I recently read a recipe where a chef infused blueberries in gin for a barbecue sauce. As interesting as that was, I thought it would also be interesting to use that infused gin in a Negroni, and I was right! The blueberries round the drink out and don’t overpower the drink.
I used frozen wild blueberries for this, because the farmed ones just don’t have the flavor.
I used Bluecoat American Dry Gin for this recipe, because that’s what I had! I don’t think you need to spend big bucks on a fancy gin for this recipe. Another excellent choice would be a somewhat neutral gin, like Ford’s gin, from England.
16 ounces gin, your favorite brand
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
I poured the gin into the mason jar, and added the blueberries. I let the flavors infuse for several hours at room temperature. Then I strained the blueberries out of the gin.
I put the blueberries in a sealed container in the freezer, where they got cold, but didn’t freeze solid. I skewered them as a garnish for the drink. (Of course, if you want, you can just eat them!) I keep the gin in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
For my Negroni, I don’t use the standard 1-1-1 ratio, because I want a real drink!
3 ounces blueberry infused gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Antica Formula or Cocchi
Combine the ingredients over ice, and stir well.
Get a rocks glass, and put a big cube in it. Strain the Negroni into the glass with the big cube. Skewer as many blueberries from the infusion as you like to top the drink off.
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