Boozy Blackberry Lemonade
Boozy Blackberry Lemonade, a homemade spiked lemonade made with fresh summer berries and tart lemons. Perfect for hot summer afternoons!
Love a hard lemonade for happy hour on hot days? So do we! This easy homemade Boozy Blackberry Lemonade mixes together fresh blackberries and mint leaves with lemon juice and your alcohol of choice for a refreshing cocktail treat.
👉 Ready to learn how to make a homemade hard lemonade with fresh berries? Let’s do it!
🍋 Ingredients
- Blackberries: fresh blackberries work best, but you could also substitute other berries as well
- Fresh mint: mint leaves add a fresh pop of flavor, you could also add a small amount of mint oil if you don’t have fresh herbs
- Sweetener: we like agave syrup or maple syrup, but simple syrup can work as well
- Lemon juice: the base of this lemonade, use fresh squeezed (about 6-8 lemons) or bottled
- Alcohol: vodka is our liquor of choice for hard lemonades, but bourbon is also tasty
- Ice and garnish: ice to chill the drink; blackberries, mint, and lemon slices for garnish
🧊 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Muddle blackberries and mint
The first step to making this cocktail is to muddle the fruit and the mint.
To do this, add the blackberries, fresh mint leaves, and a sweetener of your choice – we like agave or maple syrup, but simple syrup also works.
Then, using a muddler, smash the blackberries and mint until the berries release their juices and the mint releases its oils (you’ll know this has happened when the mint scent becomes very strong).
2️⃣ Step Two: Build the boozy lemonade cocktail
Next add your favorite alcohol to the cocktail share, along with the fresh lemon juice. Cover the cocktail shaker with a lid or another glass and shake well until everything is combined.
3️⃣ Step Three: Garnish and serve
To serve, simply pour ice into a glass and then strain the cocktail into the glasses. Then garnish with a blackberry, a mint leaf, and a slice of lemon before enjoying this tasty lemonade drink!
👉 Make it a pitcher
Want to make a pitcher or hard lemonade? Simply increase the servings in the recipe card below to be 10 or 12 servings, which will be the proper amounts needed to make enough for a pitcher.
Here are the amounts for 1 servings versus a 10-serving pitcher:
- 1 serving: 1/2 cup berries, 3 sprigs mint, 1 teaspoon sweetener, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1.5 ounces liquor, 1/2 cup ice cubes
- 10 servings: 2.5 cups berries, 30 sprigs of mint (about 1 bunch), 3 tablespoons sweetener (but more to taste, if needed), 2.5 cups lemon juice, 15 ounces liquor (about 2 cups), fill pitcher with ice as needed
❓ Questions and quick tips
What type of alcohol should you use for a lemonade cocktail? We suggest using vodka for spiked lemonade, and for this recipe we recommend using a plain vodka without flavoring since the blackberries and mint lend a lot of flavor on their own. But also really like bourbon as well for a Southern-style hard lemonade. Mix it up to find your favorite!
Tip for getting the most lemon juice from fresh lemons: If you keep your lemons in the refrigerator you may have a harder time squeezing all the juice from your fruit. Room temperature lemon fibers will release more liquid, so leave your lemons on the counter or zap them quickly (no more than 20-25 seconds) in the microwave before juicing.
🥃 Mixology tools you need
- Lemon Squeezer: One of the easiest ways to juice fresh lemons is to use a lemon squeezer. Great for lemons and limes, getting every last drop of juice is much (much!) easier with a lemon squeezer.
- Reamer: A fruit reamer is also a great tool for juicing citrus, however does require a bit more elbow grease than the squeezer.
- Automatic Juicer: If you want to save yourself all manual labor, try out this easy automatic juicer. During my bartending days we had one set up beside the bar and it was super easy to juice many lemons and limes at a time for a fresh cocktail mixer.
♻️ Sustainable kitchen tips
After making this lemonade you will have a fair amount of fresh lemon rinds left behind. But wait, don’t throw them away! There are many ways to use fresh lemon rinds in the kitchen, including:
- Make a fresh lemon syrup! Use the rinds from your leftover lemons to make a simple syrup to use in future lemonade cocktails.
- Grate rinds for fresh lemon zest! Lemon zest is a great flavoring for fresh veggies, as a garnish on pastas, and in smoothies or infused teas.
- Keep sugar soft by adding a slice of fresh lemon peel. Did you know adding a slice of lemon rind to your sugar bowl will prevent sugar from absorbing moisture and hardening over time? Add a bit of your leftover rind to keep your sugar from becoming a clumpy mess.
🍹 More fruity cocktail recipes
Want more cocktail recipes with fresh fruit? We’ve got you covered:
Boozy Blackberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- ½ cup blackberries
- 3 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon sweetener agave, maple, simple syrup, etc.
- 1.5 ounces vodka or bourbon
- ½ cup ice cubes
- Garnish: blackberries, mint, lemon slices
Instructions
- Muddle fruit: In a large glass or cocktail mixer, muddle blackberries, sweetener of choice, and fresh mint until the blackberries are smashed and release their juice and the mint releases its oils (you will smell the mint when this happens).
