Did you know it's National Blueberry Month here in the US (and in August for my Canadian friends)? So here's a simple blueberry cocktail when you want something refreshing right now:
A handful of blueberries
One meyer lemon (I'm so lucky, I got these lemons from my friend Stuart's backyard, picked them myself). If you don't have a friend with a meyer lemon tree, a regular lemon from the supermarket is fine.
Some sprigs of mint
Gin
Simple syrup (1 cup of water boiled with 1 cup of sugar; I usually just keep this stocked in my fridge)
Soda water/tonic
Just muddle together the blueberries, lemon and mint together. Add a tablespoon or two of simple syrup and a shot (or 2 of gin). Top off with soda water. It's so easy I can't really call this a recipe.
For a non-alcoholic version I made simple syrup with a tablespoon of vanilla (add it after you take the syrup off the stove), and used that for a blueberry lemonade. The inspiration was Chef Ryan's cake (above) which he calls the Blueberry Boy Bait Cake.
Hope July has been treating you well and have a great weekend!
{edit: And if you're interested in some of the health benefits of blueberries, read this great piece from the Cooking Detective!}