Although the main season for blueberries starts not until June, from time to time you’ll already get beautiful specimens in good quality. I am experimenting a lot with blueberries since I really really like this fruit very much. Sadly, you won’t find any classic recipes from the pre-Prohibition era relying on blueberries as you won’t find many cocktails relying on fresh fruits in general. Except of course some punches.

Therefore it is always a very interesting issue to modify some classics with the addition of a particular flavor component. So I did when mixing a Blueberry Mule. Today’s drink, the Blueberry Rum Smash, is on the other hand based on a recipe I have seen on thekitchn.com which pleased me very much. It is especially suitable as a summer drink which you can excellently enjoy during sunshine in the garden or on the balcony.

As can be derived already from the name, the Blueberry Rum Smash belongs to the category of Smashes, a variant of the Sours in which fresh herbs or, in this case, fruits are crushed during the preparation process. A classic representative of this genre is the Whiskey Smash, while Jörg Meyer’s Gin Basil Smash from Bar Le Lion recently entered the Olympus of modern classics.

The Blueberry Rum Smash is certainly far away from such glory. It also proves to be a drink on a rather sweeter side, so it is especially suitable for friends of sweet treats. I have added some dashes of Angostura to the original recipe for some depth. In addition, you can consider reducing the amount of sugar. Due to its vanilla-spicy notes I’ve chosen Spiced Rum as the base spirit. A decision I did not regret, because it works absolutely great in combination with the blueberry flavors.

Recipe (adapted from thekitchn.com; in US-typical ounces details):

A good handful of blueberries

1 bar spoon of brown sugar (half a bar spoon might be enough)

¾ oz lime juice

2 oz Spiced Rum

Ginger Ale

Angostura Bitters (optional)

Preparation: Put blueberries in the glass, so that one or two layers of blueberries are formed on the bottom (depending on the size of the tumbler and your personal taste). Now add lime juice and sugar (and Angostura, if used) and muddle gently with your muddler without completely crushing the blueberries into a paste. However, you should try to split the berries open and allow the sugar to be dissolved in the mixture of lime juice and emerging blueberry juice. Now fill with crushed ice, pour in the rum and stir carefully. Finally “float” with ginger ale.

Glass: Tumbler

Garnish: none

Sources: All ingredients should be available in well-stocked supermarkets. For special Spiced Rums you can take a look at specialized liqueur stores or visit corresponding websites.