This refreshing cocktail’s roots stem from the Ice Pick, a classic southern drink made of vodka, iced tea and lemon.
My Florida Belle is a riff on Kim Haasarud’s Southern Belle recipe from 101 Mojitos & other muddled drinks. Ms. Haasarud’s recipe calls for Absolute Peach Vodka (as a nod to the most beautiful southern belle of all – the sweet Georgia peach), but I had no peach vodka on hand so I used Absolute Mandrin (still south – as in Florida). The end result is that this Ice Pick gets a bit of a citrus kick.
The fun part about playing with cocktail recipes is that you get to invent new tasty concoctions simply by keeping the base method and just altering one or two ingredients.
A hot day, iced tea with vodka, some muddled fruit and you’re set.
The recipe:
1/4 cup peeled fresh peach chunks
1 oz simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
3 ounce brewed black tea (such as orange pekoe), chilled or at room temperature
1.25 oz Absolute Mandrin vodka
Mint sprig and/or candied orange wheel for garnish
The method:
In a mixing glass (or shaker), muddle the peach chunks with the simple syrup and lemon juice. Add the tea and vodka. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall glass filed with fresh ice. Garnish with mint sprig and serve.
Cheers!