Nothing says summer like a bright and fresh Blueberry Gin Mojito! Made with juicy blueberries, tangy lemon juice, fresh mint, and Empress Gin, this is the ultimate warm weather drink!
Quarantine or not, summer is around the corner! And I don’t know about you, but these long days of staying at home deserve a delicious cocktail at the end of the week! This blueberry gin mojito is the perfect way to reward yourself.
What’s in a mojito?
Mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail. Originating in Havana, Cuba, typically a mojito is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint. It’s a perfect blend of sweet, citrus, and those beautiful aromatic mint flavors that have made the mojito such a popular summer drink. There are so many varieties of mojitos because you can add whatever fruits, sweeteners, and herbs to make it your own. Today I’m using Empress Gin instead of rum to create my own Blueberry Gin Mojito!
Empress 1908 Gin is a hand-crafted spirit from Victoria Distillers in British Columbia, Canada. It is inspired by the renowned tea and cocktail programs of the iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria!
Empress 1908 Gin is a hand-crafted spirit from Victoria Distillers in British Columbia, Canada. It is inspired by the renowned tea and cocktail programs of the iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria!Empress 1908 is micro-distilled in small batch copper-pot stills using eight botanicals: juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, butterfly pea blossoms and the Fairmont Empress Blend Tea. The butterfly pea blossom transmit subtle earthy notes and a beautifully natural indigo color.
Best of all, Empress 1908 is all-natural and gluten-free! You can purchase a bottle online here!
How do I make a Blueberry Gin Mojito?
The first step to making a blueberry gin mojito is muddling. If you’re not familiar with muddling, it’s a technique used in cocktails that use fresh ingredients like herbs and fruit. To muddle means to press the ingredients against the side of the glass with a muddler. Muddling helps to release the flavors of the fresh ingredients so that they bind with the alcohol better. In this blueberry gin mojito, we’re muddling mint, blueberries and simple syrup.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves with the blueberries and simple syrup.
Next, add the lemon juice, Empress Gin and ice and shake well. Finally, strain into an ice-filled highball glass, top with the club soda and garnish with a mint sprig and lemon.
What do I use if I don’t have a muddler?
Don’t fret if you don’t have a bartender’s kit at home. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use a few different household items to mimic the same action. The handle of a sturdy wooden spoon or ladle works really well, or I used a melon baller I found in my kitchen drawer! Get creative!
Still thirsty? Check out my raspberry lemon + herb smash cocktails! Need a snack to go with this blueberry gin mojito? How about my roasted strawberry bruschetta!
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Blueberry Gin Mojito
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 10–12 fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish
- ½ lemon cut into wedges, plus more for garnish
- 1 ounce simple syrup or 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ ounces lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 4 ounces Empress Gin
- Crushed ice
- Sparkling water or seltzer or club soda
Instructions
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Divide mint leaves and blueberries between two highball/collins glasses.
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Add the simple syrup (or granulated sugar) and use a metal or wooded muddle to gently mash the contents of the glass together for about 30 seconds. This will allow the oils and juices to release and blend together.
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Pour the lemon juice and gin into the glasses, then fill them almost to the top with crushed ice. Add a splash of sparkling water, seltzer, or club soda and stir well.
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Garnish with a lemon wheel and sprigs of mint, if desired.
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2 Comments
great color, great presentation
That color is crazy! I’ve been wanting to try a recipe with Empress Gin for a while. Great styling and recipe! Cheers!