BLUEBERRIES, MINT & BOURBON
This is how you do cool in the summer!
I was given a huge bag of frozen blueberries and since I had already made Blueberry Vodka and Liqueur I decided it was time to infuse some bourbon!
I took my blueberries, some honey, some fresh mint and a little pinch of nutmeg and made myself some Bring-It-Down-Home Blueberry Bourbon that will knock your socks off!
Here's the recipe for my
Blueberry Mint and Honey Bourbon
I took my blueberries, some honey, some fresh mint and a little pinch of nutmeg and made myself some Bring-It-Down-Home Blueberry Bourbon that will knock your socks off!
Here's the recipe for my
Blueberry Mint and Honey Bourbon
INGREDIENTS
12 Oz. Good Kentucky Bourbon
1 C. Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
5 Fresh Mint Leaves
3 Tablespoons Honey
TOOLS
Infusion Jar
Potato Masher or Cocktail Muddler
Strainer**
DIRECTIONS
Crush the mint a bit to release the oils and add to your infusion jar..
Add the frozen or fresh blueberries and mash them up to release the juices.
Warm the honey for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave then add to your infusion.
Optional: I added a couple of strokes of grated nutmeg.
Allow this to infuse for several hours up to a week. Mine was perfect in three days.
Remove the mint leaves but keep the blueberries in the bourbon, they look nice in the cocktail and people love it in the drink.
**If you want, you can strain the bourbon by pouring through a metal strainer into your final storage bottle. I kind of like having the berries in there so I don't usually strain. If I want a clear liquor for a cocktail I'll strain this through a metal strainer when I make that cocktail.
As you can see from the photos I did a small test batch here. It was so good I went ahead and made two full batches
12 Oz. Good Kentucky Bourbon
1 C. Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
5 Fresh Mint Leaves
3 Tablespoons Honey
TOOLS
Infusion Jar
Potato Masher or Cocktail Muddler
Strainer**
DIRECTIONS
Crush the mint a bit to release the oils and add to your infusion jar..
Add the frozen or fresh blueberries and mash them up to release the juices.
Warm the honey for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave then add to your infusion.
Optional: I added a couple of strokes of grated nutmeg.
Allow this to infuse for several hours up to a week. Mine was perfect in three days.
Remove the mint leaves but keep the blueberries in the bourbon, they look nice in the cocktail and people love it in the drink.
**If you want, you can strain the bourbon by pouring through a metal strainer into your final storage bottle. I kind of like having the berries in there so I don't usually strain. If I want a clear liquor for a cocktail I'll strain this through a metal strainer when I make that cocktail.
As you can see from the photos I did a small test batch here. It was so good I went ahead and made two full batches
Then I had to use this glorious moonshine in a cocktail so I made myself a little Blueberry Mint Julep that also incorporated some fresh blueberry juice and some Blueberry Simple Syrup (recipe below). Sheer heaven on a hot Arizona evening, I had two and only stopped myself from having a third by sheer will power!
I didn't have blueberry juice on hand BUT what happens when you defrost fruit? You get a lot of juice from the crystallization of the berries! I simply put my frozen blueberries in a large strainer over a measuring cup and had myself a good cup of blueberry juice by the time the blueberries had defrosted. The berries went into the booze, the juice went into the Julep.
Here's the recipe for my
BLUEBERRY MINT JULEP
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Blueberry Mint Bourbon (recipe above)
1-1/2 Oz. Fresh Blueberry Juice
3 Tsps. Blueberry Simple Syrup (recipe below)
Fresh Mint for Garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer. Add 1 cup of ice to a cocktail pitcher, add the bourbon WITH the blueberries included but the mint removed.
Add in the fresh blueberry juice, the simple syrup and stir until chilled.
Add a few ice cubes to a cocktail glass, pour the cocktail over the ice, garnish with fresh mint and a few fresh blueberries and serve.
Blueberry Simple Syrup
1 C. Water
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Blueberries
2 Tsp. Vanilla
Juice of 1 Lemon
Bring this to a simmer until the mixture is reduced by half. Strain out the blueberries and save those to spoon over cake or ice cream. Pour the Blueberry Simple Syrup into a glass container, refrigerate and enjoy!
Updated March 2016
Updated March 2016
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