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TGIF Drinks: Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Gin-ade

Did you know it's National Blueberry Month here in the US (and in August for my Canadian friends)?  So here's a simple blueberry cocktail when you want something refreshing right now:

A handful of blueberries

One meyer lemon (I'm so lucky, I got these lemons from my friend Stuart's backyard, picked them myself).  If you don't have a friend with a meyer lemon tree, a regular lemon from the supermarket is fine.

Some sprigs of mint

Gin

Simple syrup (1 cup of water boiled with 1 cup of sugar; I usually just keep this stocked in my fridge)

Soda water/tonic

Just muddle together the blueberries, lemon and mint together.  Add a tablespoon or two of simple syrup and a shot (or 2 of gin).  Top off with soda water.  It's so easy I can't really call this a recipe.

For a non-alcoholic version I made simple syrup with a tablespoon of vanilla (add it after you take the syrup off the stove), and used that for a blueberry lemonade.  The inspiration was Chef Ryan's cake (above) which he calls the Blueberry Boy Bait Cake.

Hope July has been treating you well and have a great weekend!

{edit: And if you're interested in some of the health benefits of blueberries, read this great piece from the Cooking Detective!}