This blueberry cocktail is striking in appearance and just as wonderful to taste. Blending freeze-dried blueberries, gin, peach liqueur and citrus juice, the result is a sour-style blueberry gin cocktail bursting with intense fruit flavour.
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This post is sponsored by Mixologist’s Garden. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This blueberry cocktail is surprisingly quick and easy to knock together at home. It also tastes amazingly fresh & lively. Of course, the bold hue & pretty frothy top make it a winner in the looks department. Candy for grown-up eyes? I rather think so.
This blueberry gin cocktail has been created using freeze-dried blueberries from Mixologist’s Garden, specialists in providing high-quality and easy-to-use fruit garnishes to effortlessly elevate your drinks. Take a look at the other recipes I’ve created using their products – there’s a Negroni sour, a raspberry margarita, Southern Comfort cocktail, blueberry cocktail syrup and my version of the English Garden cocktail.
Why you’ll love this cocktail
- Quick & easy – this is a muddled blueberry cocktail, made by lightly crushing freeze-dried blueberries directly into the gin. It couldn’t be simpler. There’s no need to spend time making specialist blueberry syrup for this libation.
- Balance of flavour – this drink is loaded with ripe blueberry flavour, hints of floral peach and just the right level of tart lemon freshness.
- Appearance – this gin and blueberry cocktail ranks highly in the looks department. It’s bright & bold in colour and it boasts a luxurious foamy top which makes it very easy to dress up with garnishes on cocktail picks or sprinkled or floated on top of the egg-white foam.
- Texture – if you’ve ever hankered after that impressive soft-as-silk mouthfeel that comes with some drinks you have out in bars and restaurants, this blueberry cocktail will deliver that to you. It’s down to the inclusion of egg white combined with a jolly good shake.
- Purse-friendly – drink for drink, enjoying cocktails at home is so much cheaper than enjoying them on a night out.
Ingredients notes
Freeze-dried blueberries: these are used to create the blueberry infused gin that makes the backbone of this blueberry sour recipe. The benefit of using Mixologist’s Garden freeze-dried blueberries over fresh fruit in this instance is twofold. Firstly, the flavour of the berries has been intensified during the process of freeze-drying them. This means that they impart a robust flavour to the cocktail. Secondly, it doesn’t matter what the season is, these freeze-dried berries can be relied upon to give great flavour consistently.
You’ll find the Mixologist’s Garden range in their online shop or on (paid link) Amazon. And, of course, with a long shelf life, you can stock up your cupboard (no need to refrigerate) so that you’ll always have them to hand.
Gin: you’ll need a good London Dry gin or an American-style gin for this blueberry cocktail. Opt for one with either zesty citrus notes or floral undertones.
Peach liqueur: this ingredient is optional, but the hint of floral peach really does enhance this libation. You should be able to pick up a bottle for around £10 in larger supermarkets, otherwise, look online.
Egg white: this is essential if you would like to create the signature foamy top to this cocktail. If you’re unsure about combining egg white in your cocktail, trust me that it does not make your drink taste of egg, nor does it turn the consistency gloopy. Egg white has a neutral taste that you won’t notice at all alongside the other ingredients in this blueberry lemon cocktail. As for the texture, it turns the entire drink into something silky smooth and utterly luxurious.
Equipment notes
Sour cocktails such as this blueberry gin cocktail are traditionally made in a cocktail shaker. However, if you do not own one then a large, sturdy jar with a screw-top lid will suffice.
If you intend to make a powder from the freeze-dried blueberries for a stencil garnish then you will also need a pestle and mortar.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1: Put 10 freeze-dried blueberries into the base of a cocktail shaker, pour in the gin and use a muddler to gently break up the fruit.
Step 2: Give the blueberry infused gin a good stir then strain it through a fine-meshed sieve. Press the fruit down using the muddler to extra any liquid trapped within the fruit. Discard the contents of the sieve.
Step 3: Now pour the gin into the base of a cocktail shaker along with the peach liqueur, lemon juice, egg white and simple syrup (do not add ice).
Step 4: Secure the lid and shake hard for 30 seconds (this is the dry shake).
Step 5: Now add a large handful of ice and shake for another 30 seconds (this is the wet shake).
Step 6: Strain the liquid into a suitable glass and garnish as desired (see the following section for ideas).
How to garnish this blueberry cocktail
There are numerous ways that you could garnish your blueberry gin cocktail. Here are a few options:
- Thread several freeze-dried blueberries onto a cocktail pick and suspend it over the glass.
- Alternatively, float a freeze-dried lemon slice over the egg white foam and crush a couple of the freeze-dried blueberries roughly in your hand. Scatter them over the top.
- For a showstopping garnish, use the freeze-dried blueberries to make a powder for use as a glass rim or to create a stencil pattern:
Grind half a pack of the freeze-dried blueberries to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar.
Suspend a drink stencil over the top of the glass and dust over it with the blueberry powder. Carefully lift off the stencil to reveal the pattern.
