Blueberry Lavender Gin Sour
I recently got to be the judge on this local martini competition. Basically, I had to go to a few different restaurants and try their martini creations and then score them.
One of my favourites was this Lavendertini from the Lobby Lounge at the Hotel Rosewood Georgia. It was really pretty, but also beautifully balanced with citrus and lavender (which can be tricky to do, because too much lavender = soap).
I thought it might be fun to do a riff on this at home using my favourite Empress 1908 Gin.
Yes, that’s is the one that changes colour when you add a bit of acid to it. It’s delicious, but it’s also beautiful, and since it was released, has become the darling of bartenders and mixologists everywhere because of it’s lovely colour and colour-changing qualities.
One of the ingredients in this gin is butterfly pea flowers, which are what give it its unique colour-changing properties.
I thought I’d pair the lovely hue of the gin with something similar, and I had blueberries in the freezer, soooo… Blueberry Lavender Gin Sour it was! By the way, this cocktail is vegan through the miracle of aquafaba, which makes a great egg white substitute here. Some people are nervous to drink raw egg whites. Mrs. Better’s Bitters also makes a vegan foamer that would work great here.
I think this Blueberry Lavender Gin Sour would make a really pretty cocktail to make for your gin-loving mama this weekend for Mother’s Day? Or any time, really. It’s just a very pretty drink.
Blueberry Lavender Gin Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
For the Blueberry Lavender Syrup
- 1/2 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp dried lavender flowers
For the cocktail
- 1 1/2 oz Gin Empress 1908
- 1 1/2-2 tbsp aquafaba
- 3/4 oz lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 oz blueberry lavender syrup
- dried flowers for garnish
Instructions
To make the syrup
- Place the blueberries, water, sugar and lavender in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.
- Once the syrup is at a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook down for about 10 minutes, mashing the blueberries and giving it a bit of a stir occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and strain into a mason jar. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
To make the cocktail
- Place the gin, lemon juice, aquafaba and the blueberry lavender syrup in a cocktail shaker and dry shake for about 30 seconds to activate the aquafaba.
- Add a nice handful of ice and shake a second time until the outside of the shaker is frosted.
- Strain into a pretty glass (martini or coupe) and garnlsh with dried flowers.
Video
@findbex Blueberry Lavender Gin Sour using this syrup: @findbex She purty 😍 @empress1908gin #gin #cocktail #mixeddrink #blueberry #lavender #vegan #plantbased #cocktailrecipe #fyp #foryoupage #mothersday ♬ original sound - Bex