Preparation
- Shake the vodka, lemon juice, cassis and syrup with ice. Hold back the sparkling wine.
- Strain into a chilled highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top up slowly with cold sparkling wine.
- Finish with a garnish: blackberries and a lemon slice, if desired.
What does it taste like?
You'll taste dark blackcurrant first. It comes from the crème de cassis and brings plenty of sweetness with it. Against that stands 25 ml of fresh lemon juice, whose acidity is clearly noticeable. The vodka has little flavor of its own; mainly, it makes the drink stronger. You top up with sparkling wine, not water or soda. It's dry and fizzy, which keeps the punch fresh rather than syrupy. On the finish, berry and a touch of acidity linger. The glass is tall, but the alcohol content isn't low — the topping-up liquid contains some too.
