Summer is certainly in full swing here in Nashville. Blazing hot, bipolar weather that provides the perfect opportunity to have a drink. Beautiful out? Have a drink. Almost snowing the next day? Cozy up with a drink.
Lemon essence, fresh herb, mint back notes. I’m not describing wine here, but instead my new favorite garden green. Lemon balm. This stuff tastes like everything Southern to me. Almost like sweet tea on a branch. Seems only right to christen summer with a cocktail.
Blackberry Jammin’ Gin Lemon Balm Cocktail — Gin, gin, gin sweetened with some Nashville fuel itself. The one and only world-famous Loveless Cafe fruit jam. A bit of the minty fresh lemon balm, and you’ve got yourself a drink so good that the rainy summer days won’t even matter anymore.
Oh… and we are giving away a huge Loveless Cafe gift pack so you can have a little bit of Nashville right there in your own house. — Keep reading to enter!
I can’t help but see a tiny palm tree in these pictures. Maybe that’s why I enjoy this so much. Maybe it’s just because it tastes SO damn good.
As you maaaay imagine, my sweet tooth makes its way into cocktail just like it does into desserts. The perfect thing about a cocktail is that you can customize everything for the person enjoying it. Want some suga? Come to me. For more jam, I mean. (See what I did there?)
Using jam to sweeten drinks is a great way to add flavor alongside the sweetness. More flavor is always a good thing. It also helps that you will probably already have this option sitting in your fridge. No worries about having used up all of that syrup for last nights frozen peach basil daiquiris.
Speaking of jam– If you’re ever in Nashville (which you all should be), ask any local where you should eat, and you’ll most certainly be told to visit the legendary Loveless Cafe. What they reeaaaally mean is to immediately go eat as many biscuits covered with homemade preserves as you possibly can. (Chubby bunny, anyone?) If you aren’t lucky enough to visit us or live in the best city on earth, you can jump over to their website and order any of their homemade goodness. Bacon and jam and biscuits and country ham and biscuits and biscuits. *faints*
Biscuits and gin (I mean…)– Biscuits and jam (cocktails). If that isn’t summer in the south, I don’t know what is.
Enjoy, y’all!
- 1 tablespoon blackberry jam/preserves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 5-6 lemon balm leaves
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 ounces gin (alternatively, coconut rum is excellent)
- club soda, to top
- Muddle jam, sugar, lemon balm in cocktail shaker until leaves are well-bruised and sugar incorporated well.
- Add gin, honey and ice to shaker.
- Shake well.
- Pour into glass and top with club soda.
- Garnish with lemon balm leaves.
- Enjoy! -- Visit SouthernFATTY.com for more recipes.
Now. What you’ve been waiting for…
Loveless Gift Basket for Southern FATTY – Image by Loveless Cafe
Enter here for a chance to win a Loveless Cafe gift basket packed full of Nashville favorites.
Sweepstakes ends June 26th, 2015 at 11:59 PM CST. Blog comment required for entry.
Twitter follow adds 2 bonus entries. Enter using entry process below.
I usually just have it on toast, but I want to try your drink recipe.
Thanks for the contest.
slehan at juno dot com
I make thumbprint cookies with jam. It’s my favorite.
Thank You for the giveaway… I love blackberry jam on buttered whole wheat toast !
I love it on english muffins!
My favorite way to use jam is on my toast in the morning for breakfast
I love jam on my English muffins. Thanks for having this nice contest!
Besides toast, I put it on pancakes!
I love raspberry jam on plain pancakes or to use in making lintzer tart cookies
KC
kacor7@hotmail.com
I love my jam spread on scones.It is so tasty.
I love to use it on my homemade buttermilk biscuits!!!
I love it on english muffins.
I love jam on my biscuits.
I like to use jam in baking. I mix it in frosting to get different flavors and mix it into the cake mix for more flavor. Not to mention flavoring cookies.
English muffins!
My favorite way to eat it is on biscuits.
I love to eat it on english muffins!
I love to eat it on toast.
I like it on pancakes.
I love putting it on FRESH warm biscuits.
I love to mix it into yogurt for a sweet treat
I love jam on pancakes! I use Earth Balance and blackberry jam! Its so delicious!
Jam on biscuits or English muffins!
I like to put it on a bagel
On fresh homemade bread. Yummy!!!
Love it on a sausage and biscuit!
