Grilled Lemon Blueberry Smash

For the cocktail:

• 2 lemons
• 2 oz simple syrup (recipe below)
• 10 basil leaves, plus additional for garnish
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 3 oz gin
• ice
• 6 oz sparkling wine

To make simple syrup: (makes approximately 1 cup):

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

For the cocktail:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high.
2. Cut lemons in half and grill for 3-4 minutes, or until you see golden brown grill marks on the lemons.
3. Combine 2 oz simple syrup, basil leaves, blueberries and 3-4 oz of the grilled lemon juice in a cocktail shaker depending on how tart you like your cocktails (you may have a leftover half lemon). Muddle. Add gin and ice and stir vigorously until mixture is cold.
4. Strain into cocktail glasses. Top each with 3 oz of sparkling wine and garnish with basil. Enjoy!

For the simple syrup:

1. Combine equal amounts of water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves completely. Cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to use (will keep up to a month in the fridge).

eisforeat.com