I love me a good margarita. And in the summer during berry season, a blackberry margarita will definitely hit the spot. I had some leftover blackberry simple syrup from my blackberry chocolate cake, and was trying to think of ways to use it up. What better way than in a cocktail?
Back in Cleveland, there was this taco placed called Barrio. If you’re from outside of Cleveland, you may think Barrio is mediocre. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just one of those spots that if you’re a Clevelander you are obsessed. You fill out this checklist of the ingredients you want on your taco, and can mix and match your toppings however you’d like. But in addition to yummy tacos, they also had great margaritas. Up until I had a Barrio margarita, I didn’t realize what a traditional margarita was. The only ones I’ve ever had were the frozen slushy kind at Mexican restaurants. Those definitely have their time in place, but for me they are a little too loaded with sugar.
Barrio had so many fun margarita variations, and now that I’m no longer in Cleveland I thought I’d try my own.
Making the Blackberry Simple Syrup
As if making simple syrup weren’t easy enough, it’s just as easy to incorporate a fruit to make it flavored. Blackberries will cook nicely into simple syrup. When I first tried making this cocktail, I tried using just muddled berries and skipped the added sugar. It was good, but the blackberry flavor wasn’t as strong. With this simple syrup, you’ll cook in the berries and let them sit for about 10 minutes to absorb more blackberry flavor. Then you can keep the simple syrup stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Making the Blackberry Margarita
This blackberry margarita recipe is simple enough. Just combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, just vigorously stir the ingredients in a separate glass, and use a fine mesh strainer to strain them into your cocktail glass. The reason you want to make it in a separate glass is because the ice will melt slightly when heated up by the room temperature ingredients. Removing this ice and putting it in new ice will keep your drink nice and cold and not watered down.
Blackberry Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 ounce blackberry simple syrup (recipe below)
- lime wedge and coarse salt for rimming the glass
- blackberries, for garnish
Blackberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
Make the simple syrup
- Combine all simple syrup ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the water starts to steam, mash the blackberries. It’s ok if you can’t completely pulverize them just yet, they’re still heating up.
- Simmer the mixture until all sugar has dissolved. Mash the rest of the blackberries. Remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Store in an air tight container.
Make the margaritas
- Cut a small slit in the middle of the lime wedge and run it along the rim of your glass. Coat the rim in coarse salt. Put 4 ice cubes in the glass.
- In a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes, combine all the margarita ingredients. Shake for 15 seconds and pour through a strainer into the glass.
- Fit the lime wedge onto the rim of the glass and throw in some blackberries.