muddler you can get creative like I did and use the end of an ice cream scooper. See, told you I was fancy 😉
Why should you love this strawberry spritzer?
Let me help you with this. First, it uses FRESH strawberries. No cooking anything down to a syrup. I thought about it, then decided I needed quick and easy and so did you. Throw it all in, muddle the bejeezus out of it, pour and slurp. Easy. Second, I pair these lovely strawberries with thyme. Why thyme? Because fresh herbs are so darn good in cocktails. They add a depth of flavor you just can’t get otherwise. Last, good vodka. I cannot emphasize this enough. I am partial to potato based vodka, my favorite is Chopin. However I also like Titos even though it is corn based.
So let’s get you ready to impress at those festive parties, summer barbecues or just really long kid infiltrated weeks. Grab yourself some fresh berries, make sure those kiddos are taken care of and throw together a few of these babies. You can thank me later! And don’t forget to drink responsibly and never drive after consuming alcohol.
- ½ cup chopped strawberries about 7 strawberries, plus 2 whole ones for garnish
- ¼ - ½ cup 2-4 ounces good quality vodka (more or less depending on preference)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- ¾ cup sparkling water
- Place chopped strawberries, vodka, lemon juice, 4 sprigs thyme and sugar in a bowl or cup/jar. Using a muddler (or end of a thick spoon or ice cream scooper if you don’t have one like me), carefully and slowly smash the strawberries and thyme with the vodka, lemon juice and sugar until everything is smashed and the strawberries have juiced.
- Strain the liquid into two cocktail glasses or jars filled with ice. Divide the sparkling water between the two glasses and mix in.
- Add back in some of the smashed strawberries if you want, then garnish with the 2 left over strawberries and sprigs thyme.
You can always leave out the vodka for a still delicious virgin option!
Tips to prep ahead: Muddle ahead of time and store in a container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Becky Striepe says
YESSSS I need this in my life! Excuse me, while I go see if my thyme plant is still alive in the garden.
veggiesdontbite says
Hoping you found live thyme!!! Because this is so good!!
Cadry says
This sounds delightful – so summery & refreshing! The addition of thyme really kicks it up a notch too. I need to invite some friends over ASAP!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Cadry! Yes! You do!!
Stacey says
Yum! Brilliant combination, Sophia. Your pictures? Stunning. Thanks for all the care you put into making food delicious and beautiful. My mom is coming for a visit and tonight I will “muddle the bejeezus” out of the ripe strawberries in my fridge. My thyme died, so I might have to improvise with mint. I’ve got Tito’s, so we’re all set! Thanks so much!
veggiesdontbite says
Haha!! Thank you so much Stacey! Mint would be delicious in these as well!
Stacey Goldblatt says
They were wonderful! We left out the sugar and opted for sour by adding more lemon. Cheek-puckering delicious! Thanks for sharing.
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! So happy you liked them! I love a sour drink as well, but I know that not everyone does so I added that bit of sugar. Thanks so much for making it!
Dianne says
This looks like such a fun cocktail to server at summer parties. I love that it’s made with fresh fruit!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you! Yes, the fresh fruit is key!
Nicole Dawson says
That does look beautifully refreshing! I’ll have to find a special night this summer where I can serve this.
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Nicole! Hope you have that special night soon!
Ginny McMeans says
Love a good cold fruity vodka drink! And strawberries? Yes!
Alisa Fleming says
Wait, you need an excuse for cocktails? 🙂 This looks fabulous Sophia. We don’t usually do mixed drinks, but all of the fabulous sips lately keep making me think I need to branch out from white wine!
veggiesdontbite says
I would say life is an excuse!! LOL!! And I love my white wine, but I’ve so been into cocktails lately!
The Vegan 8 says
The strawberry and thyme is such a delicious combo, I LOVE thyme and my mouth is watering! I am not a fan of vodka though so I will make the virgin one 🙂 My mom used to drink vodka and coke when I was growing up and too often when I would mistake her drink for being just a coke and take a big sip, just to gag out the vodka, lol! So, I think I’ve been scarred from vodka!
veggiesdontbite says
I used to hate it too but then I discovered high quality vodka and now it’s all I drink! I love a good margarita too, but the same with tequila too. It needs to be high quality. The taste and flavor is SO different when it’s good and not cheap. Regardless, strawberry and thyme are delicious together!