Mint Julep Fruit Salad

Serves 10
Hands-on: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour, 10 minutes

1 1⁄2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons (1 1⁄2 oz.) bourbon
4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries (about 12 oz.)
2 cups sliced peeled fresh peaches (about 2 medium peaches)
1 cup fresh blueberries
(about 6 oz.)
1 cup fresh raspberries
(about 4 oz.)
Garnish: fresh mint

1. Bring the mint, sugar, and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool 20 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the solids to release the liquid. Discard the solids.

2. Stir together the bourbon and 1/2 cup of the mint syrup in a small bowl. Store the remaining syrup in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

3. Toss together the watermelon, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, and raspberries in a large bowl until combined. Pour the bourbon mixture over fruit. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Recipe excerpted from What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Heiskell. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Meredith Corporation. New York, NY. All rights reserved.