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Ingredients
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Blueberry-Lavender Shrub
Cocktail Base
Finish & Garnish
Method
Blueberry-Lavender Shrub
Make the blueberry purée
In a small saucepan combine 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup filtered water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and released their juices.
Infuse lavender and sweeten
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender and 1 cup granulated sugar to the hot blueberries, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let steep for 10 minutes off the heat, covered, so lavender infuses without becoming bitter.
Strain and add vinegar
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or jar, pressing on solids to extract liquid and leaving solids behind. Discard solids. Stir in 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water until combined. Taste and adjust: it should be bright, sweet-tart, and florally scented. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold. Yields roughly 1 1/2 cups shrub.
Cocktail Assembly
Prepare glass and chilling
Fill two short cocktail glasses with ice to chill. If you prefer, prepare one large double-old-fashioned glass and use a large ice cube or sphere.
Build the cocktail
In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, add 3 oz gin (or vodka), 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz blueberry-lavender shrub, and 0.125 oz blue curaçao (optional). Shake vigorously 10–12 seconds until well chilled. Strain into the chilled glass over fresh ice. Repeat for second serving using remaining spirits and shrub (if making two).
Top and garnish
Top each glass with about 1.5 oz club soda for a light effervescence. Garnish with 3 fresh blueberries skewered or dropped into the glass, a lemon wheel on the rim, and an optional sprig of fresh lavender. Serve immediately.
Notes & Storage
Shrub keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks. Because the recipe is balanced for two 3-oz spirit servings, scale shrub and spirits proportionally for single or larger batches. For a nonalcoholic version, omit the gin/vodka and double the shrub, top with extra sparkling water, and add a dash of tonic or a splash of nonalcoholic spirit if desired.