I love jam on hot biscuits
I love jam on my homemade cornbread.
I love jam with hot buttered homemade biscuits.
I like it on toast.
My fave is jam on toast.
I like to put on toast or a muffin with butter.
I love it on toast
I like jam in my tea
I make my own pop tarts using jam! The kids love em!
I love to put jam on bagels, and it tastes great!!
on freshly baked buttermilk biscuits
I love jam on a toasted English muffin.
I like ’em in the middle of thumbprint cookies.
I love jam on homemade biscuits always great with butter too.
I love on homemade biscuits
I love jam on water buttered toast!
I meant on Warm, not water lol
Had me worried for a moment 😉
I love to put jam on gluten free english muffins!
MMMMM JAM. I will eat it however I get it in mah mouth. But warm, homemade biscuits… yum.
I love to put jam on my biscuits (: soooo good
I MIX IT WITH SOFT BUTTER ON MY PLATE AND SMEAR IT ON HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS.
I love jam on English muffins.
I love jam on my toast.
I like to use jam in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I love jam with homemade biscuits and butter.
I like to put it on an english muffin.
I love jam on my banana bread
Great suggestion, Danielle! — Congrats on being selected as the winner of the Loveless Cafe gift basket. I will be in touch via e-mail with details.
-Phillip
Great suggestion! — Congrats for being selected as the winner of the Lovess Cafe gift basket giveaway on Southern FATTY. Check your email (and maybe spam folder) for details on your prize. Thanks for following!
-Phillip
I just love jam on waffles..so yummy.
I love blackberry jam on fresh, homemade biscuits. I don’t use any butter, just the jam!
i like jam on an english muffin. i am boring.
xdanimarie(at)yahoo(dot)com
My family loves to eat jam and butter on waffles. Sooo yummy!
I love jam….these sound absolutely amazing!!! YUMMY!!
Yum…jam..
Biscuits and toast is my favorite but also good on ice cream!
I put jam on top of baked chicken, it is really good.
My favorite way to eat jam is on warm buttered toast.
My favorite way to use jam is on toast or on cookies.
I like to use jam on toast in the morning.
I have a recipe for a cream cheese danish that has a jam layer. Yum!!
I love it on hot buttered biscuits!
I mix jam in with unflavored plain yogurt.
I love jam and I put it on a toasted english muffin that has cream cheese on it first and then the jam over that. it’s delicious!
Love it on my toast in the morning!
I eat jam on my toast
I love jam on some warm biscuits!
On Toast!
I like jam on my bagel
I love to have on toast
My favorite way to use jam is on my buttered toast.
My favorite way to eat jam is on toast, bagels, or blueberry muffins. So yummy!!
I am kind of boring, I only use blackberry jam on bagels and english muffins
On an english muffin
I love it on a bagel with cream cheese.
blackberry jam is best on a bagel with cream cheese!! yummy
I like blackbeery jam on bread and biscuits yummy
I love it on a toasted bagel.
I use jam on toast with cream cheese. Yum!
I like jam on bagels.
I love it plain and simple, on toast!
I would make jam thumb print cookies. . Yummy~
I like jam on fresh biscuits.
I love jam on toast;)
Jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
I like putting jam on my pancakes
I love jam to cover a pie’s base crust and then filling it with fresh fruit…yummy!
Great suggestion. Keep that crust flaky!
I love it stuffed between two layers of Victoria Sponge Cake….Yum!
Great choice!
I use apricot jam in my meatloaf. Very delicious.
Never heard of that! Sounds like it would be pretty good.
My kids would say toast, but I love this ideas of putting it in a drink!
Hear, hear!
The best way to use jam is on good old fashioned toast, preferably on homemade bread.
I love jam on my English muffin in the morning and I like to use jam for a muffin filling.
I love jam on toast with butter.
Stuffed into the center of a donut… mmmmmmmmm donut……
Donuts are ALWAYS the right choice.
My favorite way to use Jam is on a warm toasted English Muffin.
My favorite way to use jam is on waffles. They are so yummy that way.
My favorite way to use jam is on baking powder biscuits. Holy COW that cocktail sounds good though!
Thanks!
I love it on toast or pancakes!
I love to use jam on pancakes! Next up are homemade biscuits!
I like to put jam on my toast and muffins.
I love it on toast, bagels, waffles and chips.
Like to put jam on bread with peanut butter
I enjoy jam on a toasted bagel.
