Shake, Stir, Pour-Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Blueberry Syrup

Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. That alone is a good enough reason to include them in your diet, but their delicious sweet flavor is the best reason to include them in your beverages, both alcoholic and not.

Ingredients:

—3 cups (710 ml) water

—3 cups (366 g) blueberries, rinsed clean and any visible stems removed

—2 cups (400 g) sugar

—1 teaspoon grated or microplaned lemon zest

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

2. Add blueberries and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer berries for 10 minutes until they begin to soften.

3. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

4. Puree in blender, add lemon zest, and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer, chinoise, or through a double layer of cheesecloth to remove berry skins, lemon zest, and any stems or leaves.

5. Funnel into clean glass jars and refrigerate. This syrup keeps for up to 3 weeks.

YIELD: APPROXIMATELY 1 QUART (1 L)

Blueberry Lemonade

Berries and lemonade just scream summertime. Blueberry lemonade is refreshing and takes advantage of the bounty of the season. This recipe works brilliantly with raspberry or strawberry syrup, too. You could easily substitute raspberries or strawberries into the Blueberry Syrup recipe in the same proportions and use those syrups for berry lemonade variations.

Ingredients:

—1 1/2 cups (355 ml) Blueberry Syrup (above)

—1 1/2 cups (355 ml) fresh lemon juice

—3 cups (710 ml) water

—Garnish: Lemon wheel or skewered blueberries

Directions:

6. Combine Blueberry Syrup, lemon juice, and water in a large pitcher or container. Stir well to combine.

7. Serve over ice and garnish with a lemon wheel or skewered blueberries.

8. If you’d like to make this into Adults Only Lemonade, add a couple of ounces of citrus, raspberry, or vanilla vodka, or a citrus-forward gin like Bluecoat to your glass.

YIELD: 1 1/2 QUARTS (1.4 L)