Thursday, July 6, 2017

Butterfly Pea Blue Bitter Spritz


When I first read about Butterfly Pea Tea and its amazing color-changing properties, I knew it was just a matter of time before I had an idea for it.  Today is that day. 

I recently received a bottle of Luxardo Bitter Bianco, a clear, bitter liquor that omits the crimson color that we all know and love.  Its slightly ivory hue opens up a world of possibilities in the cocktail department, one that gets me extremely excited.  But what to make?  Seeing that it's Summer, a Spritz came to mind, but not just any Spritz however, a Blue Spritz!



I knew these were going to be a hit, so I simply placed the whole flowers into the bottle of Bitter Bianco, and let it sit for about an hour.  It quickly changed from white, to pale blue, to dark blue.  (It's a really pretty blue, too.) 



I filtered out the flowers using a sieve and a bowl, and poured the blue bitter liqueur back into the bottle.  Amazingly, the new color matched the logo perfectly.  Kismet.


If you don't know, part of the magic of the Butterfly Pea Tea is that it changes color when acid is added to it, thereby changing the pH balance.  Fortunately, I like spritzes with a big squeeze of lemon juice (because I'm a rebel like that), resulting in purple-hued spritzes. 




Perhaps what I love the most about this drink is that you can easily create a rainbow of drinks depending on how much bitter you add and how much acid you add.  If you like your Spritzes with the traditional 3:2:1 ratio, that works perfectly too. 


The tea added a slight floral note to the spirit - but I have found that Luxardo products have a lot of flavor happening in them already.  The fruity flavors of rhubarb and gentian are extremely evident, as is the dried orange peel, with a slight raspberry flavor.  The floral note of the tea adds a bit more complexity, which is wonderful for summer sipping. 


I hope you guys have fun with this variation on a classic, I know I sure did. 

Butterfly Pea Blue Spritz
Modified by Gastronomista

3 oz Prosecco
2 oz Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1 oz Soda Water

Garnished with an Orange Slice



Butterfly Pea Purple Spritz
Modified by Gastronomista

3 oz Prosecco
2 oz Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1 oz Soda Water
1/4 Lemon Wedge Squeezed

Garnish with a fresh flower and a lemon wedge.


Butterfly Pea Tea Infused Luxardo Bitter Bianco

1 Bottle of Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1/4 Cup Dried Whole Flower Butterfly Pea Tea

Add flowers to open bottle and infuse for 1 hour.  Strain tea through a sieve, and pour back into the bottle.  Shelf life: TBD.


Enjoy!


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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Anchor Distilling. All opinions are 100% mine.
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