Quick Summary: A refreshing summer cocktail made with homemade blueberry-infused vodka and fresh lemonade. Includes step-by-step instructions for infusing your own vodka, plus ideas for other blueberry cocktails. The infused vodka also makes a great gift. Prep: 10 min | Infusion time: 2 weeks | Serves: 2
Jump to: RECIPE | Ingredients | Method for Infused Vodka | Cocktail Ideas for Blueberry Vodka | FAQ
At HeathGlen Organic Farm, we always have more blueberries than we can eat fresh, and infusing them into vodka is a great way to preserve that blueberry flavor before the season ends.
The process takes about two weeks of patience, but the work itself is minimal. Once you have a bottle of blueberry vodka, this lemonade cocktail comes together in minutes and tastes like summer on the porch. Don’t drink it all yourself though. A pretty bottle of blueberry vodka with a recipe tag makes an excellent gift.
Use the infused vodka in creating your signature drink and then give it as a gift, along with the recipe to your favorite cocktail enthusiasts.
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Ingredients for Blueberry Infused Vodka
One of the reasons I love making my own blueberry infused liquors is that you don’t need a bunch of different ingredients. The recipe is very basic, but it tastes great. And since the end result will last at least a year, it’s also a great way to preserve your blueberry harvest!
Here’s what you’ll need for one bottle of blueberry infused vodka:
- Blueberries (2 cups): Use your own harvest or store-bought. Frozen blueberries, as I’m using here, are absolutely fine. Even dried ones should do the trick!
- Vodka (700 ml bottle): Since we’re adding our own flavorings, it doesn’t have to be top-shelf. Mid-range is absolutely fine, and this method can even help you make bad vodka taste acceptable.
- Sugar (1/2 cup): Flavored liquors are usually sweetened. You don’t have to add sugar, but it does really help the blueberry flavor come through.
- Lemon juice (1 lemon): Another addition that makes the blueberries shine.
- Vanilla extract: I think it pairs wonderfully with blueberries! You can use your own favorite herbs, spices or extracts, though.
You’ll also need a nice bottle or jar to store your infused vodka in. It should be slightly larger than the original vodka bottle, as it’ll have to accommodate the blueberries as well as the booze. I found a pretty 1L gin bottle that worked perfectly for mine.
Method for Infusing Fruit into Alcohol
Gathering the ingredients is the most time-consuming part of making your own blueberry infused vodka. The rest of the preparation takes just a minute: simply cram the blueberries into your bottle or jar, add the other flavorings and then pour in the vodka.
After this, it’s a matter of patience. Leave the blueberries to infuse for at least two weeks, giving the bottle a gentle shake on a regular basis. The berries will turn pale as their flavor is released into the vodka.
Once you’re happy with the flavor, you can strain out the blueberries, although it’s also fine to just leave them in. Place in a pretty container with a tag as a nice gift, or use your infused vodka to make a variety of different summer cocktails – like blueberry vodka lemonade, for which you can find a recipe below!
Cocktail Ideas Using Blueberry Vodka
Sweet and tart blueberry vodka goes well with a lot of things, but here are a few of my favorite ideas for cocktails:
- Blueberry martini (blueberry vodka + Cointreau + simple syrup + lemon juice)
- Blueberry prosecco (blueberry vodka + prosecco + fresh blueberries)
- Blueberry Moscow mule (blueberry vodka + ginger beer + lime juice)
- Blueberry vodka lemonade (recipe below!)
How to Make Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
- The ingredient and recipe details are listed in the recipe card below. In short, make a simple syrup by boiling equal parts sugar and water, then stir in fresh lemon juice.
- Muddle fresh blueberries with blueberry-infused vodka in a cocktail shaker, add lemonade and ice, and shake vigorously.
- Strain into glasses filled with ice, top with sparkling water, and garnish with lemon slices and blueberries.
FAQ
About two weeks. Give the bottle a gentle shake every few days. The berries will turn pale as they release their flavor into the vodka.
Yes. Frozen blueberries work just as well as fresh. They may even infuse slightly faster because freezing breaks down the cell walls.
At least a year if stored in a cool, dark place. The alcohol preserves the fruit flavor.
Yes. You can buy premade blueberry vodka or mix regular vodka with blueberry syrup. The homemade version tastes better, but store-bought works in a pinch.
Blueberry martinis, blueberry prosecco, and blueberry Moscow mules all work beautifully. The vodka pairs well with citrus, ginger, and sparkling wines.
Check out more blueberry recipes from our farm, from sweet to savory to cocktails to preserves.
Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
Equipment
- 2 cocktail glasses I like gin-tonic glasses
- 1 cocktail muddler
Ingredients
For the lemonade
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice
For the cocktail
- 3 oz blueberry-infused vodka see notes
- 2 tbsp fresh blueberries for muddling and garnish
- 3 cups lemonade see above or see notes
- 2 cups sparkling water
- 2 lemon slices for garnish
- ice
Instructions
For the lemonade
- Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved and let simmer for 5 minutes to make your simple syrup. Let cool.1 cup water, 1 cup sugar
- Stir the lemon juice into the simple syrup.1 cup lemon juice
For the blueberry vodka lemonade
- Add half the blueberries to your cocktail shaker with the vodka and muddle.3 oz blueberry-infused vodka, 2 tbsp fresh blueberries
- Add lemonade and a few ice cubes. Shake vigorously.3 cups lemonade
- Fill the cocktail glasses with the desired amount of ice and strain the liquid into them.
- Top with sparkling water. Garnish with lemon slices and blueberries. Cheers!2 cups sparkling water, 2 lemon slices
Notes
- Don’t have time to wait around for blueberries to steep in a bottle of vodka? Don’t fret! You can buy premade blueberry vodka or mix regular vodka with blueberry syrup. Heck, you can even make the blueberry syrup yourself – it’s easy and quicker than infusing vodka.
- And of course, if you don’t feel like making your own simple syrup for homemade lemonade, you can absolutely use store-bought for that as well. Or if you want to go half-homemade, you can even mix store-bought simple syrup with fresh lemon juice!
So excited to give this a try, Dorothy! Thanks for this, and all your great postings.
You are so welcome. Makes my day to get nice comments. Let me know how it turns out!