Blackberry Blackberry Cocktail

Blackberry Blackberry is a delicious cocktail that combines bourbon, bitters, champagne and, interestingly enough, embers! As you are spending an afternoon warming up by the fire, you can enjoy a cocktail that will continue to keep you warm. "I like that it’s fruity, but not sweet. The blackberry syrup gets caramelized when you ember it, so it has a smoky blackberry flavor. The splash of champagne helps to dry it out while adding a hint of effervescence," says Mixologist and Sommelier Matt Poli. Embrace cooler temperatures, but make it more fun with a cocktail in your hand!

Blackberry Blackberry

1 oz. Embered Blackberry Syrup*

0.5 oz. Lime juice

0.25 oz. Aperol

1.5 oz. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon

1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters

Add ingredients to a shaker tin and shake on ice.

Strain into an old fashioned glass on a large piece of ice.

Top with a splash of champagne and garnish with a fresh blackberry. Cheers!

*To make the Embered Blackberry Syrup:

2 cups fresh blackberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

Muddle the blackberries into the sugar until the berries are good and smashed. Add the hot water to mix. Place on the stove over medium-high heat, and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the syrup. Then, in a metal container, take a red hot ember from the campfire and insert it into the syrup until extinguished. Allow it to cool then strain through cheesecloth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.