Soak in the sunshine, the flavors, and the juice of a perfectly ripe blackberry. The one that brings a soft smile to your face and erases everything from your mind, the soft bite that makes all the stars align and your next house project or errand on public transportation surmountable. Unfortunately, not every blackberry will knock it out of the park, but each of these rich and luscious cocktails will bring you right back to that moment.
Bramble
The bramble is a classic blackberry gin cocktail with stunning layers. Not every bar will have the ingredients on hand, so it might become your favorite nightcap to make at home. Or afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce crème de mûre or blackberry liquor
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Crushed ice
- Blackberries and lemon wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over crushed ice.
- Slowly add crème de mûre, allowing it to sink.
- Garnish with blackberries and lemon wheel.
Blackberry Mimosa
There are several ways to make a blackberry mimosa: you can use crème de mûre or blackberry liquor, muddled blackberries, blackberry juice, or even blackberry jam. This unorthodox mimosa uses ice to give it a beautifully red and pink gradient.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce crème de mûre
- 1-2 fresh blackberries
- ¼ ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ice
- Prosecco to top off
- Blackberry to garnish
Instructions
- Chill a Champagne flute or rocks glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle blackberries with orange juice.
- Add ice and crème de mûre.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass over a few cubes of fresh ice.
- Top off with prosecco.
- Garnish with blackberry.
Blackberry Pomegranate Martini
There are several ways to enjoy this deep burgundy cocktail; as a martini, it'll steal your heart and your tastebuds. But if you know martini glasses are your enemy, serve this with crushed ice or a king cube.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
- ¾ ounce crème de mûre
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice
- Blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, pomegranate juice, crème de mûre, and lemon juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with blackberry.
Blackberry Bourbon Smash
Pivot from your usual whiskey smash to something a bit bolder with a whiskey blackberry smash that'll be jammy with the perfect bite.
Ingredients
- 2-3 lemon wedges
- 6-8 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 4 mint leaves
- Ice
- Blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle lemon wedges, mint leaves, blackberries, and simple syrup.
- Add ice and bourbon.
- Shake to chill.
- Garnish with blackberry.
Blackberry Martini
Take the time to infuse your favorite vodka or gin with fresh blackberries. The payoff will beat anything you can buy in a store, and the color will be photo-worthy.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blackberry-infused vodka or gin
- ¾ ounce elderflower liqueur
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice blackberry vodka, elderflower liqueur, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
Blackberry Old-Fashioned
Muddle blackberries to make this sweetened version of your favorite classic cocktail, a bourbon old-fashioned. To add a sharper layer, use your favorite rye instead. If you know you won't always have fresh blackberries on hand, you can make homemade blackberry-infused whiskey.
Ingredients
- 4-6 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 3-4 dashes orange bitters
- 4-5 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Blackberries and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, muddle blackberries with simple syrup.
- Add ice, bourbon, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice or king cube.
- Garnish with blackberries and mint sprig.
Blackberry Mojito
Pair your usual mint mojito with the juicy flavors you find in ripe blackberries. A great way to polish off that last pint before you find yourself with squishy berries.
Ingredients
- 4-6 fresh mint leaves
- 6-8 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Mint sprig and blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle mint leaves and blackberries with simple syrup.
- Add ice, rum, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Pour into highball glass.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with mint sprig and blackberry.
Blackberry Tom Collins
Most classic cocktails that don't already have a flavor or life of their own make for a great palette with experimentation and spins. The Tom Collins is a great place to start with blackberry cocktails.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce crème de mûre
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Blackberry and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball or rocks glass, add ice, gin, lemon juice, crème de mûre, and simple syrup.
- Stir to mix.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with blackberry and mint sprig.
Blackberry Fizz
Consider the blackberry fizz when looking for something other than your usual French 75, with fruity flavors and those prosecco bubbles that'll brighten any day.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce crème de mûre
- ¼ ounce apple brandy
- Prosecco to top off
- Blackberry and mint leaf for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a Champagne flute.
