Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail
Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail… This drink is versatile, fast to make and forgiving. This recipe was developed for a mocktail festival booth that was being run as a fundraiser. It was a local Autumn festival at the end of September, and this mocktail was the first item on the menu. Just like our weather in Vermont we would be looking back on the hot, hazy, humid days of summer. This bright refreshing drink would be a throwback to the last of the summer sun as it bid us adieu and made room for Autumn’s entrance.
At its core, this is a fast and easy cocktail that suits itself well to batch mixing. Perfect for large parties and events were prep and service time is at a premium. The simple syrup drives the flavor and is cooked in a 2/1/1 ratio of fruit, sugar, and water. We used blackberries. If you use strawberries, then congrats on your strawberry lemonade mocktail!
We used this cocktail to give us one last fond memory as summer faded away, but this would just as delicious at a summer barbeque. The mixture of gentle sour and tart notes of the lemon juice with the sweet fruity notes of the simple syrup would wonderfully complement a ribeye or chuckeye steak off of the grill with a hefty side of Hearty Bacon and Cheese Coleslaw.
Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail
Description
This Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail is intended to be served in disposable event cups. I personally prefer the clear plastic ones, but this could just as easily be poured into a red solo cup or a mason jar. The base of the lemonade is your choice of powdered or liquid mix. That is then super charged with a shot of lemon juice.
The biggest customization of this drink is in the simple syrup used to make it. It is made in a ratio of two parts fruit to one part sugar and one part water. So, two cups of blackberries simmered in a saucepan with a cup each of water and sugar. As the fruit softens, mash thoroughly and strain out the pulp. The liquid left over is your fruit flavored simple syrup. For a thicker syrup, simmer longer to remove some of the water. It will also thicken as it cools.
The viscosity of the syrup plays into the display of the drink. The syrup is one of the first ingredients added to the cup, and the thicker it is, the more lava lamp-like the performance is as it settles. That is part of what makes the straw a hard requirement for serving. The syrup won’t dissolve immediately. The drink is intended to begin its life as lemonade. A tart citrus note left on your palate. Then, the longer you hold the cup and the more the ice melts and you fidget with the straw, the more the syrup dissolves. Transforming the drink into a wonderful blend of fruity sweetness over a softened lemon note.
The drink becomes its own fidget toy that rewards the drinker for playing with their food.
Nutritional Information and Ingredients- Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail
Nutritional Information taken from a combination of the ingredient packaging and the MyFitnessPal app. Serves 1.
Nutrition-
Per serving, recipe serves 1.
Calories: 122
Protein: 0.1
Fat: 0.1
Carbohydrates: 32.3
Ingredients-
- Crystal Light Lemonade
- Lemon Juice
- Blackberry Symple Syrup
- Sugar
- Lemon Garnish
- Ice
Equipment-
- Shaker
- Strainer
Instructions- Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail
It is important that this mocktail be built in stages.
First take the glass or cup that it is going to be served in. Using a rimming pad, or a slice of lemon from the garnish, first rim the outer edge of the cup with lemon juice. Then roll in sugar. The sugar should stick to the rim. It is both decorative and delicious.
Second. Take the rimmed glass and tilt it sideways to a roughly 45-degree angle. This will allow you to drizzle around two tablespoons of the simple syrup in a decorative pattern that will be displayed on the outside of the glass.
Third. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Work quickly to finish the rest of the drink so that the ice does not melt.
Fourth. In an iced shaker (I prefer the Boston style, but it doesn’t matter), about 5 or 6 ounces of lemonade and ¾ of an ounce of lemon juice. Then shake. This will do two things. First, it will chill the drink quickly. Second it will aerate it which will add an almost foam like texture to the liquid. Watch when you add it to the glass, and you will likely see bubbles in the shaker at the very end from this. Once the drink has been shaken vigorously, around 20 or so shakes and strain over the ice and into your serving glass.
Finish with a cocktail straw and lemon garnish.
Spoiler alert… Trigger warning… Something
Below is a terrible video describing the process of making the above cocktail. This is literally our first TikTok video that was done to explain our volunteer bartenders at the festival how to make the mocktail for our patrons. Rest easy knowing both how to make a Blackberry Lemonade Mocktail, but also that this is our rock better and we will only get better with time!
Also we are on TikTok so feel free to check us out over THERE! Part of the way we intend to provide our mission related services is through content and media production. So, even if you can’t or aren’t inclined to donate money or subscribe to our patreon, every like, follow, share, subscribe, and comment on any of our socials is humbling and very much appreciated.
