I know I always start posts off by talking about the weather, but I really can’t help myself today! With the abundance of sunshine and warmer days we’ve had this past week, I can finally say that it feels like SUMMER HAS ARRIVED! Yep, that’s right. No. More. Snow. Michigan, I love you and all of your seasons, but dang, that winter never gets easier.
With summer comes delectable fruit-based beverages, and let me tell you, I think this is my favorite recipe to date! The blueberry with refreshing hints of pineapple and coconut make this smash a favorite of mine and perfect for those summer activities that are coming up so quickly!
As of recently, I love reading about the unique ingredients others use to create cocktails for entertaining that I would never think to use. For example, cream of coconut – I would never think to use that, but after I tried it this past weekend I was hooked! I thought to myself, Um, where has this been all my life?
Not only have I loved recipe developing and learning about creative ingredients (in both cocktails and baking), but I’ve found that the styling and photography that goes into these recipe posts make my heart sing. Is it weird that I could style food and drinks all day and take pictures? Recipe and entertainment posts are my most favorite posts to do, so expect to see more of them here this summer!
Now for the fun part! If you don’t have a muddler or cocktail shaker, that’s okay! I actually broke my cocktail shaker after I made my first drink so I had to resort to mom’s small tupperware for mixing. For a muddler substitute, use the opposite end of silverware or anything that you can squish blueberries with!
Tropical Blueberry Smash
Recipe inspired by Colleen Jeffers’ Coconut Rosewater Blackberry Smash
Yields: 1 cocktail
- 1 handful of blueberries
- 1.5 ounce (1 shot) vodka
- 1.5 ounce cream of coconut
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- ice (smashed and cubed)
- Columbine flowers (optional)
- 1 ounce blueberry syrup (ingredients listed below)
+muddler or something to smush blueberries
+cocktail shaker or something to mix/shake liquids that won’t leak
For the blueberry syrup:
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
Put blueberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pan over low heat until the blueberry juices release and sugar dissolves. Take off heat and set aside until cooled off. Once it’s cooled, strain the syrup into a cup and set aside. You will have plenty of syrup left over but feel free to store it in the fridge or share with friends if they are making the same cocktail!
Muddle 5-8 blueberries at the bottom of a short cocktail glass and fill 3/4 of glass with shaved ice.
Pour a handful of ice (I used cubed), vodka, cream of coconut, blueberry syrup, pineapple and lemon juice into cocktail shaker. Shake for about 5-10 seconds and pour mix into the cocktail until just under the rim. Top with ice and blueberries and enjoy!
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