Blueberry Tea Cocktail From Eric Bemis

Author Notes

There aren't many blueberry drinks out there in classic bartender guides. One notable exception is blueberry tea, which actually contains no blueberry or blueberry-flavored ingredients. It's one of those sleight of hand bartender concoctions that relies on the alchemy of several ingredients to morph into something seemingly completely different. Granted, a classic blueberry tea only kind-of tastes like blueberries.

While brainstorming cocktails for this project, the old phrase, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight" came to mind. Paying homage to the original recipe and adding real juice, the layers of blueberry flavor are amazing. Serving it in a snifter concentrates all of the aromas in your nose holes. This is a great winter warmer. —Bow Hill Blueberries

Test Kitchen Notes

When a cocktail employs just a handful of ingredients, it’s important that each one is of the highest quality possible. If you can get your hands on blueberry juice, especially Bow Hill Organic Heirloom Blueberry Juice, you’re in for a real treat. It’s made from a combination of cold-pressed Rubel and Jersey blueberries, which were harvested from bushes planted in 1947. Bow Hill is on the menu at James Beard Award-winning restaurants and has received two Good Food Awards.

Accolades aside, we really do love this juice, so we stock up whenever we can. The good news is that so long as it’s unopened, it’s shelf stable for up to one year. While it can and should be enjoyed on its own, we also love mixing it into cocktails. This recipe comes from mixologist Eric Bemis, who combined the juice with orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier), amaretto liqueur (such as Disaronno), and Earl Grey tea. It’s stirred, not shaken, in a snifter glass.

These IVV Italian Retro Goblets from the Food52 shop would look so good with the blueberry hued-drink and orange peel garnish.

The same rule applies to the liqueurs and tea in this recipe, as well. Use high-quality loose-leaf tea from a reputable brand—we love Palais des Thés. Their Earl Grey–style black tea is sprinkled with safflower petals, and has an intense bergamot flavor that will hold its own against everything else going on here.

Why an orange peel for a garnish? The complementary color is a vibrant pop against the deep blue drink. —Food52