Expert tips
- Chill your serving glass for 15 minutes to ensure that your drink is served deliciously ice cold.
- It is essential to strain the blueberry-infused gin through a fine-meshed sieve before proceeding with the cocktail to ensure that the drink is smooth. Do not skip this step.
- Shake this cocktail twice, first without ice and then with ice, to build up that wonderful creamy mouthfeel and foamy top.
- Double-strain your drink into serving glasses to make sure that shards of ice and citrus flesh do not fall into the glass.
- If using blueberry powder to create a pretty stencil garnish then pound the fruit as close to serving time as possible as it has a tendency to clump once exposed to the air.
- If necessary, use a spoon to push the powder through to sieve if it has begun to clump.
Frequently asked questions
A London Dry gin with plenty of zesty citrus notes is the ideal choice for this blueberry gin cocktail.
Freeze-dried blueberries have a wonderful and powerful flavour compared to their fresh counterparts. Moreover, the flavour can be consistently relied upon, regardless of the season. For this reason, I urge you not to swap to fresh blueberries. The fruity flavour will be much less pronounced if you do. And of course, that gorgeous stencil garnish requires the freeze-dried fruit regardless.
Yes, you can. You’ll need to swap the gin for your favourite non-alcoholic gin alternative. The peach liqueur will also need to be left out and replaced with 10ml peach syrup (or if you cannot find this ingredient then add in an additional 10ml simple syrup).
A great alternative to egg white is aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas). It may sound slightly strange, but this vegan and dairy-free product has become a popular choice for those wishing to create a foamy cocktail without using egg white. Try 30ml per cocktail.
Variations
It’s easy to adapt this blueberry gin cocktail to keep your cocktail repertoire fresh and exciting:
- Omit the peach liqueur to make a simple blueberry sour (add in an extra 10ml simple syrup).
- Vary the base spirit – try vodka or tequila in place of the gin.
- Add herbs – try muddling the blueberries with a few sprigs of thyme or 5 basil leaves. Alternatively, use an herb-based simple syrup to carry through the flavour.
- Peach Melba Sour – swap the blueberries for freeze-dried raspberries and have yourself a gin sour incorporating the classic combination of raspberries and peach.
What to serve with this blueberry cocktail
- Lightly salted bar snacks: classic options such as crisps and nuts work well with fruity sour cocktails such as this one.
- Cheese: the tartness of this berry cocktail would cut through the creamy nature of cheese such as brie and camembert. Give it a try.
- Seafood: toss some squid in seasoned flour, deep-fry it then sprinkle sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice over it. This snack will go down a storm with this blueberry sour cocktail.
- Fruit: try grilled peaches scattered with crushed freeze-dried blueberries.
- Dessert: stick with the flavours in the cocktail and pair it with lemon Swiss roll or blueberry cake.
More easy sour cocktails to try out
Have you made this blueberry sour recipe? Why not show me how you topped your blueberry cocktail by posting a photo on Instagram and tagging me @jane_littlesugarsnaps. Please also leave a recipe rating and/or comment to let me know how you got along. I always love hearing from readers.
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Blueberry Cocktail (Blueberry and Peach Sour)
Ingredients
- 10 Mixologist's Garden freeze-dried blueberries
- 40 ml Gin London Dry or American-style gins work well
- 20 ml Peach liqueur
- 30 ml Lemon juice
- 20 ml Simple syrup
- 20 ml Egg white
Instructions
- Put 10 Mixologist’s Garden blueberries into a jug and crush them with a cocktail muddler.
- Pour in the gin and stir briskly for 20 seconds to infuse the blueberry flavour and colour.
- Strain the gin through a fine-meshed sieve into a cocktail shaker.
- Add the remaining ingredients but do not addice.
- Secure the lid of the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Now add a large handful of ice to the shaker and shake again for 30-45 seconds until the shaker feels ice cold and a creamy foam has built up.
- Strain into a serving glass, garnish with Mixologist’s Garden blueberries and serve immediately.
To Create a Stencil Garnish
- Crush half a pack of our blueberries using a pestle and mortar to produce a fine powder.
- Place a stencil over the top of the drink and sieve the blueberry powder over the top.
- Carefully remove the stencil to reveal the pattern.
Notes
- Chill your serving glass for 15 minutes to ensure that your drink is served deliciously ice cold.
- It is essential to strain the blueberry-infused gin through a fine-meshed sieve before proceeding with the cocktail to ensure that the drink is smooth. Do not skip this step.
- Shake this cocktail twice, first without ice and then with ice, to build up that wonderful creamy mouthfeel and foamy top.
- Double-strain your drink into serving glasses to make sure that shards of ice and citrus flesh do not fall into the glass.
- If using blueberry powder to create a pretty stencil garnish then pound the fruit as close to serving time as possible as it has a tendency to clump once exposed to the air.
- If necessary, use a spoon to push the powder through to sieve if it has begun to clump.
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