“No.”

“But.”

“No,” Suzen was insistent.

“I need it for a drink recipe.”

“Improvise.” She walked down the aisle and I just stood there looking longingly at the bottle of peach syrup.

Improvise I did. The first peaches of the season have arrived, and we face the same issue as always: they are rock hard when we buy them and then at some point they are peak and shortly after that they are way over top. That “peak” period may only be a few hours long depending on the temperature.

But pre-peak, at peak, or even post peak, here is the ideal way to use those peaches in a brilliantly bright beverage. The recipe below, from 101 Blender Drinks by Kim Hassarud, does call for peach syrup. For the 1.5 ounces of syrup, I substituted 1 ounce of peach brandy and 1 ounce of simply syrup.

This cocktail is potent with flavor. For appetizers, it is best matched with equally strong flavors: herbed sour cream with celery sticks, crackers topped with roast beef and horseradish, …

It’s a bit surprising but Kim Haasarud lists the fresh peaches as optional, suggesting that all the peach flavor come from the peach syrup. For me, the peaches are essential, adding both flavor and body to this drink.

Frozen Peach Julep

Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients:

• · 2 ounces bourbon
• · 1 ½ ounces white peach syrup (such as Monin)
• · 2-3 mint leaves
• · ½ cup fresh peaches, peeled and chopped coarsely
• · Dash of fresh lemon juice
• · Mint sprig for garnish

Preparation:

Combine the bourbon, white peach syrup, mint leaves, mint, and lemon juice in a blender and blend for about 5 seconds. Add about 1 cup of ice cubes and blend to a smooth consistency. Pour into a rocks glass and garnish with a mint spring.

Source: 101 Blender Drinks by Kim Hassarud,