Make Your Own Acai & Blueberry Infused Vodka

For an acai and blueberry vodka drink, start by steeping fresh blueberries in plain vodka, then add unsweetened acai puree when you’re ready to serve. This gives the blueberries time to infuse while keeping the acai separate until you need it. The finished drink will have some fruit pulp rather than the clarity of a commercial flavored vodka.

Allow about 5–7 days for the blueberry infusion. You’ll need a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, a fine-mesh strainer, and a clean bottle for the strained vodka.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain vodka, 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof)
• ¼ cup fresh blueberries
• ½ cup commercially pasteurized, unsweetened acai puree, kept separate until serving

Choose the right acai product

Look for unsweetened acai puree or pulp intended for food use, and confirm on the package or with the manufacturer that it is pasteurized. Frozen puree packets, such as unsweetened acai packs, are a different ingredient from whole berries. Check the ingredient list so you don’t accidentally buy a sweetened smoothie blend with other fruits or guarana.

Avoid raw, unprocessed acai for this recipe. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that raw acai fruit and juice can carry parasites. Don’t rely on soaking fruit in vodka to make an unsafe ingredient safe.

Make the blueberry infusion

1. Prepare the blueberries. Sort through the berries and discard any that are moldy or spoiled. Rinse under running water and drain well. Use clean hands, utensils, and a clean jar.
2. Lightly crush the berries. Put them in the jar and press gently with a clean spoon to split the skins. You don’t need to blend them into a puree.
3. Add the vodka. Pour in the 2 cups of vodka, close the lid, and gently swirl. Label the jar with the ingredients and starting date.
4. Refrigerate to steep. Allow about 5–7 days, gently swirling the closed jar daily. Check the flavor by pouring a small sample into a separate glass. Treat the timing as a guide; the berries and your taste preferences will affect when it’s ready.
5. Strain and bottle. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container, then transfer to a clean, tightly capped bottle. For fewer berry particles, filter it again through a coffee filter. Keep the strained infusion refrigerated.

Add the acai when serving

Thaw the acai puree according to its package directions, keeping it cold. Stir it smooth before measuring. To use approximately the recipe’s overall proportions in an individual drink, combine 2 fluid ounces of blueberry-infused vodka with 1 tablespoon of acai puree. This is a mixing starting point; use less puree if you prefer a lighter texture.

Shake the vodka and puree with ice, then strain into a glass. Fine pulp may remain, and some settling is normal. Adding the acai to individual drinks lets you adjust the texture without committing the entire bottle.

If serving the full batch at once, mix the strained blueberry vodka with the ½ cup of acai puree shortly before serving. The amount of vodka recovered after straining will vary because some stays with the berries.

Ways to serve it

• As a martini-style cocktail: Shake the vodka and acai mixture with ice and a little lime juice. Taste before adding simple syrup, since the puree and berries can vary in tartness.
• With tonic: Shake the vodka and puree first, strain over fresh ice, then gently add tonic water. Don’t shake the carbonated tonic.
• With sparkling water: Use plain sparkling water in place of tonic if you want to control the sweetness separately.

Storage and planning ahead

Keep the blueberry infusion refrigerated during steeping and after straining. Store the acai separately and follow its package instructions for thawing and use after opening. Mix only the amount of acai vodka you plan to serve, rather than storing a large premixed batch.

No validated shelf life has been established for this homemade infusion. Make it for a planned occasion rather than assuming it will keep indefinitely. Label the bottle clearly as alcoholic and store it out of children’s reach.