Last summer, Seattle bartender Wesley Johnston took a trip to Lopez Island, finding cocktail inspiration in the assortment of ice creams and sorbets at Lopez Island Creamery. “I was captivated by their selection, and particularly loved the creativity and freshness of their sorbet offerings,” Johnston says.
Later that week and back at work Seattle’s Goldfinch Tavern where he manages the bar, he was muddling a mojito when a lightbulb when off. “I imagined how wonderfully the berry sorbet would have complemented the drink,” he adds. “Shortly after, the idea for this cocktail was born, a marriage between two classics: the mimosa and mojito.”
Goldfinch’s Berry Mimosajito is a mouthful to say as well as drink, the “epitome of refreshment” as Johnston puts it. “I wanted to create a drink that was recognizable but with a little bit of flare,” he says. “It takes two classics, and replaces the fruit component with sorbet, which elevates the drink and makes it seasonally appropriate for Seattle in the summer.”
Four simple ingredients — including a scratch-made mint simple syrup and sparkling wine from Yakima’s Treveri Cellars — comprise the cocktail, keeping it as easy as you’d like a drink to be on a lazy summer day.
If you’d rather scale up that laziness and enjoy the cocktail in the bar itself, Johnston is happy to mix one up for you and suggests pairing it with Goldfinch’s diverse oyster selection.
Berry Mimosajito
Makes 1 cocktail
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce mint syrup*
3 ounces Treveri Cellars Brut Blanc de Blancs, chilled
1 scoop Raspberry-mango sorbet, or another fruit sorbet
Garnish: lime wheel
In glass filled with ice, add the lime juice and mint syrup then stir to combine. Once the ingredients are chilled, strain into a wine glass. Top with the chilled sparkling wine. Finish with scoop of sorbet so it floats and does not stick to bottom of glass.
*To make the mint syrup, heat 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add 1 cup of mint leaves and allow to simmer in sugar mixture for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the mint leaves out of the syrup. Allow to cool before using.
