This blackberry lemonade is easy to make with a lovely bright color and sweet-tart flavor. It's perfect for a warm day and easy to make in small or larger batches.
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Just as the kids ask for hot chocolate on a cold, snowy day, they'll often ask for either ice cream or lemonade in a hot one. So over the years, I've worked on a few variations, like mint lemonade and watermelon lemonade.
Making homemade lemonade is a lot easier than you might think and tastes so much better than anything out of a carton. Fresh lemon juice has a much more vibrant flavor that just isn't the same when stored.
Making flavored lemonades is also easy to do and something that's fun to experiment with. Not only do you get slightly different flavors, you can get some wonderfully colored drinks like this one.
Ingredients in blackberry lemonade
The ingredients for this drink are really simple: blackberries, lemon, sugar and water. Then serve it over some ice to keep it nice and cool as you enjoy.
For some lemonades I simply blend the fruit in with the lemon and sugar (like in my cherry lemonade), while others you make a simple syrup (like hibiscus lemonade), or you may have a choice of either. Syrups have the advantage of meaning the sugar will definitely be dissolved, and you can prepare them ahead.
The slight downside is the flavor may not be quite as strong as you have less of the fruit ending up in the drink. While that's a bit the case here, I still think making a blackberry syrup first is best as blackberries can lead to seeds in the drink that aren't as pleasant to drink. Though you can always use both for extra flavor!
If you enjoy blackberry drinks, why not also try my blackberry bourbon smash or blackberry margarita for something stronger, or blackberry ice tea for another non-alcoholic option.
Making the blackberry syrup
You can use either fresh or frozen blackberries for the syrup, both will work just fine. In both cases, you simply place the clean berries, water and sugar in a small pot and warm so that the sugar dissolves and the berries break up. Mash the fruit to help them release their flavor.
Then, I like to leave the syrup to steep as it cools to get as much flavor in the liquid as possible. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids, then the syrup is ready.
You can make the syrup in small or large batches as suits, the process is exactly the same. It will keep stored in a sealed jar, bottle or other container in the fridge for at least a week, likely more like two or even more. If it's older, just be sure to check the smell and and if there's any mould and discard if it has gone bad.
Making the homemade lemonade
Once you have your blackberry syrup, all you need is to combine it with freshly squeezed lemon juice, water. It takes mere minutes to put together. You can make it by the glass or make a large pitcher, depending on what you need. You simply multiply up, or down, the ingredients to suit.
If you're making in glasses, add a few ice cubes to each glass, whereas if in a pitcher, I'd add ice in the pitcher. If you add a lot of ice, you may want a little less water since it will dilute the drink over time.
It's worth noting that not all lemons are as juicy as each other, so I do recommend measuring the liquid volume as the yield from each can vary.
And you may find your taste is not quite the same as mine in terms of sweetness - I like quite a tart lemonade. If you prefer sweeter, use more of the blackberry syrup relative to the lemon juice. That said, the tartness of lemons can vary, too, so you definitely want to taste a little as you go and adjust to taste.
Homemade blackberry lemonade is easy to make, wonderfully brightly colored and with a delicious sweet-tart taste. It's refreshing, flavorful and perfect to sip on on a warm summer's day.
Try these other refreshing drinks:
- Cantaloupe agua fresca
- Papaya lemonade
- Spanish horchata (tiger nut milk)
- Cucumber agua fresca
- Plus get more drinks recipes in the archives.
Blackberry lemonade
Ingredients
For blackberry syrup
- 1 cup blackberries (1 cup is approximately 4oz)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
For rest of lemonade
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 cups water approximately - adjust up or down to your taste
Instructions
For blackberry syrup
- Wash the blackberries well to ensure they are clean. Be sure to use ripe berries and remove any that are underripe or going bad.
- Place the water, sugar and blackberries in a small pan and place over a medium-low heat, uncovered.
- Stir the mixture gently as you bring it to a simmer to ensure all the sugar dissolves. As it warms, the blackberries will start to go lighter in color - this is fine. Mash the berries to break them up and release the juices. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer for around 3 - 5 minutes more - the mixture will start to look a little darker in color - then remove from heat. Set aside and leave the berries in the syrup to infuse it further as it cools.
- Pour the syrup through a strainer/sieve to hold back all of the fruit solids and seeds. Use a fine strainer as some of the seeds can be small and you don't want them sneaking through. Store the syrup in a sealed bottle/jar in the fridge until needed.
To make lemonade
- Add the lemon juice and water to the blackberry syrup and blend until well combined. Chill until needed.
- Gently stir before serving over ice - you can add some blackberries and lemon slices for garnish as well.
Nutrition
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Lisa says
Really delicious! Made this for a beach day, it was a big hit. I even added a little vodka later in the day 🙂
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad it went down well, and the addition sounds good too 🙂
Ned says
What a delicious summery drink! Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks, it's perfect for summer, so refreshing!