Blueberry sparkling water, three ways
The unsweetened infusion, the syrup, and the ratio that makes the finished drink.
In season: July and August fresh. Frozen blueberries infuse better than fresh ones because freezing ruptures the skins for you.
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Infused, unsweetened
Use
1 cup blueberries per 1 litre of water
Method
Blueberry skin is a sealed jacket and whole berries give you nothing at all. Press each one between finger and thumb until it splits, or use frozen berries thawed, which split themselves. Cover with cold still water, refrigerate.
Time
8 hours once they are split. Whole uncrushed berries will still be tasting of nothing at 24 hours.
Sparkling
Still water for the infusion, sparkling to finish.
Keeps
2 days refrigerated, fruit out at 12 hours
The syrup
Ratio
2 cups blueberries : 1 cup sugar : 1 cup water
Method
Simmer 12 minutes until the berries pop and the liquid runs deep purple, steep 20 minutes off the heat, strain without pressing.
Keeps
2 weeks refrigerated, 6 months frozen
Note
Blueberry syrup tastes vague on its own. A 2-inch strip of lemon peel dropped in the pan for the 20 minute steep gives it an edge to hang on.
The finished soda
1 part syrup to 4 parts sparkling water, over ice
Blueberry is low in acid and reads as sweet purple with nothing behind it. A full half lemon per glass.
The shrub version
2 cups blueberries and 1 cup sugar, covered in the fridge 3 days because the skins are slow, strain, stir in 1 cup cider vinegar, rest 1 week.
What doesn't work: Dropping whole blueberries into a pitcher and waiting. The skin is waxy and intact and cold water cannot cross it. Every berry has to be split first, which takes about two minutes for a cup.
Goes with: LemonLavenderThymeGinger