BLUEBERRY VODKA SPRITZ COCKTAILS
MADE IN A FIVE MINUTE SUMMER DRINK.
Back when my mama and I went to Italy, we drank what I
can only imagine was gallons of Aperol spritzes. The New York Times just deemed
this the worst cocktail ever, which R U D E, but we were totally hooked. Even
after my mom left Italy and I departed on my 18-week Europe trip, I would still
occasionally order an Aperol spritz for the mems. Aside from one instance where
I was misinformed that Campari “is similar to Aperol” and I drank a whole
mini-bottle of a Campari spritz and almost died, I think all of those cocktails
actually saved me from that humid Italian summer heat.
Now that I’m back in the states, spritz-y cocktails are hard
to come by. But I don’t even know why, they’re the perfect summer cocktail! 1.
You can make them in bulk for all-day sipping. 2. They’re the easiest ever. 3.
I can think of about 500 ways to sneak them onto the beach. And 4. Assuming
your spritz-y liquid is sparkling water, you’re almost hydrating yourself
whilst drinking. *Science*.
With all of this in mind, I set out to create a
pitcher-perfect summer cocktail. And since Mother’s Day is this weekend, I
wanted to create a drink inspired by my beautiful, lovely mama. To know my mom
is to know that she loves anything with berries or lemon. And inspired by our
mutual love of Aperol spritzes and not-too-sweet cocktails, the blueberry lemon
vodka spritz was born!
Ok, now let’s talk about why this blueberry lemon vodka
spritz is the ideal Mother’s Day cocktail! First of all, you can enjoy these
spritzes at brunch, the beach, or at a BBQ. Also, you can easily make it in
advance, so all you have to do on Mother’s Day is pull it out of the fridge and
serve it! And if you want to make these blueberry lemon vodka spritz cocktails
day-of, it only takes five minutes and five ingredients to throw together 🎉
For these spritzes, I partnered with 10 Torr, a local
Reno distillery and brewery! Marc and I have been going to their bar since it
first opened, it’s one of our favorites. They have an amaaaaazing gin martini.
10 Torr’s vodka is barley-style and they have their own special
vacuum-distilling process, so cool! The vodka is so smooth and has a lovely
herbaceous flavor that matches so well with berries and citrus. I’m v excited
to be working with such a cool, local company!
Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my grandma, your mom, all
the moms! I wonder what Bell is going to get me??
Blueberry lemon vodka spritzes can be made a day before,
just leave out the sparkling water (or Italian soda) until right before you are
ready to serve! We like drier drinks, so we prefer sparkling lemon water to top
off the spritz. If you like your drinks on the sweeter side, use lemon Italian
soda, and start with half of the simple syrup. Taste, and add more simple syrup
as necessary.
Pitcher
2 cups blueberries
(I use frozen)
2 lemons, thinly
sliced and de-seeded, plus more for garnish
4 oz (1/2 c.)
simple syrup
16 oz (2 c.) 10
Torr vodka
32 oz (4 c.)
sparkling lemon water (or lemon Italian soda)
Rosemary, for
garnish (optional - mint or basil would be good too!)
For
a single drink...
¼ cup blueberries
(I use frozen)
2 slices of lemon,
de-seeded (plus more for garnish)
½ oz simple syrup
2 oz 10 Torr vodka
4 oz sparkling
lemon water (or lemon Italian soda)
Sprig of rosemary,
for garnish (optional - mint or basil would be good too!)
Pitcher
1 - In a
pitcher, muddle the blueberries, lemons, and simple syrup until the lemons
release their oils and about half of the blueberries are smashed. (If you don't
have a large muddler, a big wooden spoon works great!). Stir in the vodka.
Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to serve (the longer it sits,
the more the flavors will infuse).
2 - Right
before serving, stir in the sparkling lemon water (or lemon Italian soda). Pour
over ice and garnish with lemons and sprigs of rosemary. Tip: I like to twist
the rosemary a bit to release their oils. This will make 8 small drinks or 4
big ones!
For
a single drink...
3 - In a glass,
muddle the blueberries, lemons, and simple syrup until the lemons release their
oils and about half of the blueberries are smashed. Stir in the vodka. Fill the
glass with ice, and top with the sparkling lemon water. Garnish with lemons and
a sprig of rosemary. Tip: I like to twist the rosemary a bit to release their
oils. Enjoy!
- xo
Sara Lynn
Thanks
to 10 Torr for sponsoring this post! This recipe is intended for persons over
the legal drinking age (21+) and should not be shared with anyone underaged.
Also, please drink responsibly!
*Song
of the day: Habit by Still Woozy
