Blackberry Margarita Recipe

The Blackberry Margarita is a variation on the classic. Adding blackberries to the standard structure of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice softens the acidity with a berry sweetness, gives the drink a fuller body, and turns it from clear to deep purple.

Prep Time: 5 min | Servings: 1 (about 6 oz / 180 ml)

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Tools Needed
• Steps
• Nutrition

Ingredients

• Tequila (2 oz / 60 ml): The base spirit. Go with blanco rather than reposado. Reposado has spent time in oak, and its vanilla and caramel notes end up competing with the fruit in the blackberries.
• Orange liqueur (1 oz / 30 ml): Brings both citrus aroma and sweetness. Cointreau is the better pick here, with the cleanest flavor and no risk of covering up the blackberries. Triple sec is sweeter with a lighter body.
• Fresh lime juice (1 oz / 30 ml): Provides the acidity that balances the sweetness and the spirit, keeping the drink refreshing.
• Fresh blackberries (6 to 8): About 30 to 40 g. Add another 2 to 4 if you want the fruit to come through more. Look for berries that are deep black and glossy. Reddish ones aren't fully ripe, which means less color and more tartness.
• Simple syrup (1/2 oz / 15 ml): Agave syrup works here too. Orange liqueur already brings sweetness of its own, so cut this back or leave it out depending on your taste.
• Coarse salt (optional): For the salt rim a Margarita is known for, which also balances the overall flavor to a degree. Feel free to skip it.

Tools Needed

• Muddler: For pressing the blackberries to work the juice out of the fruit.
• Jigger: For measuring the liquid ingredients so the ratios stay accurate.
• Shaker: For shaking the cocktail to combine, dilute, and chill it.
• Hawthorne strainer: For straining out ice and other solids so the drink stays smooth.

Steps

1. Run a cut lime around the outside of the glass rim, then tilt the glass and roll it through a plate of salt to set the rim. Set the glass aside.
2. Add the blackberries to a shaker tin and muddle them to work out the juice.
3. Pour in the lime juice, orange liqueur, tequila, and simple syrup, then fill the tin about three-quarters full with ice.
4. Seal it and shake hard for about 15 seconds, until the outside of the tin frosts over and feels genuinely cold in your hand.
5. Set a Hawthorne strainer over the tin and strain the cocktail into the glass you prepared.

Optional: For a smoother texture and a cleaner look, run it through a fine mesh strainer as well. The double strain catches the fine pulp that the first strainer lets through.

Nutrition (Estimated)