Fresh Blackberry Syrup

Store in a sealed glass bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month. Keep refrigerated.

Wild blackberries produce a dramatically more complex and tannic syrup than cultivated varieties; if you can forage or source them, the difference is immediately apparent. Frozen blackberries — which have been commercially frozen at peak ripeness — often produce better syrups than out-of-season fresh berries from the supermarket. Press the cooked berries through a fine-mesh strainer firmly; the seeds stay behind but the maximum amount of juice and flavor passes through. A small amount of lemon juice added to the finished syrup brightens the flavor and enhances the vivid purple-black color.

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus and related species) are native to both North America and Europe, where they have been foraged and consumed since prehistoric times — blackberry seeds have been found at Neolithic sites in the UK. Blackberry cordials, wines, and shrubs appear throughout British and American household literature from the 18th century onward, where wild blackberries were transformed into preserved beverages as a way to capture the brief summer season. In American cocktail culture, blackberry is most associated with the Bramble, a gin, lemon, and crème de mûre cocktail created by Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in London in 1984, which inspired a generation of blackberry cocktails. The cold-process and cooked syrup methods both produce excellent blackberry syrups — cooked produces more depth and a longer shelf life, cold-process produces brighter, fresher fruit flavor.

A blackberry-sage syrup can be made by adding four fresh sage leaves during the last five minutes of simmering, creating a savory-sweet profile excellent in bourbon and rye cocktails. A blackberry-thyme variation using two sprigs of fresh thyme alongside the berries produces a more herbaceous, complex syrup. For a spiced blackberry syrup suited to mulled wine and winter cocktails, add one cinnamon stick, two whole cloves, and a star anise during simmering.

No common top-eight allergens. Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Blackberry allergies are rare. Those with salicylate sensitivity should be aware that blackberries are high in natural salicylates.