Lemon Blueberry Mint Spritzer

This cocktail is perfect for any spring afternoon get-together or brunch. Dress it up or down and it’s good either way!

Hi y’all! Welcome to another Krysta’s Kitchen. Today, we are trading in our regular Coors Light for something a little more seasonal and I figured I was a bit overdue for a cocktail recipe! For this issue, I wanted to really lean into bright, fresh flavors for spring but also keep it low key enough that anyone can make this beverage at home. 

One thing I do love about this recipe, much like many of my others, is that you can swap out any of the ingredients to match your preference. For example, I did try this recipe with both vodka and gin and it was almost two completely different drinks. If you’re a gin drinker, I highly recommend swapping out the vodka for gin, as it really brings out the botanicals in the mint and earthiness of the blueberries. 

I also went a little above and beyond and candied some lemons and used the syrup in this drink, but you can use regular simple syrup if you don’t want to get fancy with it. Now, let’s get into it! 

Ingredients

• ½ cup Blueberries
• A few sprigs of mint
• 1 Lemon 
• 2 ounces Vodka or Gin
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• Soda water (I used lemon soda water but you can use plain or whatever suits your fancy)
• One cocktail shaker or mason jar with a lid

For the Candied Lemons (optional)

• 2-3 additional lemons
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups water

Directions for Spritzer

1. Use your cocktail shaker or mason jar and drop in ¼ cup or so of blueberries as well as 4-5 leaves of mint. Muddle these together until all of the blueberries are smashed and the mint is broken up. I used the end of a wooden spoon to do this, so no worries if you don’t have a muddler!
2. Once you have muddled the blueberries and mint, pour in your vodka, simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon to the same glass or shaker.
3. Shake it thoroughly for about 20-30 seconds to make sure the blueberry and mint infused with the vodka and set aside.
4. Fill a glass with ice and fill it with sparkling water until it’s about ¾ of the way full and drop in a few remaining blueberries over the top for garnish. 
5. Strain your blueberry vodka mixture into your glass. You can float the vodka to make the drinks pretty but make sure to stir everything together before enjoying. 
6. Garnish with fresh or candied lemon and mint. 

To make candied lemons and lemon simple syrup

1. Grab a wide pot and stir together 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. Set the temperature to medium high and bring to a boil. 
2. Slice your lemons as thin as possible. You want 8-10 slices total depending on the size of your pot. 
3. Once your sugar/water mixture comes to a boil, drop in the lemon slices in a single layer and turn heat down to low and simmer lemons for up to an hour. You want the pith of the lemons to be slightly translucent. Make sure to watch your syrup to ensure it doesn’t over reduce. 
4. Once your lemons are thoroughly boiled, get a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper and lay out your lemon slices. 
5. Set your oven to 250 and let your lemon slices dry out. I would recommend just keeping an eye on them because they will over carmelize in the oven. 
6. Once your lemons are just slightly golden, they are ready! These are delicious to eat or use as garnish in drinks or dessert. 

This article was originally written for the Spring 2023 Issue of Modern Cowboy Magazine. (Previously known as Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine). Catch more stories from this issue below!