Blackberry Tequila Cooler

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

I had planned on saving this post to share for later this summer, during Farmer’s Market Week, but life got in the way and I wasn’t able to make the recipe I had planned for this week. I’m trying really hard to stick to an editorial calendar – cooking, reading, and blogging in a way that gives you a good assortment of posts while simultaneously allowing me to get ahead a bit and not be flailing from week to week.

I’ve been doing pretty good so far – at least on the getting ahead front. But I’m still mostly drafting posts week-to-week, while I prep for some bigger events coming up (Summer Desserts Week! Farmer’s Market Week! and before you know it, it’ll be fall and I’ll be all about apples and squash and cranberries). Coupled with my daughter giving me her cooties this week and my husband being away, life just didn’t work out as planned.

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

But that’s ok. I had a great week, even with a sore throat, frog-like voice and sniffles. My mom came to visit. We went strawberry picking and then made 6 batches of our favorite strawberry jam. She also made a quick batch of my grandma’s bread and butter pickles, as I had received more cucumbers from my local CSA than I knew what to do with. She left at the same time as my husband so I flew solo for the week.

Apart from working one day, I actually had a super productive week. I got a pesto made, photographed, and stashed in the freezer. I made a mini-muffin version of this Chocolate Zucchini Bread for the kid’s lunchboxes (although I call it Chocolate Cake, so that they don’t reject it before tasting it). And I’ve spend a lot of time picking up the piles of stuff that have accumulated all over the house, over the past couple of months – thanks to several generous sponsors and near constant travel throughout the spring. Yes, I’m feeling pretty good.

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

Now if only I could relax this evening, after a busy week, with a glass of this Blackberry Tequila Cooler. I made this recipe a few weeks ago when we had friends over, and it was a bright, tart cocktail that was super refreshing in the hot afternoon sun. I really liked that it could be made before guests arrived, and then stashed in the fridge for easy serving.

Despite the times noted below, I did keep the tequila mixture – in the fridge, and enjoyed it over the course of a couple of days, just giving a quick stir and topping with the sparkling wine just before serving.

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

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A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

Blackberry Tequila Cooler

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Refrigerate 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 323 kcal
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar OR 1 c. simple syrup
  • 8 sprigs fresh mint more for garnish, if desired
  • 5 oz. fresh blackberries (about 1 cup)
  • 2 c. fresh lime juice (from about 16 limes)
  • 8 dashes angostura bitters
  • 1 1/2 c. chilled reposado tequila
  • 2 c. dry sparkling wine chilled
  • Optional Garnishes: addition springs of mint, slices of lime, etc.

Instructions

Make the Simple Syrup:

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar with 1 cup of cold water. Heat, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Cook for 3 minutes, before removing from heat and allowing to cool, about 5 minutes.

Make the Blackberry-Mint Syrup:

  1. In a blender, combine 1 c. simple syrup, leaves from mint sprigs, and blackberries. Puree until smooth.

  2. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain mixture into a bowl or glass, pressing down with a rubber spatula to get as much of the syrup as possible, about 1 cup. Refrigerate until cold - at least 1 hour, but as long as 3 days.

  3. Next, transfer blackberry syrup to a large glass serving pitcher. Add bitters, tequila, and 1 1/2 c. cold water to the pitcher and stir. If serving immediately, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, the cocktail can be returned to the fridge for up to another day.

  4. Add lime juice to pitcher and stir to combine. If serving immediately, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, the cocktail can be returned to the fridge for up to 2 more hours.

  5. Serve: Stir cocktail mixture before pouring about 5 oz. of mixture into a glass filled halfway with ice. Top with 3-4 oz. sparkling wine. Garnish with additional springs of mint or slices of lime, if desired, and serve immediately.

This recipe was adapted fromĀ Rachel Ray Every Day, June 2019 (p 47).

A make ahead cocktail to serve a crowd, this Blackberry Tequila Cooler combines sweet blackberries, tart lime, and bubbly wine for a light and refreshing summer cocktail.

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