Blackberry Lemon Spritzer

Looking for a sweet, fancy drink for the next brunch with the girls? Or, how about Mother’s Day? Hey, how about even just an evening by the pool this summer?

Here’s a beautifully refreshing drink using fresh blackberries and lemon juice that rivals any strawberry drink for gorgeous color!

I have to admit, I was really surprised when I first poured this drink and found the color to be every bit as bright as fresh watermelon. It was amazing the color that those blackberries made. Photographically, I really wanted this to be more pastel for Spring. I ended up keeping it bright because … Hello, gorgeous. I’m going to use you all summer long as my evening drink in the shade.

Let’s look at how this is made. Instead of just crushing the berries, I opted to cook them down a bit with the sugar and some water to make a Blackberry simple syrup. This was a great balance to the DRY vanilla soda, one of my favorites in the health food aisle at my local grocery store. The fresh lemon juice, from Meyer lemons if you can get them, adds a zing of acid and the fresh blackberries and thyme serve as a beautiful garnish. Feel free to add an alcohol of your choice to make this EXTRA. I’m thinking a shot of crème vodka or gin would work pretty well, depending on your flavor preference.