You know I couldn’t go a whole summer enjoying homemade blueberry lemonade without turning it into a refreshing blueberry vodka lemonade cocktail, didn’t you?
When sweet blueberry syrup and fresh lemon juice come together with your favorite vodka, an iconic summertime drink is created (for 21+ readers; enjoy responsibly!).
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe uses my blueberry lemonade recipe as its base. Trust me when I say you want to make it from scratch for the best flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need for both the lemonade and cocktail. Be sure to see the full recipe card below.
- Blueberries: fresh or frozen strawberries will work to make the blueberry simple syrup. It’s a mix of sugar, water, and berries that turns into a deliciously sweet, colorful syrup that mixes into the lemon juice for lemonade.
- Fresh Lemons: please, please do not use bottled lemon juice for lemonade. You will have the best flavor when you use real lemons. Bottled varieties can often taste extra bitter and”off”.
- Vodka: for this version, we’re using regular vodka. If I have liquor in the cabinet, I like to make sure it’s multipurpose, hence the plain stuff. If you’d like to use blueberry or another lemonade-flavored vodka, go ahead!
What is the best vodka to use?
I’m a middle-of-the-road kind of gal when it comes to liquor for mixed drinks. Nothing too harsh…which usually comes with extremely cheap versions. And I’d rather stay on a budget than splurge.
I find the Svedka vodka is a good budget-friendly vodka that works well in mixed drinks. Absolut is another common vodka used in drinks.
Prairie Organic Vodka (yay, Minnesota!) is an excellent option for something a little higher quality yet still decently priced. Tito’s is common, too. It’s also worth mentioning that we just tried Akva vodka, a Swedish vodka that’s organic; it was very good!
Let’s Make Blueberry Vodka Lemonade!
It all starts with making simple syrup. It’s super easy to do!
Make the Syrup
Combine blueberries, water, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for about 5-7 minutes, smashing the berries. Then, strain using a fine mesh sieve.
Read more about making blueberry syrup.
Juice Lemons & Make Lemonade
While the syrup is simmering, start juicing those fresh lemons! It goes pretty quickly if you have a citrus juicer, and again, I promise you it’s totally worth it.
Let the syrup cool, at least slightly, then combine it with the freshly squeezed lemon juice and water.
Voila, there’s your blueberry lemonade. Now it’s time to make it into a cocktail!
One Cocktail or a Pitcher
There are two ways to go about doing so: single glasses, or a pitcher. Single cocktails are great if you want to keep blueberry lemonade in your fridge and enjoy an adult beverage – or not – at a moment’s notice.
Make a Single Cocktail
To make a single cocktail, or just a few at a time in individual glasses, begin by adding ice to a lowball glass.
I like to use crushed ice because the ratio is fairly strong, so it helps dilute the drink but feel free to use any kind of ice.
Then, add the vodka to the glass with ice, and top off with blueberry lemonade.
You can find the exact ratios below in the recipe card, but the beauty of this easy drink is that you can easily customize it with more or less vodka and lemonade.
Pitcher for a Crowd
If you’re hosting a party or summertime BBQ, you can easily make a pitcher of vodka lemonade for guests to enjoy. All you’ll need to do is add vodka to the pitcher of lemonade after it’s mixed together.
2-Quart Glass Pitcher with Lid
This glass pitcher is sleek and modern. It’s perfect for storing beverages in the fridge with its steel lid with two pour-spout options.
I recommend chilling it in the fridge until it’s time to serve, then adding ice to individual glasses as opposed to the entire pitcher to prevent it from becoming watered down.
If you plan on serving it immediately, go ahead and fill the pitcher with ice to make sure its nice and chilled.
Drink Variations
- Add Lavender– use blueberry lavender syrup for a floral twist
- Add freshly smashed blueberries or…
- Blend with frozen blueberries for a frozen vodka drink
- Give it a try with raspberry syrup
- Use a flavored vodka instead of regular
- Make it punchy with club soda or lemon-lime soda!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe Blueberry Lemonade Vodka (Individual or Pitcher)
Ingredients
Blueberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemonade
- 2 cups fresh lemon juice, approximately 4 pounds, or 10 lemons
- 3 cups cold water, more to taste
- 1 ½ cups blueberry syrup, recipe included
- 3 -3 ¼ cup vodka, or 1.5 – 2 ounces per cocktail
- Ice
Instructions
Blueberry Simple Syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and blueberries. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, smashing the berries as they soften.1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Remove from heat and strain out the berries through a fine-mesh sieve, being careful to not press the berries through but rather let the syrup strain out on its own. Discard the berry remnants.
Lemonade
- Meanwhile, juice the lemons until you've reached 2 cups. Transfer the juice to a large pitcher and stir in the blueberry syrup. Add water and taste test; add more water if needed, depending on your desired tartness level. Once added, the ice will melt and further dilute the lemonade.2 cups fresh lemon juice, 3 cups cold water, 1 ½ cups blueberry syrup
- If you're planning on making single-serving cocktails, store the lemonade in the fridge without ice and enjoy it within 4 days.
- Individual Cocktails: Fill lowball glass(es) with ice and pour 1 1/2 – 2 ounces of vodka into each glass. Then, top each glass with 4 ounces of blueberry lemonade, stirring to combine. Garnish as desired.
- Pitcher for a Crowd: add 3 – 3 ¼ cups vodka to the pitcher of prepared blueberry lemonade. If serving immediately, add ice to the pitcher. If serving later, store the lemonade in the fridge without the ice. Then add ice to individual glasses and/or the pitcher before serving.
Notes
- 1 lemonade cocktail = 4 ounces lemonade and 2 ounces vodka. Reduce vodka for a less-strong drink.
- Syrup: this recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of syrup.
- Serving Size will depend on how much water you add. With the recommended 3 cups of water, you will have about 6 1/2 cups of lemonade, serving anywhere from 8-10 people.
- Too Tart: add more water or additional sugar/simple syrup.
- Too Sweet: add more lemon juice.
