Blueberries seem to be in abundance this year — almost every grocery store seems to have them on sale. If you are anything like me, you feel the need to buy so you don’t lose out on a great deal, even though it is highly doubtful that you can eat 3 pints of blueberries yourself. These cocktail ideas will use up some of the excess and even preserve some of those tasty little berries so summer can last a little longer in your glass.

BLUEBERRY VOJITO

When the mojito craze started building in the late ’90s and early 2000s, I was adamant that the drink was the cosmo of our generation, and remaining on trend meant not only that our bar team have to offer them, but we had to do them well. Many of the bartenders wanted to strangle me, since the mojito is viewed as a time-consuming cocktail.

But when you prep properly, the cocktail is easy to execute. This particular recipe is one of the most-ordered cocktails at the pool bar at the Four Seasons Wailea. It is very accessible with the use of vodka instead of rum and is the perfect balance of sweet, herbal and tart.

• 8 blueberries
• 10 mint leaves
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 3/4 ounce rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar in 1 part water)
• 1-1/2 ounces blueberry vodka (such as Stoli Blueberi)
• Club soda

Muddle (crush) blueberries and mint with lime and syrup. Add vodka, fill with ice and top with club soda.

Garnish: Floating blueberries and mint sprig, with lime wheel

AGAVE BLUES

Shrubs — concentrates made of fruit, sugar and vinegar — are definitely on trend in the cocktail world. They are a unique way to add to acid in a drink, while building more complex flavors from the vinegar and fruit (or vegetable) used.

A shrub can also be mixed with club soda to create a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage.

• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce light agave nectar (diluted with 1/4 ounce water)
• 1 ounce blueberry shrub (recipe follows)
• 1/2 ounces elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain)
• 1-1/2 ounces blanco tequila (such as Casamigos Blanco)

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain over ice into bucket glass rimmed with sea salt.

Garnish: Sea salt on half the rim, thin lime wheel and a few blueberries

>> Blueberrry Shrub

• 4 cups blueberries
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups sugar

Combine blueberries and vinegar in airtight glass container. Cover tightly and refrigerate 3 to 5 days. Strain, pressing berries to release all their juice.

Pour into pot, add sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. Keep refrigerated up to 3 weeks.

MIDNIGHT SOUR

The first time I had blueberry-infused bourbon, I thought I was in heaven. There was nothing I didn’t love about it, except having to wait three weeks to actually enjoy it.

The hardest part about making this infusion is being patient enough to let it do its thing. This variation on a classic whiskey sour uses a beautifully infused blueberry bourbon.

• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 3/4 ounce rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 1/2 ounce pasteurized egg whites
• 2 ounces blueberry-infused bourbon (recipe follows)
• 3 drops Angostura Bitters

Combine lemon juice, simple syrup, egg whites, infused bourbon and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Shake vigorously to emulsify egg whites.

Strain and dry-shake (shake without ice) to further emulsify. Strain into a coupe or martini glass.

Garnish: Blueberries on bar pick, bitters dropped on top and decoratively arranged with pick

>> Blueberry-Infused Bourbon

• 3 pints blueberries
• 1 (750 ml) bottle bourbon (such as Makers Mark)

Place blueberries in airtight glass container. Fill container with bourbon. Let infuse up to three weeks, upending it every day to agitate.

Taste after a week to determine how much longer you would like to infuse (but be careful not to drink it all).

JEWEL-TONED TONIC

The gin and tonic is timeless, yet reinvented all the time. This version utilizes a spiced blueberry syrup easily made at home and some fresh grapefruit juice to balance the fruit with a slight bitterness.

• 1/2 ounce spiced blueberry syrup (recipe follows)
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 3/4 ounce grapefruit juice
• 1-1/2 ounces London dry gin (such as Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire)
• High-quality tonic (such as Fever Tree or Q Tonic)

Combine ingredients in highball glass. Fill with ice and top with tonic.

Garnish: Grapefruit and lime zest and star anise

>> Spiced Blueberry Syrup

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups water
• Rind of 1 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-1/2 cups sugar

Combine all ingredients except sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 7 minutes. Use potato masher to smash the blueberries in the pot. Remove from heat, add sugar and let dissolve, then cool.

Strain into clean container and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.