Blackberry Cucumber Cocktail

This refreshing late summer cocktail uses fruity muddled blackberries, vodka, crisp cucumber and bubbly sparkling water for some fizz. Garnish with fresh herbs for a presentation as good as it looks!

Ingredients

This berry-filled cocktail looks impressive but only requires 3 simple steps to throw together.

First, you'll add vodka, freshly squeezed lime juice and a bit of agave to a cocktail shaker with some ice. Give that a healthy shake for up to 15 seconds - long enough so that the cocktail shaker feels cold in your hands.

Second, place a few fresh, plump blackberries in your glasses. Use a muddler to mash the berries into a beautiful blue pulp.

Muddling helps the berries release all their natural sugars into the cocktail. As a result, your drink will taste sweet without much added sugar. If you don't have a muddler at home, a spoon should do the trick.

However, a dedicated muddler is a good idea if you fall in love with this fresh berry cocktail and want to try your hand at other flavor combinations!

Finally, combine everything. Pour the contents of your chilled cocktail shaker over your glass of muddled berries.

Top with a bit of refreshing sparkling water and add the garnishes of your choosing.

We add thin strips of shaved cucumber to each glass. Not only do they look gorgeous, but they also add an extra refreshing kick of cucumber in each blackberry cocktail.

You can serve with fresh lime wedges on the side, and any fresh herbs you have on hand for garnish.

Mint, oregano, basil would all work well. We switch it up every time we make this - you really can't go wrong with any herb. There's something so summery about a fruity cocktail with fresh green notes from cucumber and herbs!

How to customize

The base of blackberries, lime and agave offers a wonderful backdrop to experiment with. We made these blackberry cocktails with vodka, but you could also use gin.

Even tequila would give these cocktails a fun margarita-esque flavor.

We actually added a bit more cucumber flavor with cucumber-infused vodka. It complements the fresh cucumber and adds a deeper flavor profile to each sip. You should be able to find some at your local liquor store or a speciality grocery store.

Alternatively, you can make your own cucumber infused vodka! Check out our guide on how to infuse liquors here.

There are plenty of other uses for cucumber-infused vodka. Add it to these Strawberry Moscow Mules, these Key Lime Cucumber Gin Cocktails, or simply mix with some fresh lime juice and seltzer water for the easiest cocktail ever!

Serving Suggestions

Now that you have the beverage menu down, let's talk food pairings. These refreshing blackberry cucumber cocktails go nicely with anything grilled. A satisfying grilled cauliflower steak with white bean salad would be delicious.

Here are some other dishes to enjoy with your summery drink:

• Vegan Pulled Mushroom BBQ Sandwich
• Soba Noodles with Scallion Dressing
• Homemade Four Berry Pie Bars
• Vegan Blueberry Cornbread
• Vegan Cobb Salad with Eggplant Bacon

If you make this blackberry cucumber vodka cocktail, 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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