Beat the Heat: Roasted Blueberry Basil Margarita {Recipe}

At the beginning of the summer, I had two goals in the drink department:

1) Make a fancy simple syrup
2) Make a fruit-based margarita

I knocked #1 out pretty quickly when I made a Rosemary Simple Syrup. We had some good times testing out different recipes using it. My favorite was the Rosemary Grapefruit Mimosa, while C was more partial to super-refreshing Rosemary Lynchburg Lemonade.

It's surprising how long #2 took to accomplish. Especially because I love margaritas and am always up for a challenge. But (and I blame this in part on Lynchburg Lemonade), I got on a really strong Bourbon kick at the start of summer, and all other spirits were left mostly ignored by me, including Tequila.

Until I saw this recipe on How Sweet It Is.

It was love at first look. I had to make them. And so I did.

***

It's times like these that I wish I was good at food photography. Because I was completely unable to capture how beautiful these really were. Rich in color, as well as in flavor. I had never roasted Blueberries before. Or put Basil in my margarita (or really in any drink that I can think of right now....) What I'm saying is: these pictures don't do this drink justice.

This thing was a home run, all the way.

Jessica, you are my current hero. I thank you, ma'am.

***

So first up, roasting blueberries. It's embarassingly easy. Just throw them on a pan, sprinkle with some salt & put in the oven at 350* for ~15 minutes. The aroma that'll instantly come out of your kitchen is indescribable. I'm thinking of roasting a bunch of different types of fruit just to see what smells best.

At the same time, make your simple syrup. 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Boil. And, oh yeah, add some basil in there too. I did about 5 BIG leaves. Honestly wish I would have done more. But boil until all the sugar is dissolved. I always boil it too long, but I like thick syrup.

With me so far? Good.

***

Storing over night // Ready to go in the morning

Now's the hard part: you have to wait for it to cool. I poured my (now)roasted blueberries into my (now)dissolved basil sugar water, and threw that in the fridge overnight as is. In the morning, I blended it together, then strained it.

The overnight refrigerating, and the straining, aren't necessary. They just seemed like the right thing to do. So I did it. And don't regret it one bit.

***

Once the syrup's ready, the fun begins!! Cointreau, Tequila, Lime Juice, salted-rim-type fun. I love every part of mixing a margarita. Everyone's tastes are different. (C likes more tequila, I like more Cointreau.) You just use the Roasted Blueberry Basil simple syrup instead of regular simple syrup (or Agave nectar, as I usually use.)

How Sweet It Is has a pretty rockin' margarita recipe. I'll just send you back over there to see it. Because, this is [after all] her recipe. I'm just your official taste tester ♥

***

Once the drink's mixed and poured, enjoy!

***
Enter to win one Etsy print
of your choice   Ends 8/17