Blueberry Smash Cocktail with Blueberries and St. Germain liqueur ...

I spied this cocktail while thumbing through a recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine and it sounded perfect for summer with berries, citrus and St. Germain (San-Jer-Man), an all-natural elderflower liqueur produced in France. If you have not tried St. Germain, it?s a lovely liqueur (and that includes the bottle; it is gorgeous) that is made from processing fresh, handpicked blossoms of the elderflower found in the Alps. It has a wonderful floral nose with hits of pear, peach and grapefruit zest so it?s a great pairing with many fruits, champagne and in this case, vodka.

As often happens I knew when I saw the recipe I would love to make it but I had none of the ingredients available save for the liqueur so I anticipated it would happen at a later date. You know what happens with those don?t you? Too often they never happen; an article or idea will get filed away to only be forgotten.

Why was this cocktail so lucky? Call it providence that I received my bi-weekly box of produce from Door to Door Organics just a few days after reading the article. Even though I have the option to tailor what I get in my delivery; without fail I forget what I?ve ordered and it?s always a surprise when I open my box. It?s like a gift to myself each and every two weeks! This week included beets, watermelon, nectarines, blueberries, lemons and limes?it was meant to be don?t you think?

Not unlike a mojito, it requires a bit of smashing. If you don?t have a muddler then just use the end of a wooden spoon; the more flavor you can extract from the fruits the better. This cocktail was everything I had hoped for. It is simply summer. Berries, citrus and vodka combine with the St. Germain and create a cocktail that is perfectly balanced with a definite citrus edge. Not overly sweet, it?s just right!

Perfect in the heat of summer; this cocktail is filled with fruit but is not an overly sweet cocktail; just overly good!

Ingredients

• 2 lemons, sliced into rounds
• 2 limes, sliced into rounds
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups vodka
• 3/4 cup St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)

Preparation

1. Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely mash lemon and lime slices, blueberries, and mint leaves in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka, St-Germain, and 2 cups of ice cubes.
2. Divide drink among coupe or highball glasses; top with more ice cubes. Garnish each drink with a mint sprig.

2.0

http://www.creative-culinary.com/2012/06/blueberry-smash/

This recipe brought to you by ? Creative Culinary | A Food and Cocktail Blog | Website: www.creative-culinary.com

Source: http://www.creative-culinary.com/2012/06/blueberry-smash/

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