“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” – New England Proverb
Introducing Blueberry Fizz! A fermented offering made from blueberry pomace left over from our Art in the Age Black Trumpet Blueberry Cordial. We combined plump, alcohol-rich berries with fresh-pressed New Hampshire apple juice, and unaged apple brandy for a fizzy drink that’s both tart and brightly fruity.
We’ve always been committed to using local, sustainable ingredients that are central to Tamworth, New Hampshire. We’ve created gins, whiskey, vodka, cordials, and other fine spirits tailored to this mantra. However, our experiments sometimes result in products that don’t quite fit into any existing categories. When creating Blueberry Fizz, we drew on techniques from several schools of alcohol — distilled spirits, beer, wine, and cider — to create a completely unique approach to the “ready to drink” cocktail.
After making AITA Black Trumpet Blueberry, our distillers were left with a batch of low bush blueberries plumped up with neutral grain spirit from the infusion process. When making the cordial, the blueberries were left whole in order to manage oxygen content, which would destroy the cordial’s flavor over time. However, oxygen is crucial for yeast health and procreation. So, by pressing and re-fermenting the now aerated berries, conditions are perfect for fermentation with champagne yeast (which works well with the high alcohol, acidity, and fruit sugar base). In addition to creating some delicious alcohol out of what otherwise would’ve been waste, the fermentation process also chews up the unwanted oxygen, creating a more stable end product.
This re-fermented blend of blueberries and cider is then back-sweetened and fortified with some additional blueberry infusion that spent time aging in used rye whiskey barrels. The barreled infusion has some sweetness that balances the dry tannins of the pressed, fermented blueberries. Finally, another layer of flavor is added with a touch of Tamworth’s pot still apple brandy.
In the end, Blueberry Fizz is a unique fusion of the beer, wine, and spirits worlds — both warm and brightly fruity, honoring the apples and berries that made it. The nose begins with warm, barrel, and round berry notes before moving to baked apple and rich wine, finishing on fresh and floral brandy notes. The palate has a pronounced winey quality – a rich balance of semi-sweetness and blueberry tannins with spritzes of voluminous red berry and oak vanillins carried aloft by the liquid’s bubbles. The finish is long and lasting.
At 16.76% ABV, bottled in a sleek 750 mL champagne-style bottle, the Blueberry Fizz is a refreshing sipper that can easily fill in for white wines, brut, or spritzers. Served chilled, this carbonated hybrid can be enjoyed on its own or serve as the base for a variety of mixers.