Sip On Summer With This Blackberry Margarita
When it comes to fruit and margaritas, limes are the go-to for the classic cocktail. While classics are classics for a reason, here at Delish, we love to riff on the standard margarita to match the season or the holiday. Now, we offer a new-for-the-summer tequila cocktail: the blackberry margarita. Juicy fresh blackberries are in season in July and August in most of the U.S. and have a balanced sweet, tart, and tangy flavor. We have muddled the berries into two different mojitos, but we wanted more than crushed berries for this cocktail. What’s the best way to get all of the fresh berry flavor into a margarita? A blackberry syrup. Keep reading on for how to make it:
DIY blackberry syrup:
To make a syrup that is full of berry flavor, fresh blackberries are quickly simmered in a simple syrup and crushed with a potato masher. The cooled fresh syrup is just lightly sweet so the sugar doesn’t overpower the fruit flavor. (The juice can easily be doubled if you want a more blackberry-forward drink.) The juice can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Classic margaritas fixings:
Like all great margaritas, our blackberry version has blanco tequila and fresh lime juice. There is Cointreau, but we dial it back a bit to keep the drink from being too sweet.
A sweet & salty rim:
Instead of dipping the edge of the glasses in plain salt before serving, we combine sugar, salt, and a little fresh lime zest to complement the flavors of the drink.
Did you try this cocktail? Let us know in the comments!
Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Ingredients
Syrup
1/4 c.
granulated sugar
1/4 c.
water
1 1/2 c.
fresh blackberries (about 6 oz.)
Margaritas
1
whole lime, plus 4 oz. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp.
granulated sugar
1 tbsp.
kosher salt
8 oz.
blanco taquilla
2 oz.
Cointreau
Ice
Fresh blackberries, for serving
Directions
Syrup
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Add blackberries and crush with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Return to a boil, then remove from heat.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids with a spoon to help extract all of the juice. (You should have about 3/4 cup syrup.) Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
Margaritas
Finely grate 1/2 teaspoon lime zest from whole lime onto a plate, then cut zested fruit into wedges.
Add sugar and salt to lime zest, rubbing zest into sugar and salt to combine. Run a lime wedge around rim of 4 glasses, then dip rims into sugar mixture.
In a large cocktail shaker or jar, combine blackberry syrup, tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and vigorously shake until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.
Divide margarita among prepared glasses. Top off with more ice. Garnish with fresh blackberries and lime wedges.
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