Canadian Wild Blueberry and Maple Smash with Rye Whisky and Garden Mint

Chill two rocks glasses in the freezer for at least 10 minutes — a genuinely cold glass keeps crushed ice from collapsing into slush within the first minute.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh wild blueberries, plus a few extra for garnish
• 10 fresh mint leaves, plus 2 sprigs for garnish
• 3 ounces Canadian rye whisky
• 1 ounce pure dark amber maple syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce cold water
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• Crushed ice, to fill
• 1 wide strip of lemon peel

Instructions

1. Chill two rocks glasses in the freezer for at least 10 minutes — a genuinely cold glass keeps crushed ice from collapsing into slush within the first minute.
2. Drop the blueberries into a cocktail shaker and muddle them firmly until every berry has burst and released its juice, but stop before the skins are pulverized into bitterness.
3. Add the mint leaves and press them gently against the side of the shaker just two or three times. Mint releases its oils readily and turns grassy and acrid if you grind it.
4. Pour in the rye whisky, maple syrup, lemon juice, cold water and bitters.
5. Fill the shaker with regular ice cubes and shake hard for 12 seconds — long enough to chill and integrate, short enough that the drink does not over-dilute before it meets the crushed ice.
6. Double-strain through a fine mesh sieve into the chilled glasses to catch the berry skins and bruised mint, leaving a clean, deep purple liquid.
7. Pack each glass to the rim with crushed ice and stir briefly with a bar spoon until frost forms on the outside of the glass.
8. Twist the lemon peel over the surface to express its oils, then discard it, and crown each drink with a mint sprig and a few whole blueberries.
9. Serve with a short straw so the drink is sipped from the bottom, where the berry and maple concentrate as the ice melts.
10. Late August is wild blueberry season across Quebec, the Maritimes and northern Ontario, where the low-bush berries are smaller, darker and dramatically more intense than the cultivated high-bush kind. Pairing them with rye whisky is a natural fit — Canadian rye carries a peppery, slightly spicy backbone that stands up to sweet fruit rather than disappearing under it, and dark amber maple syrup contributes a mineral, almost smoky depth that plain simple syrup cannot. The smash is one of the oldest cocktail formats there is, essentially a julep with fruit added, and its virtue is that it flatters whatever is ripe at the moment. Come autumn, the same build works with wild plums or late raspberries.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 220 kcal
• Protein: 1g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 23g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 20g
• Sodium: 5mg