Food Lust People Love: Boozy Red White and Blue Fruit Salad

Not so much of a recipe as a way to add flavor and sweetness, the flavored alcohol makes this boozy red white and blue fruit salad a great adult treat at any summer picnic.

Food Lust People Love: Not so much of a recipe as a way to add flavor and sweetness, the flavored alcohol makes this boozy red white and blue fruit salad a great adult treat at any summer picnic.

Much of the year, I need to add a little sugar to fruit salad to make it more palatable. But during the summer, sweeter fruit eliminates the need for sugar and opens up other options for adding zip (and just a little sweetness) to a simple summer fruit salad. Namely, booze!

Some of my favorite choices are Pimm's No. 1, Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but you could also use limoncello or whatever else you have on hand. That pretty pink liquid up there is the strawberry-infused vodka I made for Sunday Supper. It's really lovely and super easy to make.

Note: If you want to make this kid-friendly, make very light syrup by boiling 1/2 cup or 120ml water and only 1/4 cup or 50g sugar and infusing it with the fruit of your choice. Leave to cool then strain out the mushy solids and discard them.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing colorful red, white and blue recipes that would be perfect for Fourth of July so I chose my fruit accordingly. Feel free to substitute whatever is fresh and sweet in every season.

Boozy Red White and Blue Fruit Salad

Ingredients
Juice of 1/2 lemon – about 3-4 teaspoons
1 Red Delicious apple
6 oz or 170g blueberries, rinsed
8.8 oz or 250g strawberries, hulled and rinsed
8.8 oz or 250g melon, already peeled and seeded
1 dragonfruit, peeled
1/2 cup or 120ml fruit-flavored liquor of your choice (or a mix!)

Method
Since lemon juice will stop chopped apples from browning, start by juicing your half lemon into the salad bowl. Core your apple and chop it in to small pieces, adding them to the bowl and stirring to coat them with the lemon juice.

Chop the rest of the fruit (not the blueberries!) into small pieces and stir them all in with the apple. Add in the liquor of your choice. For this batch, I chose a mixture of the strawberry-infused vodka I made for a Sunday Supper post and Cointreau – so strawberries and orange.

Stir gently. Cover with cling film and chill till ready to serve. If you think about it, give the bowl another gentle stir or two while it’s chilling.

You can serve this along with a cheese platter at the end of your summer meal or just in bowls with a spoon. Either way, enjoy!

Looking for more red, white blue recipes?