Last year for my birthday my good friend Angie gave me a cocktail “cookbook” called Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits. She knows me so well. I love a good cocktail. You know, antioxidants and resveratrol and all.  I had a lot of free time today with my 10 year old being in camp and so I decided to try my hand at the Blueberry Balsamic Liqueur.  What I love about making my own is that I know exactly what’s going in there.  Did you know that liquors aren’t required to have labels with their ingredients or any nutritional information?  They can put whatever they want in there and you wouldn’t know.  So, sometimes it’s nice to make your own.  I have more blueberries than I can handle right now (see my previous post about my kiddo going on a produce strike) so the Blueberry Liqueur seemed like a great choice.  The following recipe is inspired from the original in the book.  You take the blueberries, muddle them with the simple syrup, and then add in the vodka, wine and balsamic.  Put the lid on it, store it in a cool dark cabinet for a week, and when you take it back out, strain the mixture with a mesh strainer into a clean container. Seal it up, store in a cool dark cabinet, and use within 1 year (if it lasts that long).
Ingredients:

• 2 pints fresh blueberries OR 1.5 lbs. frozen blueberries, thawed
•  2 cups simple syrup (2 cups sugar stirred together with 2 cups water in a sauce pan over medium high heat, brought to a boil and then let to cool)
• 2 1/4 cups vodka (I absolutely love Prairie Organic Vodka made right here in Minnesota)
• 1 cup fruity red wine like Merlot or Cabernet
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

CHEERS!