Blueberry Infused Vodka Lemonade

Every time my fiancé and I go down to visit his family in NC, his dad ribs me about all the rednecks we come across. Like I’m some fish-out-of-water, ain’t never seen no rednecks before, “city girl.” I always have to remind him that I hail from East Tennessee where the moonshine flows steady and the rednecks are aplenty. Heck, I grew up learning all the versus of Rocky Top (yeah, there’s more than one and a chorus) and, when necessary, I can speak with more twang that Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. Don’t doubt my hillbilly street cred.

And I can handle a strong mountain drink. I’ve sampled moonshine freshly bought off an unmarked tree stump, deep in the woods. No I didn’t buy it, but I tasted it. And it was crazy strong. And sometimes you can get fruit flavored too. But now I’m all off track. The point is, a stiff drink never hurt anybody and vodka is about as close as you’re gonna get to moonshine in these here parts. So, I give you a blueberry infused vodka lemonade drink that will cool you off and put some hair on your chest. Drink it any way you like, but the preferred method is from a mason jar while sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch and sweating through your blouse. A paper fan is optional, but time is not. You’ll need at least 12 hours for this southern comfort.

Ingredients: (makes 2 drinks)

vodka

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon sugar

lemonade

lemon slices for garnish

Directions: Put the fresh blueberries in the bottom of a mason jar.

Get some decent vodka. No Popov. (Sorry, Popov, my college days are long gone but you did serve me well and I’ll never forget you!)

Pour it over the berries, filling the mason jar.

Reminiscent of moonshine, no? No idea what I’m talking about? Course not…

Use a fork to mash up the berries in the bottom. Put on the lid and store in the fridge for at least 12 hours to allow the blueberries to infuse into the vodka.

The vodka will turn cloudy right away, and will become purplish the longer it infuses.

Once the 12 hours (or 24, or 36) are up, strain the vodka. Save those liquor-soaked berries for garnish! We don’t want perfectly good fruit going to waste.

In a small bowl, thaw out the frozen berries and mix with sugar. In a fresh mason jar (or serving glass of your choice), pour in the sugared berries (divided between two jars) and add a bunch of ice.

Pour in one part blueberry vodka and two parts lemonade. Give it a good stir. Add a few of the vodka-soaked blueberries and a slice of lemon for garnish.

Ahhh, that’ll do the trick!

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