Whiskey Blues Cocktail (Blueberry Old Fashioned)

Looking for a new inventive way to drink your whiskey? This Blueberry Old Fashioned (or what I like to call Whiskey Blues Cocktail) highlights your favorite whiskey with complimentary blueberry and bitters. A match made in heaven!

I’ve been known to love an easy twist on an Old Fashioned (see this Aperol Old Fashioned next!), and this simple 3 ingredient recipe takes the classic and elevates it with the sweet aroma and bright hue of blueberry!

I’ll teach you how to make homemade blueberry simple syrup from fresh blueberries to have on hand and make this whenever you want, but you can also easily buy blueberry syrup for an even more effortless drink (this readymade blueberry simple syrup is great!).

Because as a mom balancing work, family life, and a love of great food (and drinks!), I will never turn my nose up at a shortcut! Plus, this blue whiskey cocktail takes just a few minutes and can be mixed right in the glass.

Whiskey Blues Cocktail Ingredients

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Here’s everything you need:

• Whiskey. Use your favorite! Typically, an Old Fashioned is made with bourbon or rye whiskey, but this blueberry cocktail with whiskey is so versatile and tastes great with anything from Maker’s Mark to Jameson.
• Bitters. I usually use aromatic bitters but any variety of fruit bitter works here, too.
• Blueberry Simple Syrup. You can buy it, or, if you want to make a homemade batch to have on hand (it lasts for about a month in an airtight container in the fridge), I’ll give you all the details on that, too!

If you’re making the blueberry syrup from scratch, here’s what you’ll need:

• Fresh blueberries.
• Granulated sugar. Or coconut sugar.
• Water.

How to Make Blueberry Simple Syrup from Scratch

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Boil Everything Together

The “blues” in this Whiskey Blues cocktail comes from an easy, homemade Blueberry Simple Syrup that you’ll whip up first.

Pro tip: Simple syrup is used in cocktails so that your sugar can distribute easily and evenly into your drink. Heating the sugar with water dissolves it, essentially transforming it into liquid.

I typically use a 1 to 1 ratio of water to sugar for simple syrups, but because we are infusing some sweet blueberries into this, we can cut the amount of sugar in half. You can also opt to use coconut sugar in this recipe if you please.

To get a perfect Blueberry Simple Syrup, bring the ingredients to a rolling boil, stir it a couple of times, and then bring it back down to a simmer.

Most simple syrups are ready in minutes, as soon as the sugar is dissolved, but we want to make sure we are getting the most out of the berries here. Let it simmer for ten minutes before removing from heat to cool completely.

The berries will burst, and you will have a vibrant simple syrup. This recipe makes enough simple syrup for up to 4 cocktails. Make it ahead of time to save time when you’re ready for Happy Hour!

You can half the recipe if you don’t want too much leftover.

Strain the Syrup

After ten minutes, strain the blueberry simple syrup through a sieve to separate out the chunks of blueberries.

I usually strain it directly into a jar fit with a lid, so I can just seal it and place it in the fridge. It’s great to make ahead because it’s best to allow it to cool completely before adding it to your cocktail so that it doesn’t melt the ice and dilute it.

Consider Whiskey Rocks or Ice

If you’re not using frozen blueberries in lieu of ice, I highly recommend whiskey rocks or cocktail ice molds.

This is more of a sipping drink as it’s very whiskey-forward, so it’s best if the ice melts slowly. The bigger the ice, the slower it will melt, and the less watered down your drink will get.

Mix Everything Together

If you’re anything like me, you have sipping whiskeys and mixing whiskeys. There are only a few that I will gladly enjoy over ice. Since this cocktail is made up of a majority whiskey, you may want to use a nice one here.

I usually use bourbon. My go-to is Maker’s Mark.

As for the bitters, some are spicier, while some rely heavily on fruity and sweet notes. I always have aromatic bitters on hand, so that’s what I typically use here, but any fruit bitters work as well.

Pour the whiskey, blueberry simple syrup, and bitters into your lowball glass with whiskey ice and stir. I like to garnish my blueberry whiskery cocktail with some fresh blueberries! The added aroma really brings out those fruity notes in your drink.

Making A Bigger Batch

If you’re mixing up more than one of these, I would recommend using a mixing glass.

Add ice to your mixing glass. Then, add the appropriate amount of whiskey, blueberry simple syrup, and bitters. Then mix before straining into separate glasses.