Sundowners at Home: Blueberry Gin Royale

Anyone who has been on safari knows that the sundowner is not only a time honored tradition of bush life, but also an incredibly lovely way to end your day. After a wonderful day exploring the wilderness, you find a beautiful spot to silence the rumbling engine and let the golden light and gentle susurrations of the bush wash over you. It may be too hard to bring home a baby elephant, but you can certainly bring home the tradition of watching the sunset while sipping on a delicious cocktail.

For your first stateside sundowner, try this delightful recipe for a blueberry gin royale, courtesy of Singita Sasakwa Lodge. Sip, relax, and reminisce about life on safari:

Ingredients: (makes 4 cocktails)

• 1 cup blueberries + extra for garnish
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bottle sparkling wine
• ½ cup gin
• 4 long sprigs of thyme
• 1 cup of ice

Crafting the cocktail:

• Bring blueberries, water, and sugar to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and let simmer for ~10 minutes or until the berries are soft and the simple syrup is a lovely, bright pink color.
• Remove pan from the heat, strain out the blueberries, and allow syrup to cool.
• Combine ice and gin in cocktail shaker and vigorously shake until gin is cold.
• Divide the gin between four champagne flutes and add 1 tablespoon of blueberry syrup to each glass. Top off each one with sparkling wine, taking care to pour down the side of the glass.
• Garnish with fresh blueberries and a sprig of thyme

Serve immediately while daydreaming about these stunning views from Singita Sasakwa in Tanzania.

 

Recipe & photos courtesy of Singita Sasakwa Lodge