Blueberry tincture on vodka at home – a universal recipe

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• 1-1,5 of ripe blueberries (fresh and frozen, by volume)
• 2 of vodka/alcohol/moonshine/gin/tequila (40-50%)

Additional ingredients to choose from

• 1-2 lemon or orange (only zest per 750 ml of any base)
• 1 vanilla pod (for 750 ml of any base)
• 1 medium cinnamon stick (for 750 ml of any base)
• 2-3 bay leaves (for 750 ml of vodka or gin)
• 1 h. l. black peppercorns (for 750 ml of vodka)
• 5 twigs of basil (for 1 liter of vodka or gin)
• 3-4 sprigs of mint (for 1 liter of vodka or tequila)
• cloves and other spices (taste)

• If blueberries are fresh, rinse and dry; if frozen, thaw and drain. Place the prepared berry in a jar of a suitable volume and lightly crush with a pestle or wooden spoon to release the juice.

• Add any of the additives of your choice to the jar. Some of them combine well, for example: lemon zest and vanilla, zest and cinnamon, vanilla and other spices. But for starters, we recommend using only one of them.

• Pour everything with vodka, alcohol, high-quality distillate or gin. A good rule of thumb is to use two parts of the alcohol base for one volume part of the berry. Proven combinations: a half-liter jar of berries and 0,75-1 liter of vodka. Make sure the alcohol covers the berries completely.

• Close the jar tightly and leave in a dark, cool place for at least 2 weeks, but no more than 4 weeks. Periodically shake the contents of the jar.

• After the expiration date, strain the blueberry tincture through a sieve or several layers of gauze, filter through a coffee or cotton filter and pour into a clean bottle. You can start tasting after 2-3 weeks of aging.

• It is advisable to store the tincture in the refrigerator or in a cool dark place. You need to drink it within 1 year – such a tincture is not intended for long-term aging and loses its taste over time.

1. For additional ingredients:

• It is desirable to grind black peppercorns in a mortar or in a spice mill. After 4-5 days, start tasting the tincture and start filtering when you feel that the peppery spiciness is enough. For a berry, 4-5 days is not enough, so first we insist blueberries for 1-1,5 weeks and only then add pepper.
• Before adding, the vanilla pod must be cut lengthwise and pulled out after 3-4 days of infusion.
• It is advisable to remove the bay leaf after 2 weeks of infusion, not later. Even better, start tasting the tincture after 2-3 days and remove the leaves before the supposed disaster.
• Basil “works” quickly, so it should be added after 1-2 weeks of infusion of the berry and start trying the tincture 24 hours after adding the greens – when the taste suits you, then you can filter. The basil can be lightly crushed with a pestle or roughly torn with your hands before adding. The same should be done with mint.

2. To extract more juice and improve the extraction, the berries can be stewed on fire: pour the washed and dried blueberries into a small saucepan, then put on medium heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until the berry gives a decent amount of juice. Heat treatment of the berry also speeds up the entire technical process and the tincture can be drained after a week.
3. Do not rush to throw away the spent berry – it will be an excellent ingredient for baking, for example, for muffins. It can also be frozen in ice cube trays with water, juice, lemonade, etc. for flavoring other drinks.

4. For a beautiful blueberry purple tincture, add 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice – with a decrease in acidity, blueberry dyes change color to blue.
5. To soften the taste, the tincture can be sweetened. Start with 1 tbsp. l. for 0,75 l of tincture, then to taste. It is even better to sweeten the tincture with blueberry syrup: mix a quarter cup of water, a quarter cup of sugar and half a cup of blueberries in a saucepan, bring to a boil, boil over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, strain, squeeze, cool and use at your discretion. This amount of syrup is designed for 1 liter of tincture, make more to taste. Blueberry syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.