I was pretty pleased with myself earlier this week for presenting a red, white & blue side dish for the upcoming Independence Day festivities without using fruit in the dish. I’m happy to be able to stay with the tri-color idea for the cocktail we’ll be enjoying for our celebration, too.

There were three things about this recipe that drew me to it. First was its use of bourbon. The three men in my life (husband Eric, son Andrew and son-in-law Gilbert) all like bourbon. So do I. The second thing that intrigued me was black tea as an ingredient. I haven’t come across very many cocktail recipes that use tea, and certainly not in a cold cocktail like this. We always have a vast collection of tea in the house. Kelly is a consummate tea drinker. Andrew and Eric also drink it, but mainly during colder weather. The third thing was the name. Rosé, Bourbon, and Blue appealed to my punny literary side. The fact that the drink also fits into the color pattern for the holiday was a bonus!

Rosé, Bourbon, & Blue Cocktail

Rosé, Bourbon, and Blue Cocktail (adapted from bonappetit.com)  Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brewed unsweetened black tea, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups fruity rosé wine
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• fresh blueberries & lemon slices for garnish

Preparation:

Stir the sugar together with 7 tablespoons of hot water in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 1/2 cups blueberries to a tall cup and pour the sugar water over them.

Combine the blueberries with the dissolved sugar & blend.

Process them together using a wand blender or food processor.

A wand blender works well here.

Strain the blueberry mixture, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add the blueberry simple syrup to a large pitcher.

Strain the blueberry mixture.

Add the tea, rosé, bourbon, and lemon juice to the pitcher. Refrigerate the mixture until it is chilled, at least 2 hours.

Chill the cocktail for at least 2 hours.

To serve, fill old-fashioned glasses with ice. Divide the cocktail among the glasses. Garnish the cocktails with blueberries and lemon slices, then serve.

Garnish the drink with blueberries & lemon slices.

Three cheers for the Red, White, & Blue!  ~Linda

Rosé, Bourbon, and Blue (adapted from bonappetit.com)  Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brewed unsweetened black tea, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups fruity rosé wine
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• fresh blueberries & lemon slices for garnish

Preparation:

Stir the sugar together with 7 tablespoons of hot water in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 1/2 cups blueberries to a tall cup and pour the sugar water over them. Process them together using a wand blender or food processor. Strain the blueberry mixture, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add the blueberry simple syrup to a large pitcher. Add the tea, rosé, bourbon, and lemon juice to the pitcher. Refrigerate the mixture until it is chilled, at least 2 hours.

To serve, fill old-fashioned glasses with ice. Divide the cocktail among the glasses. Garnish the cocktails with blueberries and lemon slices, then serve.