Blueberry Martinis

What a lovely way to get in a serving of fruit for the day. And remember, blueberries have lots of antioxidents. These are delish, but they pack a punch. Don't drink too quickly

I collect art deco. One of the pieces I have is the penquin cocktail shaker. Recently I found these penguin topped cocktail picks. They go great with the shaker and I did use it tonight to shake the martinis.



Mike walked in just as I was getting ready to pour and was happy to try one of these in place of a glass of red wine. His and hers.

Blueberry Martinis (Adapted from a recipe for Blackberry Martinis from The Berry Bible, by Janie Hibler) 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 2 cups blueberries 1/4 cup fruit brandy 4 lemon wedges sugar 1 cup gin 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. To make simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside until cooled. In a blender or food processor, purée the berries, brandy and remaining tablespoon sugar until smooth. Prepare four martini glasses: rub the rims with lemon wedges, then dip in sugar on a plate and twirl the glasses in it. Place them in the freezer. Fill a martini shaker with ice, then add the gin, Grand Marnier and lemon juice. Add 2 Tbsp of the cooled simple syrup and 1/4 cup of the berry purée. Shake robustly for 10 seconds and strain into the glasses. Serve immediately but sip slowly. Yield: 4 martinis. Note: Second time I made these I froze some fresh blueberries to add to glass to help keep the drink cook without diluting it.