Blackberry Bourbon Smash

This blackberry bourbon smash cocktail is an easy-to-make craft cocktail. Make with a homemade brown sugar blackberry and rosemary simple syrup, dash of fresh lime juice, bourbon and a splash of club soda. This is a cocktail that is meant to impress your guests.

Fancy cocktails don’t have to be difficult to make. But sometimes taking the extra step to make a creative flavored simple syrup is worth it. Such as this blueberry simple syrup used in this blueberry gin cocktail, or this thyme simple syrup for this grapefruit crush cocktail, or this rosemary simple syrup for this rosemary gimlet.

If you enjoy bourbon-based cocktails, try this blood orange bourbon sour or this pineapple old fashioned.

Why this is the best blackberry bourbon smash:

• No artificial flavors! Everything is made from scratch. Fresh blackberries are used for the real blackberry flavor.
• Blackberry + Rosemary. Blackberry and rosemary are the perfect pair. You’ll love the combination of these two flavors.
• It’s a smash cocktail without the smashed fruit. All the flavor comes from the syrup, not from muddled blackberries. This means the blackberry taste packs more of a punch, and the cocktail is smoother, without pieces of fruit.
• No complicated ingredients. All the ingredients are easy to find in a grocery store. There’s no need to buy fancy flavored syrups online.
• It takes 20 minutes to make. Even though this drink may seem elaborate, it is actually quick to make!

Ingredient Notes:

• Brown sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute this for granulated sugar. However, the brown sugar does give a richer, slightly caramel flavor that is perfect for this drink.
• Lime juice: Freshly squeezed juice only!
• Rosemary: Fresh rosemary only. Dried rosemary doesn’t work for this drink.

How to make the smash cocktail:

First, start by making the rosemary and blackberry syrup. This simple syrup is kind of a combination of this rosemary simple syrup and blackberry simple syrup, but uses brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.

Heat the rosemary, blackberries, brown sugar and water on a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and press the blackberries with a fork to break them down, releasing their juices. Continue to gently simmer for 10 minutes to let everything infuse.

Remove the pan from the stove and strain out the blackberry and rosemary remnants.

For the cocktail, add the syrup, lime juice, bourbon and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake for 5-10 seconds. Strain and serve.

FAQ:

Expert Tips:

• Simmer and break down the blackberries. Make sure to gently simmer the syrup for the full 10 minutes until the blackberries are fully broken down. This ensures the blackberries release all their juices and the flavor can infuse with the fresh rosemary.
• Store leftover syrup in the fridge. Store any leftover syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple weeks. This recipe makes a tiny bit more than the syrup required for the cocktail in case you want to add a bit extra for more sweetness.

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