I went into a deep dive of brunch recipe brainstorming a couple of months ago, and the blackberry bramble cocktail kept popping onto my radar. There was just one problem: it requires blackberry liqueur, and I definitely didn’t have any of that. So rather than shelling out the cash on having some shipped to me, I decided to make my own. And now you can have homemade blackberry liqueur, too. 🙂
This recipe for Crème de Mûre (also known as Blackberry Liqueur) makes about a pint and takes a while to let the flavors really blend together. Be prepared to invest some time into this recipe, as it tastes the best after two months of blending.
It can be drank in two weeks, but the flavors of the liqueur won’t be quite as complex. If you’re as nerdy as I am, make two batches. Store one for two weeks and use it as needed, but keep the other as a backup and let it blend for a couple of months. Once you’re ready to crack into the second one, see if you notice a difference in taste.
Ingredients for this Blackberry Liqueur Recipe
- 1/2 cup fine Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 cup Vodka
- 6 oz. fresh Blackberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
How do I make Blackberry Liqueur (Creme de Mure)?
- Thoroughly wash the blackberries.
- Combine the blackberries and sugar in a sterilized jar and stir to mix.
- Stir in the water and vodka.
- Cover and store in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, upwards of two months.
- Shake the liqueur every few days if possible.
- Strain the blackberry liqueur through a fine mesh sieve into a fresh sterilized jar.
- Use for a variety of cocktails or drink it as is!
I stored the first batch for two months before tasting it, and I loved it. However, I wanted to see if it was possible to have a delicious blackberry liqueur in a shorter amount of time. I made a second batch, tasted it after ten days, and loved it, too! But the differences were noticeable in both taste and color. The younger liqueur was fresh, vibrant, and brightly colored. The older one was much less vibrant in color, but much more complex in flavor.
I’ve seen a lot of recipes that call for red wine, but we aren’t doing that here. In my opinion, the red wine can overpower the simple fruit in this liqueur, so we aren’t going that route. Keeping this recipe simple really lets the blackberry flavor shine, which is exactly what we want.
The sugar in this recipe helps bring out the juice of the berries, and helps add a touch of sweetness to the recipe so it isn’t too tart.
What is Crème de Mûre?
Crème de Mûre IS blackberry liqueur, made with blackberry juice. It hails from France, and can be found pretty easily at major stores or online. It sells for under $20, but if you make your own blackberry liqueur at home, you can save yourself about $15. 🙂 But yes, Crème de Mûre is blackberry liqueur from France.
Crème de Mûre Cocktails
The most popular cocktail recipe with Crème de Mûre is the Blackberry Bramble Cocktail. It has gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and this homemade blackberry liqueur.
While you’re waiting for your liqueur to blend, here are some of my other favorite fruit-based cocktails:
- Blueberry Cilantro Margaritas
- Blackberry Bourbon Smash
- skinny blackberry margarita
- Grilled Peach and Bourbon Cocktail
- Man O’ War Bourbon Cocktail with Luxardo Cherry Juice (not so much fruity, but REALLY good!)
This is an ideal liqueur to make in February or March (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere), when the weather starts to gift you a really warm day every now and then and really makes you yearn for spring. I love to make a couple batches of this Crème de Mûre recipe in late February, that way it’s ready for me to drink on the better days in April!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me directly via email. And if you get a chance to make this liqueur, tag me on Instagram so I can see!
Cheers! xx Sara
Homemade Blackberry Liqueur (Crème de Mûre)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces fresh Blackberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 cup fine Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 cup Vodka
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the blackberries. Combine the blackberries and sugar in a sterilized jar and mix thoroughly to coat the blackberries in sugar.
- Stir in the water and vodka.
- Seal the jar, and store it in a dark, cool place for at least two weeks, preferably up to two months. Shake the jar every few days, if possible.
- Strain the contents through a fine mesh sieve into a new sealable container.
- Use for cocktails or drink on the rocks. Store in the refrigerator for up to six months.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Wow loving those close up shots! This is such an easy and simple recipe! I don’t drink but I will be sharing this with friends who do. Thanks for sharing!
This is so easy and simple to make. Thanks for your recipe. I love the combinations too.
Thank you so much, Veena! I’m so happy to share!
Can you make brandy or wine out of blackberries without adding whiskey or wine or any other kind of liquor?
You can make blackberry wine without adding liquor! I believe it takes about a year and a half to completely ferment and develop into a wine, though. I found this site that you can check out! https://practicalselfreliance.com/homemade-blackberry-wine/ Adding liquor to the blackberries (like this recipe!) just speeds up the process a lot! Hope this helps, David!
In going through my Mom’s old recipe books I found a recipe for blackberry jam that called for blackberry liqueur. Today I’ve started with this recipe, and in about two months I’ll have some outstanding jam to gift my friends at Christmas!
Oh Wanda that is SO special!! I can’t wait for your friends to receive their blackberry jams!! I’m sure they will be absolutely amazing, especially with you making them from a recipe from your mom’s recipe book!
This sounds absolutely incredible and I have also just made this liqueur. I usually make blackberry (or as we call them in Scotland, brambles) jam too so if you’d be willing to part with your mum’s jam recipe that calls for a bramble liqueur, I would love to make it!
Absolutely delicious! I let mine rest for two months (I had some blackberries at the beginning of the year that I needed to use up), and the flavor of this blackberry liqueur is complex, slightly sweet, and very very good. it’s easily the best blackberry liqueur recipe that I’ve found on the internet!!
I’m SO glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much, Sanchia!! And I LOVE that you let it do its thing for two months – how awesome! Thank you for taking the time to comment, and cheers to your homemade3 blackberry liqueur!
I usually make a blackberry port which is shelf stable until opened. Does this liquor have to be stored in the fridge after bottling if in opened?
Hi Valerie! I would recommend refrigerating it after bottling to be safe! We’ve made it a few times and I’ll leave it on our bar cart for a couple of weeks, but refrigerating it is ideal, especially if you plan on keeping it for a longer period of time!
I’m wanting to make this. I live on the Central Oregon Coast & we have a huge amount of blackberries this year!
3 questions…..
I’ve picked an enormous amount of blackberries & frozen them. Can the frozen berries, once thawed, be used for this?
Can this recipe be multiplied?
Can this recipe be canned?
This would make a wonderful gift, but would need to be shelf stable, in some way.
How awesome that you have so many incredible blackberries this year!! You can definitely use thawed berries for this recipe – and you can multiply it, too! As far as canning goes, I’ve never canned anything, so I’m not exactly sure. However, the alcohol in the liqueur will act as a preservative, so it should be perfectly fine if stored in clean glass jars for a few months! I’ve actually kept some of this for over a year, and while it never actually goes bad, it does start to lose a little flavor after an extended period of time. So if you make these soon and store them in a cool, dark place – they should be great as gifts over the next few months! I hope this helps!
Can you make this with frozen blackberries?
Frozen blackberries will work!