- Build lemonade cocktail: Add alcohol of your choice and lemon juice to the cocktail mixer. Cover and shake well until the ingredients are well combined.
- Garnish and serve drink: Pour ice into two glasses and then strain the cocktail into the glasses. Garnish with a blackberry, a mint leaf, and a slice of lemon. Enjoy!
Notes
- Which alcohol should you choose? We love boozy lemonades with vodka, but bourbon is also another great liquor choice that will add a southern flair to your spiked lemonade.
- Make it a mocktail: Avoiding alcohol? Skip the liquor in this recipe and instead add 1/2 cup of water to dilute the lemon juice to make this a simple lemonade mocktail.
- Nutrition notes: Nutrition information was calculated with simple syrup as the sweetener, and without garnishes.
Nutrition
UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in April 2018 and was updated for clarity in May 2022.
I love your suggestions about ways to juice the lemons. My favorite is a fruit reamer, though my mother hand a huge industrial sized manual press that she used for lemons, and oranges. As for your recipe, even without the booze, this lemonade is delicious, though my children did request a teeny bit more sugar in theirs. (That’s why I didn’t add any Vodka, etc.) I love the contrast of the sweet black berries and the tart lemon.
I agree! And yes, the addition of a bit of sugar while help to smooth out the tartness if there isn’t any vodka (none for the kiddos!). I’m glad you liked it!
I see this recipe for boozy lemonade and I can just picture enjoying it outside on a warm day. Looks amazing and full of flavor!
It was made with those perfect spring and summer days in mind. Enjoy!
It’s delicious! Definitely on the tart side if you don’t add extra sugar, but I love a tart drink with fresh juice. Delicious!
That looks so refreshing and delicious, perfect for summer!
One of my favorite warm weather boozy drinks.
I love your tips on the lemon rinds. My husband makes limoncello which is about 30 lemon rinds and we make lemonade. Fresh fruit juice in a cocktail makes a huge difference!
I have a love / hate relationship with limoncello (my husband is Italian and it’s always flowing when we go to Italy to visit his family). I’ve never made it myself but I’ll have to try, it’s perfect for lemon rinds!
YES! I grew up on the powdered lemonade, too, and was really surprised at how much sugar most lemonade recipes call for. Love the addition of fresh fruit here, and you know I’m always game to spike a beverage ;). Looks super refreshing!
It’s funny how you think that’s just how things are made when it’s what you grow up with (powdered lemonade, orange juice concentrate, pasta from a box with powdered cheese). Then you try the real think and your eyes are opened!
You had me at boozy then you threw in blackberry!! I’m in.. Let’s start the weekend. Sounds so refreshing. One of the reasons I’m looking forward to summer is to enjoy a few of my favorite summer drinks. yum!
Come on over, I have a glass and a plastic beach chair for you!
Such a gorgeous and refreshing drink! Perfect for spring and warmer weather days ahead. Love it!
It tastes delicious, but it also helps that the drink is pretty.
Oh this looks so great. I love blackberries and such a great addition to some adult juice.
Some days you just need some adult juice, ya know?
I’m with Ben… love berries in my adult juice! Preferably on the porch soaking in a lovely 80 degree day! Summer is coming, right?
I’ll send warm weather vibes your way from California!
Yes .. all day long, YES! Great recipe, beautiful pics .. love the advice about adding fresh fruit.. perfect for warmer weather!
The blackberry lemonade itself sounds delightful, even before you add the booze! (And I’d go with bourbon, for the flavor…)
This looks perfect for sipping in the spring! I am a sucker for all things blackberry right now!
I’m totally with you on lemonade! I won’t even buy the stuff at restaurants unless it’s homemade. So much better to make your own, especially in the summer when lemons are everywhere. And of course, vodka makes it all even better 🙂
Vodka always makes everything better! And yes, the powders and mixes just aren’t worth it when you’ve had the real thing. Even if that means waiting all year long for it. Thanks for stopping by!
Im going to have to try this. Ill have to buy a lemom sqeezer. I herd if u leave them room temp and then roll them with yr palm on counter a while more juice shold come out. I wonder if u add some lemoncello for yr sweetner and some blackberries strawberries and fresh peaches. Lemon sangria sorta? Im getting adventurous. Oh and DO NOT forget the vodca. I think they may sell lemon flavored vodca????? I know that carmel flavored vodca is yummy. I buy the airplain shots for my purse. When the hubbys makes me mad, i sip on that!!!. No im not an alchi, i dont think, lol.
You could alternatively use pre-squeezed lemon juice instead or even lemonade. I was attempting to make it sugar-free, but if you like a bit of sugar then that would definitely balance the tart taste. I think limoncello would be DELICIOUS in this and any type of fruit will do. Sangria sounds amazing as well…and I would never forget the vodka!
Oh MY, it looks great! Can’t wait to cook em this Sunday!