Berry Bourbon Lemonade Pitcher Cocktail

This summer bourbon pitcher cocktail is perfect for a crowd! With blackberries, raspberries, bourbon, lemon and sparkling water, it's a little bit of everything. Sweet, strong, tart, fizzy and seriously good. Make for your next summer bbq!

I have to credit my younger brother, Bryce, for this recipe. As a recent (this year!) college grad, he's been our resident bartender all quarantine. He's really quite the mixologist; this blackberry bourbon lemonade is a favorite!

Inspired by his favorite summer fruit (berries) and his favorite liquor (bourbon), this cocktail basically screams summer. We make it in a big pitcher for the whole family. It's perfect for July 4th or just about any other summer entertaining occasion, even if entertaining looks a bit different this year.

If you're unable to see family/friends at the moment, you can also make a single serving. It's a bit of effort for one drink, but well worth it. Plus, I think we could all use a good, strong cocktail right now.

This pitcher cocktail serves eight. If you think everyone will have more than one drink, you might want to double the recipe. We'll also include the proportions for a single cocktail below!

Ingredients

• Bourbon: since there are so many other ingredients in this cocktail, don't use a super high quality, expensive bourbon. Something mid-range works well!
• Lemon juice: you'll need about 12-14 large lemons for this pitcher cocktail. Freshly squeezed, always!
• Chambord or another raspberry liqueur: optional, but love the sweetness.
• Blackberries and raspberries: fresh or frozen. Make sure to save extra for garnish!
• Agave nectar: we love agave in cocktails. It's a natural sweetener with a mild flavor, so it works well here. You could also sub with simple syrup!
• Water: you'll add a bit of water to the agave/berry mixture to keep it from burning.
• Sparkling water or club soda: I love using a berry-flavored sparkling water for extra flavor, but plain club soda works, too!
• Mint leaves and fresh berries: for garnish.

Instructions

1. Heat the water and agave in a saucepan over medium heat. The idea for this cocktail is to make a berry syrup with the blackberries and raspberries.
2. Add the berries and bring to a boil. Stir well and turn off the heat. Let the mixture sit for 20-25 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Use a spoon to press as much juice out of the berries as possible.
3. Add the bourbon, lemon juice, Chambord and berry agave mixture to a large pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4. Add sparkling water/club soda just before serving! You can either add it straight to the pitcher, or top off each individual drink.
5. Optional: garnish with fresh berries and mint.

More summer cocktails you'll love:

• Frozen Watermelon Margaritas
• Blackberry Cucumber Vodka Cocktail
• Long Island Iced Tea (pitcher cocktail)
• Strawberry Peach Sangria
• Bourbon Peach Smash

If you make this summer bourbon berry cocktail recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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