labor day weekend has come and gone, school is back in session, and summer fridays have come to a bittersweet end {sigh}. in other words, fall feels imminent — if you ignore the 90+ degree temps enveloping the east coast. september marks a somewhat strange, if nostalgic, interlude between summer and autumn, oscillating between deliciously breezy days and unbearable, sweltering heat. if you, like us, can’t quite bear the thought of another crowded happy hour in say, midtown new york, or have simply grown tired of summer cocktails {ahem, aperol spritzes}, we have the perfect cocktail-hour antidote for you.

we may be biased, but maman’s happy hour is one of new york city and washington dc’s best kept secrets {and dare we say the best happy hour deal in new york city?? we’ll leave it up to you to decide}. but if you find yourself in need of an at-home fix {we get it, we don’t want to leave the safety of our ac either}, we’ve got you covered — enter the at-home recipe for our blackberry sage smash.

a delicious creation straight from the mind of maman’s beverage director, caitlin burke, this drink features muddled blackberries, homemade sage syrup, and a healthy dose of gin. are you drooling yet? we’re drooling.

a little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and just the right amount of herbal, this is our new go-to drink. think of it as the younger, hipper cousin to the gin and tonic—no offense, g&t lovers. to make it at home, we recommend having a cocktail shaker and muddler on hand, but a spoon and large cup should work just fine. happy drinking!

for the drink-

•    4 black berries
•    4 fresh sage leaves
•    1⁄2 oz lemon juice {usually one quarter of a lemon}
•    1 oz sage simple syrup*
•    2 oz gin
• 2 oz sparkling water (to top off the glass)

1. in an empty shaker, add the berries, sage leaves, gin, sage syrup, and lemon juice.

2. smash down the berries and the sage leaves with your muddler or spoon. add in a small handful of ice to the shaker and shake the mixture vigorously.

3. grab a 9oz glass and add a few ice cubes to it before straining the shaker liquid over it. top glass with sparkling water, garnish, sip & enjoy!

for the sage simple syrup—

{recipe makes one pint of syrup}

• 1 cup water (hot)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 half oz package of fresh sage leaves (about 10-12 large fresh sage leaves)

make the syrup—

place the sage leaves in a pint or quart container. add your sugar & hot water to the container and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. let the sage steep for a minimum of 30 minutes. remove the sage leaves, label it and date. store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

 curious about maman’s happy hour offerings in new york city, dc, and elsewhere? click here to see our sips and cocktail menu!