![King of Blue Cocktail Recipe](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.foodandwine.com/thmb/DLjtzOx16wedHwsJfpzkOmpMGpM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/King-of-Blue-Cocktail-FT-RECIPE0523-a75680354c27438b90720db98a8febfe.jpg)
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
I’ll happily admit that when I come across a cocktail with more than four ingredients, my willingness to actually make it at home diminishes by at least 25%. Add in a syrup, tincture, or some kind of solution, and that percentage rises rather quickly. In the case of the Kind of Blue cocktail from New York City’s Al Coro, where you can taste six courses of pasta for $125 and settle into some of the most welcoming velvet banquettes in the city, you’ll need to make both a blueberry syrup and a saline solution, but the resulting cocktail is special enough that the extra labor is worth it — I promise.
Many of the ingredients in this cocktail can be used in other drinks, so it’s worth adding them to your bar. Fino sherry adds dry and salty notes to cocktails including this brightly colored cobbler; Cappelletti, on the other hand, is a wonderful next step for the Campari fan in your life who wants to make a point of drinking more spritzes this summer. As for the amaro, you can simply enjoy a pour served over ice as a digestif, or make any of these warming amaro cocktails. The addition of balsamic vinegar adds a tangy, savory touch (especially when coupled with fino sherry) along with the subtle tartness of blueberry syrup.
Assembling this cocktail is fairly straightforward, and calls for a whip shake, which means adding one or two pieces of ice to the cocktail shaker, and shaking until they are fully diluted with the other ingredients. As for the concord grape syrup, we’d suggest drizzling a little on top of vanilla ice cream, or mixing it with seltzer for a sweet, rich riff on a shrub. –– Oset Babür-Winter
Ingredients
Blueberry syrup
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1 cup water
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1 1/3 cups sugar
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17 1/2 ounces frozen blueberries
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1 teaspoon citric acid
Saline solution
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1/4 cup kosher salt
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2 cups water
King of Blue cocktail
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1/2 ounce blueberry syrup
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3 dashes saline solution
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1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
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1/2 ounce lemon juice
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1/2 ounce Cappelletti Vino Amaro Pasubio
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3/4 ounce Cappelletti Vino Aperitivo Rosso
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1/2 ounce gin (such as Bombay Sapphire)
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1 1/2 ounces fino sherry (such as Lustau)
Directions
Make blueberry syrup
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Blend blueberries and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. Strain blueberry juice through a mesh strainer. Add sugar and citric acid. Stir to dissolve.
Make saline solution
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Mix salt into water until completely incorporated. Bottle and store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Make King of Blue cocktail
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Combine 2 ice cubes, blueberry syrup, saline solution, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Cappelletti Vino Amaro Pasubio, Cappelletti Vino Aperitivo Rosso, gin, and fino sherry in a cocktail shaker.
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Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint sprig.