This Blackberry Mojito takes a classic cocktail to the next level with fresh blackberries and a blackberry simple syrup. Citrusy, sweet, bubbly, and totally refreshing.
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Why Make This Recipe
- Perfect for summer: I love this cocktail when blackberries are at their peak. It’s just a glorious way to celebrate these delicious berries, and is a perfect porch-drinking cocktail on a hot summer day. If strawberries are in season instead, go for this Strawberry Mimosa!
- Flexible alcohol content: A mojito can be made as alcoholic as you’d like, by deciding how much rum to add to the drink. You can even make this entirely non-alcoholic (a “nojito” or a virgin mojito), by leaving out the rum entirely—still delicious!
- Less sugar: Have you ever looked at the sugar content in a store-bought mojito mix? Way too high. In this version, the simple syrup adds sugar, but you can choose to put in as much or as little as you like.
🥗 Ingredients for Blackberry Mojito
- Lime Juice: Use freshly squeezed lime juice for this recipe—you will really taste the difference! For a different citrusy twist, try using lemon juice instead.
- Sugar: I used an unrefined white sugar for my simple syrup, but if you want a no-sugar simple syrup, I’ve seen recipes online featuring monk fruit sweetener, allulose, erythritol, or Splenda. The concept is the same (equal parts of sweetener and water), though some sweeteners might not dissolve as completely as regular sugar.
- Rum: Try a dark rum mojito by using dark rum instead of white rum. Coconut rum would be another delicious variation.
- Club Soda: If you don’t have club soda, you can add a splash of sparkling water or even Sprite (though note that Sprite will add more sugar to your cocktail so you might want to add less simple syrup).
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
To make simple syrup, halve 8 blackberries and add to a small saucepan with ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.
Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, until sugar has completely dissolved.
Strain into a jar or measuring cup, pressing on the blackberry solids. Chill until ready to use.
To make the cocktail, gently muddle 4 blackberries, 1 ounce lime juice, and 4 mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with a muddler or a fork. Blackberries should be crushed and mint leaves bruised.
Add 1.5 ounces of rum and 1 ounce of blackberry simple syrup. Add ice to the shaker, then cover and shake well, until outside of shaker is very cold. Add ice to a serving glass, along with 6 blackberries and 6 mint leaves. Now pour the mojito through the strainer into the glass.
Top off with a couple of ounces of club soda.
Repeat for second glass, and serve.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Though you’re not drinking straight rum in this cocktail, a great mojito requires at least a decent rum. You don’t need to break the bank, but don’t go for the cheapest option on the shelf. Also, remember that a dark or flavored rum can provide an interesting twist for your mojito.
Yes, this is a great party drink. The blackberry simple syrup recipe serves about 6-7 people already, so you may not even have to double it. For the rest of the recipe, just multiply the quantities for the number of people you are serving.
You can muddle ingredients in a heavy measuring cup, then strain it into the pitcher. Add the rest of the ingredients (except ice and garnishes) and chill. Fill serving glasses with ice and garnishes. Then pour in the cocktail, leaving some room for a little club soda in each glass.
A cocktail shaker is definitely not required for this recipe! You can use a fork to muddle the mint leaves and blackberries in a glass, then add all the rest of the liquid ingredients and mix well.
Fill the glass you want to serve the drink in with ice, then use a strainer to pour the contents of the cocktail from the mixing glass into the serving glass.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Simple syrup is a great ingredient to have around if you like cocktails. You can make a basic simple syrup with just sugar and water, or add different flavorings by adding berries, herbs, spices to the mixture.
Add a bunch of mint leaves to make mint simple syrup, or add some sliced jalapeños to make a spicy simple syrup. My Hibiscus Simple Syrup is one of my favorites. You can keep them in a jar in your refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks.
This recipe ends up making around ¾ cup of blackberry simple syrup, and you definitely will not use it all in two cocktails. So keep it in the fridge to make another batch, or just pour a little into sparkling water for a mocktail!
