Blackberry Lemon Rosemary Spritzer

We’ve been keeping up with a tradition we’ve had for the past 12 years, picking wild blackberries each summer to freeze for our smoothies and other things.  Our previous record was 19 gallons but we’ve got that beat this year!  We moved to our new home a year and a half ago and just bought the neighboring parcel of land.  With a total of 13 acres now, we have one acre at that back that’s entirely grown over with…blackberries!  With our long-held blackberry-picking tradition, needless to say we’re very happy we’ve acquired a thriving blackberry patch :)

Blackberries literally grow like weeds here in Washington State and it only takes a few minutes of picking to acquire a healthy stash of them.  And now that our kids are old enough to pick with us, we’ve got a nice little crew of blackberry pickers to help with the task.  Their incentive:  Homemade blackberry syrup on their pancakes and waffles, blackberry jam and blackberry fruit leather.  They’re happy campers.  Plus it’s fun family bonding time.  And we soon forget all the scratches, thorns and battle scars once we’re tasting the fruits of our labor!

This summer has yielded the best crop of blackberries we’ve ever seen – exceptionally large, juicy and sweet.  I guess that’s the one (and only) perk of having endured Washington’s record cold and wet Spring!  It’s all about the silver lining, right?  And that lining came in the form of the most amazing blackberries.

My latest creation with blackberries is this delightfully refreshing spritzer.

We had my family over for Sunday dinner and later on that evening I served these for the first time.  I waited till everyone took their first sip and watched as they raised their eyebrows and commented how delicious it was.  Most of them weren’t able to quite place that “certain flavor” (despite the fact that each glass had a sprig of rosemary sticking out of it, hello!) and were pleasantly surprised to find out what it was.  It was a hit and a request was made for more the following Sunday.

You’re going to love the pairing of sweet blackberries, peppery rosemary and tangy lemon!

Serve these drinks with a slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh rosemary and your guests will be wowed by the beauty of the deep blueish-red garnished with the yellow and green. And then of course once they take that first sip…

What I love about it too is that the blackberry syrup for this drink can be made from either fresh or frozen blackberries.  So you can freeze them and have access to making blackberry syrup year-round for this delicious drink.

Bottoms up!

Let’s get started!

This drink calls for blackberry syrup.

Blackberry syrup is easy to make.  Think of it as a simple syrup that you would use for cocktails.  It’s simply a blackberry infusion with sugar.  Here is the recipe for Homemade Blackberry Syrup.  Alternatively, you can either use store-bought blackberry syrup.

With your blackberry syrup in hand you’re ready to make your spritzer.

Place the rosemary needles in a glass and mash them around with a cocktail muddler or similar.  Or just crush the needles between your fingers and add them to the glass.  The purpose here is to release the oils in the rosemary.

Add a little seltzer (sparkling water) and swish it around to infuse it with the rosemary.  Remove and discard the rosemary.  Add the lemon juice.

Add the blackberry syrup, ice cubes and more seltzer.  Give it a stir.

Serve the Blackberry Lemon Rosemary Spritzers with a slice of lemon and sprig of rosemary.

Enjoy!

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Blackberry Lemon Rosemary Spritzer

Prep Time

5 mins

 

You’re going to love the pairing of sweet blackberries, peppery rosemary and tangy lemon! 

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 230 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary needles
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup blackberry syrup
• or Homemade Blackberry Syrup
• ice cubes
• Seltzer (sparkling water)
• slice of lemon and sprig of rosemary, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place the rosemary leaves in the bottom of a glass and use a cocktail muddler or similar to mash them a bit.  Add a little seltzer and swish it around.  Remove and discard the rosemary.  

2. Add the lemon juice, blackberry syrup, ice cubes and seltzer.  Give it a stir.  Garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of fresh rosemary.

Nutrition Facts

Blackberry Lemon Rosemary Spritzer

Amount Per Serving

Calories 230

% Daily Value*

Sodium 49mg 2%

Potassium 53mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 62g 21%

Sugars 62g

Vitamin C 7%

Calcium 1.1%

Iron 16.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.