Recipe of the Month: December

Ingredients

Blackberry-Thyme Syrup:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs

Thyme Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs

Assembly:

• 3 oz. Blackberry-Thyme Syrup
• 1 1/2 oz. Thyme Simple Syrup
• 1 bottle (750 ml) chilled Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine
• 12 fresh blackberries
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

1. To make the blackberry-thyme syrup, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and thyme and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and become juicy (about 20 minutes). Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
2. To make the thyme simple syrup, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water to a simmer. Add the sugar and thyme and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container, cover, and refrigerate for about 2 weeks.
3. To assemble the drinks, in each of 6 Champagne flutes, combine 1/2 oz. blackberry-thyme syrup and 1/4 oz. thyme simple syrup. Top off each flute with 4 oz. of the prosecco. Garnish each drink with blackberries and thyme sprigs.