Late spring weekends practically beg for daytime outdoor sipping, the air fragrant with blossoms and still breezy enough to make the heat of the sun beaming down enjoyable. Punch is a perfect midday sipper, but what if you’re bored of everyday flavors and want a flavor thrill? The mixologists at ChurchKey have come up with something different.

The Logan Square drinkery has been nominated for Best Mixology/Beverage Program in the 2012 RAMMYs, and their nomination cocktail is the Farmhouse Punch, our Drink of the Week. Combining vodka with a bit of absinthe, grapefruit and peppercorn syrup, the quaff is then topped off with Belgian-style pale ale Rayon Vert from San Diego’s Green Flash Brewing Co.

Check out the drink recipe below to make your weekend barbecue something special, or make your way over to 14th Street to have your punch shaken up by the pros.

Farmhouse Punch

¾ oz. vodka
¼ oz. (or less) absinthe
½ oz. lemon juice
1 oz. grapefruit juice
½ oz. peppercorn syrup
Rayon Vert

Combine first five ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into rocks glass and top with Rayon Vert. Garnish with a strawberry and fresh mint leaves.