Love, love, love bagels!
I loved it on toast until i saw your amazing drink reciepe.
Hah! Hope you like it 🙂
I love to lay out crescent rolls, put a blob of cream cheese and some jam, roll them up and bake according to the crescent roll instructions.
Cream cheese! Great choice. I love mixing that with my Sweet Red Pepper Relish.
I like jam and butter on any kind of bread. I also like to mix it into sauces for meat.
Comment in the blog post and let us know what your favorite way to use jam is!
i like mine at breakfast either plain or on toast..thanks
I love to put jam on my toast, along with butter!
I like to put jam on toast
My favorite way to use jam is on a toasted English muffin.
I like jam on toast.
I just love jam on toast! The whole family does! Yum!
Some of my favorite ways to eat jam is on bread with butter and peanut butter & jam sandwiches.
I mostly like to spread it on oatmeal. Never thought of stirring it into a drink!
Works great! Give it a go and let us know how ya like it. 🙂
As a cake mix in!
Cake is always a good choice.
my favorite way to use jam is in my mouth…off a butter knife straight outta the jar!
i love to use it on English Muffins with a great cup of coffee
jam on toast.
I really like peanut butter and jam sandwiches.
I love jam on warm homemade biscuits.
I like jam and peanut butter on white bread.
My favorite is simple with butter on biscuits..I have also enjoyed it in dessert bars.
I love jam on a fresh baked biscuit, and apricot jam in a chicken dish.
I use jam on toast or english muffins. I haven’t branched out into oatmeal or anything like that yet. It’s on my list of things to do!
I make great oatmeal muffins that jam tastes amazing with!
Oatmeal is my faaaavvvorite in everything!
I cannot eat toasted english muffins without concord grape jam.
I like jam with peanut butter on toast
I love having jam on english muffins
I love having wheat toast with jam for breakfast.
I love using jam in a savory/sweet marinade/glaze for meat
I’m working on a cherry glaze right now for an upcoming recipe. Great way to use fruit preserves!
My favorite way to use jam is on pancakes instead of syrup.
I love to use jam on southern biscuits, butter and raspberry jam!
I love jam on toast.
My favorite way to use jam is on steaming hot pancakes… yummmmm
Good choice!
No blackberries down here. I’m in! ☺️
I love jam on biscuits!
Jam on toast is my favorite!
The Blackberry Jammin’ Gin Cocktail looks delicious, I’d love to try it without the alcohol. It would never have occurred to me to use jam or preserves in a drink. Thank you for sharing this recipe. My favorite way to use jam is with butter on bread.
I’m sure it would taste great with a bit of clear soda or fruit juice instead. Enjoy!
My fav way is on toast, but I’m looking for a new way
I like to use melted jam drizzled on my fruit pizza.
Oh, nice! Much easier than making a separate reduction.
On toast is my favorite way to enjoy jam! kekagel@yahoo.com
I love PB&J sandwiches, also love it in toast and waffles. Thanks for giving me a minute
Classic! And you are very welcome. I’ll even let you stay for two 😉
I love it in a sandwich, bisquit and pancakes. Thank you for the chance 🙂
sue-hull64(at)comcast(dot)net
I love to use jam on my homemade muffins and on icecream .
Ice cream is great for preserves. Something people forget sometimes!
Nothing fancy for me – my favorite way to eat jam is on a warm biscuit!
I love all kinds of jams But my favorite is Peach.
i like to make little tarts with jam and of course i like it on toast with real butter!
Good butter is key!
My favorite way to use jam is on toasted homemade bread.
I like them on butter homemade biscuits
Jam on a savory dish.. like crescent rolls with sausage and cream cheese topped with blueberry jam!
Yessss! Cream cheese and jam is so good. Love my Sweet Red Pepper Relish with cream cheese.
My favorite way to use jam is as a spread on fresh bread.
I like to butter my bread and then slather it with jam
on English muffins yummm
I always have jam on biscuits. It spreads easier than preserves.
Mine’s strawberry and blueberry jams. Use them on toast.
email: felicidad11tan@gmail.com
I’m pretty traditional and usually eat my jam on biscuits. I have used them in cookies before though. There’s no bad way to eat jam!
Nothing wrong with that! Classic is classic for a reason.
Pear is also very good.
I’ve never done a pear jam!
I love jam on homemade “Cathead” biscuits.
