Farmer's Table Blackberry Basil Lemonade

Farmer’s Table bar manager Preston Cobb says the establishment’s Blackberry basil lemonade, served up in a Mason jar, fits in at the organic eatery as well as stanchions in a milking parlor or feed troughs in a farrowing pen.

“The Farmer’s Table is trying to use as much local, organic farm-raised produce as possible in its menus,” he says. “When you think of moonshine, it’s basically the same thing — an old-time product for old-time cocktails. I thought it would be cool to incorporate into the menu.”

A collaborative effort between Cobb and assistant bar manager Shannon Pierce, the drink takes Pierce’s original idea — which included rum as the activating principle — and replaces it with blackberry moonshine — but not just any blackberry moonshine.

Preston Cobb

“We’d gone through a couple different moonshine companies before we found the right one,” Cobb says, adding that Midnight Moon had the right blackberry essence for the recipe. “It has blackberries at the bottom of the jar for that natural blackberry taste....

“The blackberry basil lemonade definitely has the herbaceous element from the basil,” Cobb continues. “But basil tends to sweeten up when you pair it with other sweet things. Then there’s a bit of tartness from the lemon, but it’s not overpowering. There’s also the chalky tartness from the blackberry and then there’s sweetness from the moonshine, too.”

With the summer grilling season roaring to go, Cobb says the cocktail also pairs well with a good slab of steak.

“Sometimes you’ll order a steak and it will come with a berry compote on the side to balance out the saltiness of the steak. The drink works that way with a savory dish. It’s also dangerous on its own. It goes down very smooth — too smooth.”

Farmer's Table Blackberry Basil Lemonade

• 5–6 blackberries
• 2 basil leaves
• ½ oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. Midnight Moon blackberry moonshine

Muddle ingredients in cocktail tin, pour into Mason jar filled with ice, top off with lemonade, and garnish with a fresh blackberry and basil leaf.