Fresh, fruity alchemy at Fire & Vine

Standing behind the bar, splattered in blackberries, Anna Fraley knew she had nailed it.

The date: Cinco de Mayo 2011.

The triumph: the Blackberry Margarita ($9), a highlight of Fire & Vine’s seasonal cocktail menu since the start of the summer.

Fraley, an obsessively original mixologist, had pondered turning blackberries into a cocktail for quite some time. But the buxom berries posed challenges: They’re erratically sweet, and all those seeds add crunch, an odd characteristic for a cocktail.

“I’m really into muddling fruit right now,” Fraley said recently, directing the energy in her petite frame into pulverizing a pile of blackberries in a chilled bar glass.

Jazz tinkled in the background, and sleek wood furniture, stone walls, soft lighting and a glass room of wine gave the place an air of uptown sophistication. The faintest aroma of smoke – not at all unpleasant – hinted at the house specialty of wood-fired foods, including pizza, ribeyes and crab cakes. Following the muddle, Fraley tweaked the classic margarita template by reaching for a bottle of Monin Organic Raspberry Syrup, then Jose Cuervo Gold tequila and homemade sour mix.

After a vigorous shake over the shoulder, Fraley poured it all into a pint glass and slid it across the burled wood bar. The elixir reigned a royal purple, crowned with a pinwheel of lime.

A draw on the wide, black straw delivered a mouthful of pulpy fruit, not quite tart enough to induce a squint. The raspberry syrup added a slight foil of sweet and a measure of vibrancy, while the tequila maintained its presence. The sour mix – blended in-house with fresh lemons and limes and simple syrup, made the old-school way with egg whites (albeit powdered) for body – rounded out the flavors.

The seeds add crunch if you like, but they’re easily ignored.

When Fraley debuted the Blackberry Margarita on Cinco de Mayo, revelers made a run on the drink. “The whole bar was drinking them,” she said, thus her splattering of blackberries. “As long as the chef can get big, fresh blackberries, we’ll have it.” Fire & Vine’s seasonal cocktail menu runs seven deep. There’s the Hendrick’s Cucumber Cooler ($12), the Blueberry Lemonito ($9) and the Peach Tea Martini (9).

The Watermelon Basil Martini ($10) was introduced last summer. For this one, Fraley muddles chunks of fresh watermelon with basil and adds simple syrup, fresh lemon, Virginia-made Sunset Hills Gin and a “spligeon,” not a splash, of something secret. Fraley shakes this one until the metal cocktail shaker has frosted and her hand starts to stick. She pours the pinkness into a chilled martini glass and adds a wheel of lemon to present a drink with the vibrancy of a Lilly Pulitzer sundress.

A tip of the glass yields a moment of perfect symmetry. The astringency of the gin plays nicely with the childhood sweetness of the watermelon and the botanical basil. A smattering of pulp reminds you that the fruit is real.

It’s a perfect after-work antidote. If only this sunshiny drink came in a gallon, we’d serve it to all our pals at a Labor Day picnic. Check out Lorraine’s blog at HamptonRoads.com/blogs/lorraine-eaton.

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697, lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com