Blueberry Old Fashioned Cocktail
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The Old Fashioned Cocktail is a favorite around this house. The main ingredients are bourbon, bitters, a sugar cube, and water, but here in the South, we like to play around with this drink adding simple syrups made from fresh fruit. In the summer, we tend to add fresh fruit and thus, we have a blueberry old fashioned cocktail, pretty to look at, but serious enough for any bourbon lover to enjoy.
Mr. Spinach Tiger is simply mad about bourbon, and I must admit that I am too. In Nashville, the Old Fashioned is a very popular drink, always on the list of signature cocktails, as each mixologist puts their own spin on it. I’ve yet to taste a bad one around here, but I can recall a few standouts.
But make no mistake the blueberry old fashioned cocktail is not exactly a sweet drink. Even with a splash of blueberry simple syrup in a blueberry old fashioned cocktail, it delivers a strong punch.
When we get fresh blueberries, the first thing we make is a blueberry old fashioned cocktail.
I have a thing for berries, so when we finished our blueberry picking last Wednesday, I made a blueberry simple syrup and our new recipe for the blueberry old fashioned was born. (If you’re lucky enough to get fresh blackberries, they can be used too).
We will spend anywhere between $35 and $65 for a bottle of bourbon. Not all bourbons are created equally. He has a few favorites. We love bourbon, but can’t claim to be experts.
If we are making a straight away old fashioned, or drinking neat, we love Rabbit Hole. If we are going to add a flavored simple syrup, you can’t go wrong with Basil Hayden (80 proof), or Woodford Reserve. although they are good enough to drink straight up also.
We’ve also had our share of Blanton’s, but if we’re spending that kind of money, we prefer the higher end of Rabbit Hole Special Edition finished in a PX sherry cask. (93% proof). We are on our second bottle of that this year!
The bitters are another thing altogether. He doesn’t seem to think they matter much, for the blueberry old fashioned cocktail, but I disagree. I like these cherry bitters.
You can vary your citrus with a blueberry old fashioned cocktail. One day, the only thing we had was a clementine, and it ended up making the best old fashioned of our life. I like lemon with anything blueberry and that’s what we used here. However, orange would be fine too.
There are a lot of good simple syrups on the market, but we like to make our own blueberry simple syrup.
You must have sugar cubes and a muddler for a true old fashioned.
The splash of soda water helps wake up the blueberry old fashioned cocktail, and he sometimes uses a flavored soda, but just a splash, not more.
We argue about ice cubes. I like the big square cocktail ice cubes made with this form. He likes smaller ones, and a more watery drink.
I added the pineapple sage which is a splendid herb, easy to grow in a pot and compliments the blueberries, but you could use any herbs or skip them altogether.
More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger
More Blueberry Recipes from Spinach Tiger
Blueberry Old Fashion Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 oz Kentucky Bourbon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons blackberry or blueberry simple syrup see below
- 8 blueberries
- a dash of the vanilla syrup
- a dash of spiced cherry bitters
- a teaspoon of sugar
- 4 -6 frozen blueberries
- a squeeze of lemon
- splash soda water
Instructions
- Put everything in the shaker with some ice, give it a good shaking, then pour through a strainer to take out the berry pulp.
- Then added a few frozen blueberries to float on top, along with a strip of lemon peel.
- Pour 3/4 of glass.
- Add splash soda water.
blueberry simple syrup instructions
- Heat water, sugar, blueberries together to a boil. When water is at a boil, add diced strawberries, and simmer until the strawberries are very soft. Take through a sieve. Store in refrigerator.
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The Old-Fashioned is a great cocktail and it loves to be tinkered with. The only non-negotiable with the drink is to choose a good, high proof whiskey, I like Rittenhouse 100 proof. GREG
It certainly sounds perfect during this hot weather. The addition of fruit not only makes it taste great but it adds such a beautiful color.