For those of you amateur mixologists who aren't afraid of muddlers and strainers, we bring you our weekly artisanal cocktail recipe from a San Francisco bartender.

This week's cocktail was something concocted by Alicia Walton for Elixir, specifically for the Ferry Building/CUESA Cocktail Week event last week, and it was one of our favorites of the week. It's got subtle sweetness and fruit combined with just a hint of lavender and vanilla. Alicia combined a spoonful of muddled lavender blossoms with honey, lemon juice and fresh blackberries to form the base of this rum drink, which should be served over ice and enjoyed over your long, and hopefully warm Memorial Day Weekend.

The Black Lavender

4 blackberries
1 barspoon dried lavender
1 barspoon honey, preferably lavender honey
Splash of simple syrup
0.5 oz lemon juice
1.5 oz aged dark rum, preferably Zacapa 23 year
0.5 oz Tuaca (vanilla-flavored liqueur)

Muddle blackberries with lavender, honey, syrup and lemon juice. Add rum and Tuaca. Shake vigorously and double strain over ice. (For multiple cocktails, the honey and simple syrup can be combined into a honey syrup -- just add a half-ounce of syrup for each drink.)