Sinatra Smash Cocktail Recipe - Fell in love with this at the Wynn in Vegas. Tangy sweet, smooth and fruity with a kick of bourbon. Still a Favorite! | www.lakesidetable.com
Set a pot with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to boil. Cut vanilla bean in 1/2 long wise. Scrape the seeds from the bean and put it in the pot with the sugar water.
Gently simmer the sugar vanilla water until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
Mix 1/2 cup lemon juice with 1/4 cup vanilla simple syrup. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. If you make extra, it will keep 3-4 days.
Muddle 6 blackberries and a mint leaf in the bottom a cocktail shaker with the sweet and sour mix. Reserve 2 of the blackberries.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker, add ice and shake well. Strain over ice in 2 glasses.
Garnish with a blackberry and mint leaves.
*Vanilla bean - if you don't have a vanilla bean handy, substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla extract after the simple syrup has cooled. However, if you do have a vanilla bean, keep the outer husk and bury it in your sugar bag or canister for delicious vanilla sugar. Yum!
Make a larger batch of simple syrup and sweet and sour mix to have on hand. They both keep well for almost a week in the refrigerator!