Beets. Earthy, rich, lightly sweet, and a gorgeous deep red. In our humble opinion, these tasty root vegetables are more than just a side dish. They're full of potassium, manganese, and pair spectacularly with gin. What more could you want from a cocktail ingredient?
A few things you need to know about dealing with beets, if you haven't had the pleasure already. Well, actually, just one. They will turn everything pink. Wear gloves if you want to keep your hands human colored, and an apron if you value your clothing.
Give them a good scrub with a vegetable brush, then peel and chop into one inch pieces. We added frozen raspberries to ours, but you can use blueberries or strawberries as well. The berries add just the right amount of sweet to keep the beets from being an overpowering flavor.
Beet-Raspberry Puree
2 Cups peeled and chopped beets
2 Cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4-1/2 Cup water
Combine in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Heartbeet
1.5 oz 50 Fathoms Gin
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Honey Syrup
1 Tbsp Beet-Raspberry Puree
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.