These festive, refreshing Blackberry Lemonade Margaritas include fresh blackberry puree, lemonade, and tequila. Tart, lightly sweet, and delicious. A great warm weather party drink!
Our house has become somewhat famous for the margaritas that happen here. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill, jug of margarita mix combined with cheap tequila kind of drinks. I’m talking about fresh ingredients at their peak, lots of fresh squeezed citrus, and high quality tequila – the good stuff! They’re fabulous and a little dangerous. In a good way of course.
My husband has become quite the bartender over the years and I have become completely and thoroughly spoiled by his barkeep skills. It’s a rare occasion that I get a drink anywhere that I feel is on par with his creations which is why I enlisted him as my expert consultant when I came up with this tasty margarita.
It’s precisely what is in order for Cinco de Mayo, but honestly, why wait?
Let’s make a drink!
To create fresh, seedless blackberry puree, process a container of fresh blackberries in a blender until smooth and then pour the puree into a wire mesh colander over a small bowl. Use a spoon to push the liquid through the mesh, leaving the seeds behind.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the seedless blackberry puree. How much sugar you should add depends on the sweetness of your berries and your own taste. This can be done several days in advance if you’d like to get it done and out of the way. Just keep the puree in a covered container in your refrigerator until you’re ready to mix up your cocktails.
For a pretty (and tasty) touch, combine some sugar and lemon zest for the rim of your glasses. Just run a cut lemon around the rim of the glass to moisten it and roll the edge of the glass around in the sugar/zest mixture.
Spoon some of the blackberry puree into an ice-filled cocktail shaker (for the precise measurements, see the printable recipe below). Add some prepared lemonade, a nice quality silver tequila (see my note below), and the juice of a lemon. I always choose Meyer lemons when I can get my hands on them. They are vibrantly yellow, a bit sweeter than other types, and SO delicious in cocktails. Shake that shaker like there’s no tomorrow and then strain the drinks over ice. I like to garnish each cocktail with a slice of lemon and a fresh blackberry just to let folks know what they’re getting into.
There are many different varieties of high quality tequila out there but for this Blackberry Lemonade Margarita, I prefer a silver tequila. It’s crisp, clear, and has a clean finish that works really well when mixing up margaritas. Patron Silver is always a good choice but we also like Don Julio, Milagro, and Corzo. For a really nice tequila at a bargain price you should totally give Camarena a try. It’s a good one!
Blackberry Lemonade Margaritas
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Puree:
- 1 ½ to 2 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
For the Margarita:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 lemons, use Meyer lemons if possible
- 4 teaspoons blackberry puree
- 4 ounces prepared lemonade, homemade or store bought
- 4 ounces good quality silver tequila
Instructions
- Process blackberries in a blender until smooth. Place a wire mesh colander over a small bowl and pour the blackberry puree into the colander, pushing it through the wire mesh and into the bowl with the back of a spoon. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar to the seedless puree and stir to combine. Taste and add additional sugar if desired. Cover bowl and refrigerate puree until ready to make cocktails. Can be made several days in advance.
- Place ¼ cup sugar on a small plate. Add the zest of one lemon and mix to combine. Run the cut side of a lemon lightly around the rim of your margarita glasses and then dip the moistened rim into the sugar/zest mixture to coat the rim. Fill each glass about half-way with ice.
- Fill a cocktail shaker about ¾ full with ice. Add 2 teaspoons of the blackberry puree, 2 ounces lemonade, and 2 ounces silver tequila. Squeeze in the juice of ½ a lemon. Place cover on shaker and shake vigorously. Strain through the cocktail shaker over ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a blackberry and serve.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients for second cocktail.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Looks fantastic have you ever tried to add raspberries or strawberries in to the puree, was woundering if that was a way to mix things up
Thanks for sharing! Which parts of this can I make ahead of time?
Could I make this margarita in a frozen form? I prefer them frozen and how do I make them frozen? Thank you.
That would be a completely different recipe. I would suggest looking for a recipe for a frozen margarita. There are lots of good ones out there!
I make frozen ones all the time. Just add ice in a blender with the ingredients and blend until smooth. The ice does tend to dilute the flavors a bit, so I’d add a bit more blackberry puree and lemonade.
This drink looks absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to making it. This next comment has nothing to do with your recipe. I noticed your pic of a new puppy. We lost our bostie lastyear and been looking for another. Can you tell me the breeder you got your puppy from. Will look forward to hearing from you. Thank you Sue Buresh from Iowa.
Hi Sue. So sorry to hear about your Boston. They are such a wonderful breed, aren’t they? We live in California and we got our baby girl, Bridget from someone who decided to breed their girl just one time so I don’t think I can be of much help there. I’m sure there are reputable breeders in your area so keep searching and I hope that you find a new baby soon 🙂
I will be making these as a signature drink at our 1 year anniversary party! Any tips on making the margaritas in larger portions?
Hi, Bria and happy anniversary! I’d be inclined to have you look for a cocktail recipe that is made by the pitcher or a blender drink. You can definitely serve these to a group but they are shaker drinks so there will be lots of shaking goin’ on 🙂
Hi Valerie! I suppose I have to make this on my own and you not going to make it for me lol. Does it have to be a very expensive tequila? I would love to drink this on a sunset at the beach with my girlfriend 🙂
Hi Peter. Not all good tequilas are super expensive. If you read the very last paragraph of this post I talk about a few different brands. For a very nice tequila that is also a great value, look for Camarena. Of course, Patron is excellent but quite expensive. Just be sure you use a Silver tequila and I’m sure it will be very tasty!
Hey! Made these tonight and when I made the full amount of berries suggested and then only added 1tsp as called for in the ingredients, I had a HUGE amount left over. Was this intentional?
Hello, Maren. The recipe calls for a total of 4 teaspoons of the puree (2 teaspoons per drink) although, some may prefer to add more. The amounts called out in the recipe will make enough puree for several batches of drinks and will keep well for several days or more if covered and refrigerated. You could certainly make less if wanted. I hope you enjoyed the drinks 🙂
Oh my gosh these look wonderful!
Ummmmm MARGARITAS! These are a must-make for me, I’ve never had blackberry and these look delicious! 🙂
Thanks, Amy! I take that as a huge compliment coming from the Cocktail Queen 🙂
oh two loves of mine in the same glass, too good I don’t have to pick since you combined them 🙂 blackberry and lemons juts go so well together, sweet, fresh, fragrant and delicious!
I’m with you on this, Katalina! It is a wonderful combination. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Margaritas are my favorite cocktail—and I’d be over the moon with your blackberry lemonade version! And I love my Crisp Cooking tools, too 🙂