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This simple and delicious vodka cocktail gets is fruity flavor from fresh ingredients and is balanced out with vanilla vodka. It's the perfect way to enjoy a summer happy hour or any number of special occasions.

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I love a good one liquor cocktail, but that doesn't mean I only want liquor and club soda. And making a tasty drink doesn't mean making a strong drink. There's lots of simple ingredients that can make for a flavorful cocktail. Fresh fresh fruit and herbs are always a great choice when shaking up refreshing drink.
Summer time blackberries make the prefect drink addition, full of natural sweetness and color. This blackberry cocktail gets its deep purple color naturally from muddled blackberries. It's the perfect drink for a hot summer day.
Vanilla vodka is one of those spirits that can linger on your bar cart for too long if you don't have a plan for it. This bright and fresh tasting blackberry martini is a delicious use for vanilla vodka without being too sweet or artificial tasting. The delicious flavors of juicy blackberries, fresh lime, and fresh mint keep this fruity drink on the tart side while the sweet flavors in vanilla vodka add a little simple syrup balance everything out.
How to Make a Blackberry Vanilla Martini
Place mint, blackberries, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently to crush the blackberries.
Add simple syrup, and vodka. Fill the shaker half full with ice cubes.
Shake well.
Double strain through a fine mesh sieve held over a coupe or martini glass to remove the mint pieces and muddled blackberries.
Garnish with fresh blackberries and/or a lime wheel.
Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Make your simple syrup ahead of time. Combine ½ cup hot water with ½ cup sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then store it in a glass jar and cool it completely before making your cocktails. You don't want to use room temperature syrup in your drinks. It'll cause the ice to breakdown too quickly and water down your cocktail.
- Don't have vanilla vodka on hand? Add ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract to regular vodka in your cocktail shaker to keep that delicate sweetness and vanilla twist in the drink.
Try These Recipes for Fruity Drinks
FAQs and Substitutions
Double straining - straining the drink out of the cocktail shaker and through a fine mesh sieve - keeps the blackberry seeds and mint pieces out of your cocktail along with any little bits of ice that may have broken off while shaking. If you don’t mind some bits and pieces in your drink, feel free to skip this step.
Don't have a cocktail shaker on hand? Use a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
It will take a couple minutes to get all of the liquid to drain out of your cocktail shaker. This is due to the mint leaves, ice, and pieces of blackberry contained in your shaker. Tip your shaker upright, then pour at an angle a few times to make sure you get all of the cocktail in your glass.
Absolutely! Frozen blackberries work well in this recipe, just be sure to thaw them first so they're easy to muddle.
I chose Smirnoff Vanilla vodka for this recipe, but Absolut Vanilla or Stoli Vanil would also be an excellent choice.
This cocktail is designed to be served "up" - without ice in the glass - so skip the rocks glass for a martini glass or classic coupe glass. Don't have either kind of serving glass? Try a small wine glass.
More Delicious Cocktail Recipes You'll Love
- Blackberry Mint Julep Cocktail
- Bright and Refreshing Pineapple Vodka Martini with Citrus
- Easy, 4 Ingredient Strawberry Moscow Mules with Ginger Beer
- Non Alcoholic Strawberry Mocktail with Pineapple Juice
- Quick Blueberry French 75 Cocktail is Perfect for Summer
Print the Recipe Card
PrintBlackberry Vanilla Martini
Blackberry and vanilla are a perfect pair. Adding lime to the mix creates a refreshing, tart cocktail in this blackberry vanilla martini.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Cocktail Shaker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vanilla vodka
- 1 ounces simple syrup
- 0.5 ounces lime juice
- 4-5 fresh blackberries
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Muddle mint, blackberries and lime juice in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice, simple syrup, and vodka.
Shake well.
Double strain through a fine mesh strainer held over a coupe or martini glass.
Enjoy!
Keywords: blackberry vanilla martini, vanilla vodka martini, vodka cocktail, vanilla vodka cocktail
Trish
This is so tasty! I like the chunks of fruit, so I don’t strain it.
★★★★★