Plum-Blueberry Spritzers                


Bay leaves lend this spritzer a spicy fragrance that offsets the sweetness of the blueberries and plums.

5 cups water
1 cup fresh ripe blueberries
3 ripe black plums, pitted and cut into eighths
8 fresh or dried bay leaves, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
8 cups cold club soda, for serving

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the blueberries, plums, 8 bay leaves and sugar, cover and boil over high heat, stirring, until the juice is reduced to about 3 cups and the plums are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture though a fine sieve, pressing lightly with a spatula to extract the juice; reserve the bay leaves. Return the juice to the pan, add the reserved bay leaves and simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves; let the syrup cool.

2. For each drink, gently whisk 1/4 cup of the plum-blueberry syrup into 1 cup of cold club soda, pour into a glass, garnish with a bay leaf and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The syrup can be refrigerated for 1 week.
Makes 8 Drinks