Blackberry Simple Syrup

Blackberry Simple Syrup brings the flavors of summertime to drinks, breakfast and dessert. Drizzle it over pancakes or stir it into cocktails, tea and coffee drinks.

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Blackberry Simple Syrup recipe

If there’s one thing I have always loved about summer, it’s picking fresh fruit at local farms.

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches… I look forward to it every year.

After blackberry picking, I can never decide between making berry pie or berry cobbler. And after that, I make blackberry simple syrup if I have some leftover.

if you’ve been reading Feast + West for any length of time, you’ll know I also like to mix them into cocktails too.

While fresh blackberries can be muddled (AKA smashed) into some drinks like mint juleps and mojitos, sometimes a simple syrup works better for smoother drinks.

What is simple syrup?

Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener that can be used to sweeten drinks and desserts.

It dissolves into liquids quickly and easily, and it’s a perfect way to impart more flavors into a cocktail.

Made with a simple ingredient list of sugar and water, this easy syrup can be flavored with fruits, herbs and spices, such as this simple blackberry syrup, elderberry syrup or mint syrup.

Other types of sugar, like brown sugar, may be used.

The possibilities go beyond drinks, though. You can drizzle simple syrup over pancakes or ice cream. Bakers are known to use simple syrup to moisten cakes.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make blackberry simple syrup:

Sugar

Granulated sugar, AKA white sugar, is what I used in this syrup, but you can use cane sugar or brown sugar as well.

Using brown sugar won’t affect the color of the syrup because the color of blackberry juice is darker and stronger.

Honey can also be used — honey simple syrup is delicious. Follow the homemade blackberry syrup recipe below as is, and stir in the honey at the end when you’d as the sugar.

To make a thicker syrup, add more sugar ¼ cup at a time.

Water

Filtered or distilled water yield the purest results, but you may use tap water if necessary.

For simple syrup, you typically need as much sugar as you do water, but this recipe is a little different.

We will first boil water and blackberries together to get a reduced blackberry juice, then we will stir in sugar.

Blackberries

You can use fresh or frozen blackberries in this recipe. I prefer to use fresh, organic blackberries (ideally from my local farmers market) because they pack in a bit more flavor, but frozen will work just fine. Either way, this will be such a tasty blackberry syrup!

How to make Blackberry Simple Syrup

Here’s how to make this easy blackberry syrup:

First, wash the fruit.

In a medium saucepan, bring water and fruit to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids and strain the hot liquid into a bowl or jar.

Stir in sugar until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

Store in an airtight container (such as a glass jar) for up to two weeks.

Variations and substitutions

Blackberry mint syrup: When you add sugar, add a few sprigs of fresh mint to infuse while the mixture cools.

Mixed berry syrup: Use a mixture of your favorite berries, such as cherries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries as well as blackberries.

Peach blackberry syrup: Add 1 diced peach to the blackberry mixture. (Check out this peach syrup recipe.)

Blackberry honey syrup: Stir in honey instead of sugar — a great way to get more natural flavor.

Sugar-free blackberry syrup: Use your favorite sugar substitute such as Stevia or coconut sugar.

Vanilla blackberry syrup: Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to add some sweet flavor. (Don’t miss this vanilla syrup recipe.)

What to make with blackberry simple syrup

The possibilities for this fruit syrup are endless! It is a versatile recipe that you can use to make a blackberry cocktail. Below are a few ideas for how to use it, but not all of them involve a cocktail shaker.

Stir it into a blackberry mint julep.

Pour it over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Drizzle it over your weekend pancakes.

Mix it into a blackberry mojito or a blackberry margarita — so good mixed with lime juice!

Stir it into iced tea or lemonade. You can also mix it into hot tea.

Use it in an old-fashioned cocktail for a blackberry bourbon cocktail.

More simple syrup recipes

If you like making drinks, try one of these easy syrup recipes:

• Lavender Simple Syrup
• Caramel Simple Syrup
• Jalapeño Simple Syrup
• Basil Simple Syrup
• Cinnamon Simple Syrup
• Strawberry Simple Syrup