Great choice! The biggest, fluffiest biscuits of all 🙂
My favorite way to use jam is on biscuits and toast. I love homemade blackberry jam especially. – Alisha H.
My favorite way to use jam is on bread or biscuits. I never thought of adding it to cocktails.
It’s great in cocktails! Deeper flavor than sugar and extracts.
I love blackberry or raspberry jam on warm homemade bread with butter. Nothing beats that!
Love strawberry or blackberry on buscuits. Use to live around Nashville and went to Loveless as often as we could. Great homemade food.
Come back soon! 🙂
Cherry is my favorite
I love blackberry and blueberry jam!! So yummy!
Strawberry is my favorite.
Wild Maine blueberry is my favorite, but blackberry sounds great too.
I’ve certainly had blueberry, but Wild Maine makes it sound so much better!
My favorite jam flavor would be green pepper.
Nice! I made a Sweet Red Pepper Relish jam a while back that was great. I’ll have to try a green one sometime.
probably strawberry
when i was young me and my mom used to pick strawberries and make jam and it was the best jam ever !
My favorite flavor jam is strawberry
Raspberry jam is my favorite.
I like sour cherry.
I love strawberry!
Strawberry.
cherry jam is my favorite
Strawberry
My favorite jam is raspberry.
I love strawberry jam
My fave is raspberry jam
blackberry but so expencive
Easy to make yourself if you can get fresh berries!
ya i cant can dont know how and cant be in kitchen 🙁 do to seizures
Strawberry jam!
Blackberry jam is my favorite!
Honeysuckle jelly!
I’ve never had that! (yet.)
I love fig jam.
People need to use fig more often!
I like strawberry jam on homemade biscuits
Cathy Truman
Perfect, classic combo!
I like strawberry jam on English muffins!
Great pick!
It’s a hard decision but I love apricot jam, yummy
Apricot is one of my favs for everything pastry-related. So good!
I like strawberry jam.
Classic. Always a winner!
My grandma’s plum jelly.
Sounds delicious!
Blackberry jam, on a warm, soft biscuit is the best. Reminds me of the years picking blackberries with my mom.
Amen!
I’ve been digging plum jam lately. It’s good on toast.
I’ve nevvver made plum jam. Have to try that soon!
I Love strawberry or raspberry jam!!
Yumm!
I love raspberry jam on just about anything.
Fair play.
LOVE me some Loveless Cafe. The author is right, it’s a must see. And the fried chicken is to die for too! But those biscuits are little fluffy pillows of heaven!!
It’s all good!
I love any kind of jam, but use raspberry most often to make thumbprint cookies.
Always a great way to use it! I had some amazing apricot thumbprints recently.
Oh that sounds good. I really do need to experiment with other flavors.
I like strawberry jam on a bagel.
Ohhhh nice! I’ve actually not done much jam on bagels, which is insane because I’m a bagel addict.
Oh my damn; this is my jam.
I seeeeee what you did there.
What a great idea! Never thought to use jam in a cocktail….brilliant. 😉 Fantastic photos.
Works really well!
Red Raspberry jam is my favorite. I like it on toast.
abfantom at yahoo dot com
Good choice!
I love raspberry or blackberry jam on hot biscuits.
Biscuits are always a good idea 🙂
Used to pick blackberries every summer with my mother down on the TenneBama line. New York’s berries don’t compare. And I just tried a new gin, Nolets, that would be perfect with this cocktail.
We do have some great fruit down here! I’m a huge gin fan. I’ll have to give that a try.
no question a friends Key Lime marmalade…..MMMMM…. fingers crossed
Ohhh my. That sounds so good!
This cocktail is so pretty! It sounds so good, I love a good blueberry jam, but I am into savory jellies too. I used to make a spicy red pepper jelly and serve it with cream cheese and crackers as an appetizer. SO addicting!
YES! Savory options are great. I actually did one that sounds just like that HERE based off of some that I had at a favorite summer dinner spot. Delicious!
i love nashville and i love jam. i’m working on consuming a jar of cinnamon peach right now, so until it’s gone, that’s my favorite flavor! 🙂
Ohhhhhh, nice! I have a -ton- of peaches at home right now that I plan on making some jam out of. I’ll have to try that.
Gotta try this soon. Love jam cakes,
I haven’t made a jam cake in ages! Hope you enjoy it 🙂