Benito vs. the Cocktail: Blueberry Orange Smash

Summer's always a great time for cocktails, but take advantage of seasonal ingredients that are fresh and delicious rather than premade mixes. A smash isn't a clearly defined cocktail category, but generally it builds on the Mint Julep structure: herbs, spirits, sugar muddled together and strained. Mint is probably the most popular cocktail herb, but other smashes can be made with basil, thyme, sage, etc. Here's a little something I whipped up. You might wonder where the sugar is--the blueberries were nice and ripe and the Triple Sec has a lot of sugar in it, so there was no need for additional sweetness.

Benito's Blueberry Orange Smash
½ Cup Fresh Blueberries
5 Mint Leaves
2 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec/Orange Liqueur
½ oz. Lime Juice
Twist of Orange Peel

Put the blueberries and mint in the cocktail shaker and muddle the hell out of it. The longer you muddle, the darker the resulting beverage will be. (Just like with grapes, blueberry juice is yellowish, and all the color comes from pressing the skin.) Add the vodka, liqueur, lime, ice, and shake and strain. You can pass this through a filter if you want a more elegant presentation, but I like all the little bits of fruit and herb. It's a reminder that you used fresh ingredients.

My garnish of blueberries on a toothpick with a helix of orange peel is optional, but easy and fun.