- In chilled glass, add crème de mûre and apple brandy.
- Top off with prosecco.
- Garnish with blackberry and mint leaf.
Blackberry Margarita
Indulge yourself in a margarita, but make it a bit sweeter with a berry flair, and that isn't the usual strawberry flavor either. This is great to serve to friends when they say they want a margarita, but you're feeling like a trickster and want to give them a good surprise.
Ingredients
- Lime wedge and sugar for rim
- 4-6 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce crème de mûre
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
- Blackberry, lemon slice, and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge.
- With the sugar on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the sugar to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, blackberries, tequila, lime juice, crème de mûre, and orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into prepared glass.
- Garnish with blackberry, lemon slice, and mint sprig.
Blackberry Spritzer
Just because you're looking for a cocktail doesn't mean it needs to be boozy or leave your head spinning after just one.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pinot grigio
- ½ ounce blackberry simple syrup
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Blackberry and thyme sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, pinot grigio, blackberry syrup, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with blackberry and thyme sprig.
Blackberry Lime Rickey
Offset the tart lime rickey with the sweet flavors of blackberry liquor. Not enough blackberry flavor for you? Add a half ounce of blackberry simple syrup, or make yourself some blackberry-infused gin at home!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- ¾ ounce crème de mûre
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Lime wheel and blackberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, gin, crème de mûre, and lime juice.
- Stir to mix.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with lime wheel and blackberries.
Blackberry Donut Highball
If you skip the club soda, you can serve this blackberry donut cocktail in a martini glass. If you keep the highball, consider piercing a donut hole on a cocktail skewer for a drink that'll change your brunch game.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces whipped cream vodka
- 1 ounce crème de mûre
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce blackberry jelly
- Ice
- Vanilla club soda to top off
- Blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, whipped cream vodka, crème de mûre, lemon juice, and blackberry jelly.
- Shake well to chill and dissolve jelly.
- Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with vanilla club soda.
- Garnish with blackberry.
Blackberry Lemonade
The simplest of summertime treats, perfect for sipping while you watch someone else do the weeding, and a great drink to hand them after you finish congratulating them on a job well done. It's thirsty work watching someone work in the yard!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blackberry-infused vodka
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
- Lemonade to top off
- Blackberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, blackberry vodka, lime juice, and orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks or highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with lemonade.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with blackberries.
Blackberry Rum Runner
A typical rum runner only has a subtle splash of blackberry, but this iteration makes blackberry the star in the sunshine sipper.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce crème de mûre
- ½ ounce light rum
- ½ ounce banana liqueur
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ ounce grenadine
- Ice
- Blackberry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, cème de mûre, light rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, and grenadine.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with blackberry.
Blackberry Julep
Kick off your Kentucky Derby party with something your guests won't expect: a blackberry mint julep.
Ingredients
- 5-7 fresh mint leaves
- 6-8 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass or Julep cup, muddle mint leaves and blackberries with simple syrup.
- Add ice and bourbon.
- Stir to mix and frost glass.
- Garnish with mint sprig.
Blackberry Mule
Whether you follow the recipe with muddled blackberries, use a blackberry vodka, or complete your mule with a splash of blackberry liqueur, whipping up a succulent Moscow mule riff will hit the spot.
Ingredients
- 3-4 fresh blackberries
- 2 ounces vodka
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Ginger beer to top off
- Mint sprig and blackberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a copper mug or rocks glass, muddle blackberries with a splash of lime juice.
- Add vodka and remaining lime juice.
- Top off with ginger beer.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with mint sprig and blackberries.
Blackberry Cocktails to Rival Any Berry Patch
Freshly muddle your blackberries, put your jam to use, dive into a homemade blackberry infusion, or keep it easy with blackberry liqueur as you skip through the blackberry patch of cocktails. Indulge yourself in this seasonal flavor year-round, and find yourself amazed with just how colorful a blackberry cocktail can be.
