Bourbon lemonade cocktail with blackberries is a delicious combination of muddled blackberries and lemons, brown sugar syrup and your favorite bourbon. Use fresh blackberries when they are in season but substitute frozen to enjoy this handcrafted cocktail all year long.
If you love bourbon cocktails you are going to want to try my recipe for spicy peach bourbon smash and bourbon-soaked cherries to take your cocktails to the next level. Welcome to all the Buzzfeed viewers!
Bourbon Lemonade with muddled blackberries
One of my favorite things to do is to pick blackberries, fresh from the vine. They are a bit of work but worth every minute spent to pluck the juicy, sun-ripened berries for this cocktail. With a few handfuls of these berries, I am able to make a few cocktails for my husband and myself or invite the neighbors to share a pitcher of blackberry bourbon lemonade.
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Can I use frozen blackberries to make blackberry bourbon lemonade?
As always, fresh and in season is best but when fresh blackberries are out of season or out of your price range frozen blackberries can be substituted to make your cocktails.
What materials are needed to make a bourbon lemonade cocktail?
Just a few cocktail basics are needed for this recipe. The only thing that you might not have in your collection would be a small mesh strainer. I find this gets the seeds out of the cocktail better than just pouring through the strainer on the cocktail shaker. If you don’t already have one, a muddler will help in releasing the juice from the berries and if you want to have a fancy garnish of torched lemon wheels you will need a kitchen torch.
What ingredients are in a blackberry bourbon lemonade cocktail?
There are different variations on blackberry bourbon lemonade. But I found this to be the best combination of ingredients for my favorite blackberry bourbon lemonade. Feel free to switch them up and make this recipe your own.
- Blackberries
- lemon wheel slice
- lemon juice
- brown sugar syrup
- bourbon
- bitters
Blackberry bourbon lemonade garnish.
For this cocktail, I am torching a lemon wheel with a kitchen torch to bring a toasted lemon flavor to the garnish. Also a fresh blackberry and a sprig of basil or mine for a touch of green. I slice the lemon wheels on the thick size and on a heat-tolerant surface, set the torch to high and with a sweeping motion torch the lemons until they blacken.
Brown Sugar Syrup Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- OR equal parts of brown sugar and water for larger or smaller batches.
How to make brown sugar syrup.
- In a heavy bottom pot, over high heat, combine the brown sugar and water.
- Stir and bring to a rolling boil.
- Reduce by half.
- Cool and store for a week in the refrigerator.
Can I substitute simple syrup for brown sugar syrup?
Yes! You definitely can substitute white sugar simple syrup for the brown sugar syrup. I like the caramel flavor the brown sugar brings to this drink so I encourage you to try it at least once.
How do you make a bourbon lemonade cocktail?
- In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries, lemon wheel and the brown sugar syrup.
- Fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice.
- Add the lemon juice, bourbon and 2 drops of bitters.
- Close the cocktail shaker and shake for a full minute.
- Strain the cocktail through a cocktail mesh strainer. (optional but this easily removes the seeds)
- Pour over ice and garnish with a torched lemon wheel, blackberry and basil.
Can this recipe be made for a crowd?
Yes this recipe can easily be made for a crowd. This recipe is for a single cocktail. See the full pitcher recipe below.
Bourbon Lemonade pitcher recipe
- 1 lemon sliced into wheels
- 1 pound raspberries
- 6 ounce brown sugar syrup
- 12 ounce lemon juice
- 12 ounce bourbon
- 3 shakes bitters
Easy Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade pitcher directions
- In a pitcher, muddle the blackberries, lemon wheels and brown sugar.
- Add the lemon juice, bourbon, bitters and stir vigorously.
- Add ice to the pitcher and stir vigorously again.
- Pour over ice and garnish.
Printable recipe:
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6 Blackberries
- 1 lemon wheel slice
- 2 ounces lemon juice
- 1 ounce brown sugar syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 2 drops bitters
Instructions
- In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries, lemon wheel and the brown sugar syrup.
- Fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice.
- Add the lemon juice, bourbon and 2 drops of bitters.
- Close the cocktail shaker and shake for a full minute.
- Strain the cocktail through a cocktail mesh strainer. (optional but this easily removes the seeds)
- Pour over ice and garnish with a torched lemon wheel, blackberry and basil.
Notes
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade pitcher recipe
- 1 lemon sliced into wheels
- 1 pound raspberries
- 6 ounce brown sugar syrup
- 12 ounce lemon juice
- 12 ounce bourbon
- 3 shakes bitters
Nutrition
Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 12 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Meagen Brosius says
This is such a refreshing drink! Has a nice kick which I love but those fresh fruity flavors just go SO well together. Love it and can’t wait to make it for our next party or event. It looks so gorgeous everyone will be impressed!
Rachael Yerkes says
This sounds so nice for a hot summer night! Love how refreshing it is
Julie Evink says
Oh.My.Goodness. This was AMAZING! I can’t wait to make it for my next party. So much flavor!
Sarah says
I am so glad you loved it!! It is one of my current favorite cocktails.
Sarah says
I agree. I love sitting on my patio sipping one (or two).
Sarah says
Yeah!!! I love that you love this drink as much as I do. Cheers!
Krissy Allori says
Your blackberry lemonade recipe is making my mouth water, but the torched lemon wheels? LOVE!
Heather Seeley says
My husband and I love these! And I realized that I totally need a torch! Such a beautiful and tasty drink!
Sarah says
It is funny…. you don’t realize how much you will use a torch…until you have the torch! Love mine. Cheers!
Michael Wurm Jr says
I love that you torched the lemon! What a unique and tasty garnish – and cocktail!
xo Michael
Katerina @ diethood .com says
YES, please!! This looks faaantastic!!!
Sarah says
Yes! I was feeling quite fancy when I thought of that. LOL
Sarah says
Thank you! Cheers to you!
Billy says
Oh My Gosh does this sound and look absolutely amazing! We are huge lemonade fans in this family and we are always looking to infuse different delicious flavors in, so we will definitely be trying this!
Dave says
FINALLY a drink with some punch behind it. I’m so sick of seeing “boozy whatever punch” and they somehow manage to divide an ounce of vodka between like 4 people. Like “uh-oh, Barbara, looks like the cat’s driving tonight!” This cocktail looks awesome and I’ll have to give it a try!
Sarah says
Thanks for noticing Dave! I like a bit of a kick to my punch. ;)
Anonymous says
To the next! Cheers!!