This recipe is very simple, but there are a few tricks to make your blackberry mojito next-level good. One is to make sure that you are muddling your mint leaves and blackberries gently. Muddling releases the essential oils in the mint leaves by bruising them—you really don’t want to muddle so hard that you shred the leaves.
The second trick is that straining process after the muddling. You can, of course, skip that step, but straining prevents blackberry seeds in your cocktail. Also, the mashed blackberries and crushed mint leaves just aren’t that attractive in a finished cocktail. In my opinion, it’s well worth it, so your cocktail looks as good as it tastes!
If this mojito recipe has piqued your interest in cocktail making, you may want to stock up on bar tools. My essentials include a stainless steel cocktail shaker, a stirrer, and a muddler. You can buy them separately or in a cocktail set. I also love reusable stainless steel straws for serving cocktails!
Can't get enough summer cocktails? This Whiskey Slush goes down easy on a hot summer day!
Other Delicious Cocktail Recipes
If you love cocktails as much as I do, you may want to check out some of my other favorite drinks.
If you try this Blackberry Mojito recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Blackberry Mojito
This Blackberry Mojito takes this classic cocktail to the next level with fresh blackberries and a blackberry simple syrup. Citrusy, sweet, bubbly, and totally refreshing.
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Simple Syrup
- 8 blackberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
For the Blackberry Mojito
- 20 blackberries
- 16 mint leaves
- 3 ounces white rum
- 2 ounces lime juice
- ½ cup club soda (or to taste)
Instructions
- To make simple syrup, halve blackberries and add to a small saucepan with the sugar and water.
- Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, until sugar has completely dissolved.
- Strain into a jar or measuring cup, pressing on the blackberry solids.
- Chill until ready to use.
- To make the cocktail, gently muddle 4 blackberries, 1 ounce lime juice, and 4 mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with a muddler or a fork. Blackberries should be crushed and mint leaves bruised.
- Add 1.5 ounces of rum and 1 ounce of blackberry simple syrup.
- Add ice to the shaker, then cover and shake well, until outside of shaker is very cold.
- Add crushed ice to a serving glass, along with 6 blackberries and 6 mint leaves.
- Now pour the mojito through the strainer into the glass.
- Top off with a couple of ounces of club soda.
- Repeat for second glass, and serve.
Notes
To Make as a Pitcher Drink: This blackberry simple syrup recipe serves about 6-7 people already, so you may not even have to double it. For the rest of the recipe, just multiply the quantities for the number of people you are serving. You can muddle ingredients in a heavy measuring cup, then strain it into the pitcher. Add the rest of the ingredients (except ice and garnishes) and chill. Add ice and garnishes directly into the serving glasses. Then pour in the cocktail, leaving some room to top off with a little club soda in each glass.
Expert Tips: Muddling releases the essential oils in the mint leaves by bruising them—you really don’t want to muddle so hard that you shred the leaves. Also, note that by straining your cocktail, you prevent getting blackberry seeds in your drink. Also, the mashed blackberries and crushed mint leaves just aren’t that attractive in a finished cocktail. In my opinion, it’s well worth it, so you make yourself a cocktail that looks as good as it tastes!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Ignite Lifestyle Cocktail Shaker Set - 24oz Martini Shaker with Built-In Strainer, Recipe Book, Muddler, Mixing Spoon, Measuring Jigger, 2 Liquor Pourers - Drink Shaker, Bartender Kit for Home Bars -
Stainless Steel Reusable Drinking Straws 6" Short & Safer Straws for Kids, Coffee, Bar, Cocktail Glasses, Half Pint Jars, Ecologically Friendly, Set of 4 Metal Straws with Brush
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 241Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 10gSugar: 21gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
Judee says
Yum! this looks exceptional and I love the twist to blackberries . I'm ready for one right now.
Chef Molly says
I'm always ready for one of these! 😂
Katerina says
I love blackberries and I love making cocktails so this is a perfect recipe for me, Molly, especially now that we are getting a taste of spring here in Canberra. I'm looking forward to summer drinks with this gorgeous mojito included! Thanks so much for sharing.
Chef Molly says
Yes! Pin it for when summer comes--this one is so perfect with ripe blackberries!