Goji Berry Holiday Cocktail Recipe with Rum

With the holidays soon upon us, it’s time to start preparing for my seasonal lycii (goji) berry winter cocktail. As I mentioned in the fall, my adventures with herb-infused spirits started with a remarkable hibiscus-infused martini that I had at one of my favorite local brewpubs. I was so inspired; I now have a stock of mason jars full of herb-infused liquors ready for whatever mood my friends and family might be in. For the holiday season, I wanted to create an herb-infused cocktail that would have a brilliantly red, festive color and a delicious sweet-tart flavor profile. Healthful lycii berries turned out to be the perfect answer!

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Lycii berry (Lycium barbarum), also known to herbalists as goji, Chinese wolfberry, or Chinese boxthorn, is a bright red, almost chewy berry with a taste very similar to raisins. Generally found in lowland areas across Asia, the high-altitude strain of Lycium is the well-known goji berry. The berries can be eaten raw (they’re delicious in trail mixes, desserts, and smoothies). They can also be steeped as tea and they make a delicious infusion in rum.

Goji Berry Infused Rum

Makes approximately 16 drinks

Ingredients

Approximately 1 cup organic dried lycii berries
Approximately 3 cups good dark rum of choice

Directions

At least five days before serving cocktails, fill a clean quart jar about 1/3 full of lycii berries.
Top the jar off with dark rum.
Set aside to infuse for about five days. The jar can remain on the counter. Shake once a day.
Strain the infused rum into a separate pint jar.
Follow the directions below for goji berry cocktail.

Pro Tip

Taste infused rum along the way to determine your preferred flavor profile.