Very Berry Blueberry Gin and Tonic

This Blueberry Gin and Tonic is the perfect summer beverage for gin lovers looking for a cold, slightly sweet cocktail for a hot day. This is your drink.

The blueberry and gin cocktail is made with gin, blueberry simple syrup, and lime juice, shaken together and poured over crushed ice. Top it with tonic water, and you’re done.

two deep pink blueberry gin and tonics surrounded by fresh blueberries.
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Highball cocktails

The gin and tonic is a classic members of the family of highball cocktails like the Aperol and soda, Elderflower Collins, Blue Mojito. These cocktails are often made with a base spirit and some form of carbonated water and served over ice in a highball or Collins glass. That makes the whole family full of refreshing options for summer sipping.

The classic gin and tonic is made with just gin, tonic water, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Using simple syrup allows you to make your gin highball any flavor you like.

Ingredients

About tonic water

Many people get confused by the differences between tonic water vs. club soda. You definitely want tonic water for this cocktail.

While tonic water and club soda are both carbonated, tonic water has added quinine and sugar. That gives tonic some flavor in addition to the bubbles, so they aren’t interchangeable. You can find reduced-calorie tonic waters that are made with sugar substitutes.

Tip from the wise quacker: tonic water was created as a way to deliver quinine as an anti-malarial in the 1800s, although it’s no longer in high quantities. So you can’t use modern tonic water as an anti-malarial unless you drink a lot of it.

Even then, most of the malaria around the world is resistant to quinine, so it probably wouldn’t work anyway.

Variations and substitutions

  • Use vodka in place of gin for a blueberry vodka tonic.
  • A blackberry syrup would work here too. You might want to use a fine mesh strainer to catch all of those seeds.
  • Make a lavender blueberry gin and tonic by adding a tablespoon of culinary lavender blossoms to the blueberry simple syrup as it cools.

Tips and tricks

Blueberry simple syrup

Making this blueberry simple syrup is, well, simple. Combine the sugar, water, and blueberries in a small pot and heat on low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the blueberries have started to pop. Let cool, mash the blueberries, and strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Making the cocktail

You can make many highball cocktails right in the glass. There’s no need to shake your cocktail ingredients because it will quickly get chilled and diluted from the melting crushed ice.

To make the cocktail, fill a highball glass about halfway up with ice, and add your gin, blueberry simple syrup, and fresh squeezed lime juice. Top with more ice and tonic water and enjoy!

a lavender and blueberry gin and tonic on a railing overlooking a back yard.

 

Cocktail FAQs

What is the best gin for this cocktail?

The best gin is the one you have. We often use Tanqueray for gin and tonics in our house. You could also make a variation of this recipe with blueberry gin or infuse your own gin with blueberries.

How long can I store simple syrups?

You can store simple syrups in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

What else can I do with blueberries?

Use them to make blueberry mini pies. Top a rainbow fruit tart or rainbow salad. Or you can just eat them by the handful like I do!

If you love this blueberry gin and tonic, check out other uglyducklingbakery cocktail archives for other summer cocktails like:

Love cocktails and want to explore more? Read all about classic cocktails and bartender basics or join this year’s 52 weeks of cocktails challenge!

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

Blueberry Gin and Tonic

5 from 1 vote
Category: Drinks
Cuisine: Unspecified
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 174kcal
This blueberry gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin, blueberry simple syrup, lime juice, and tonic water. It's the perfect summer drink.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Cocktail shaker

Ingredients

Blueberry simple syrup

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Blueberry gin and tonic

  • 2 ounce gin
  • 1 ounce blueberry simple syrup
  • ½ ounce lime juice
  • 4 ounces tonic water

Instructions

Blueberry simple syrup

  • Combine the sugar, water, and blueberries in a small pot and heat on low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the blueberries are starting to burst, turn off the heat and let the blueberry syrup steep for 30 minutes.
    ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup water, ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • Mash the blueberries and filter the syrup into a small container using a fine mesh strainer.
  • Cool and store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

Blueberry gin and tonic

  • Fill a highball glass about halfway up with ice, and add the gin, blueberry simple syrup, and lime juice.
    2 ounce gin, 1 ounce blueberry simple syrup, ½ ounce lime juice
  • Top with more ice and 4 ounces tonic water or more to taste.
    4 ounces tonic water

Notes

This blueberry gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin, blueberry simple syrup, lime juice, and tonic water.
Don’t confuse soda or seltzer with tonic water. You want tonic water for this cocktail.

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 21g | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Love this recipe?Mention @Uglyducklingbakery or tag #uglyducklingbakery!

Note: This blueberry gin cocktail was first published using lavender simple syrup, muddled blueberries, gin, and tonic water on April 21, 2021. It was last updated on April 28, 2023.

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