Every Halloween party need a spooky cocktail. This one is made with fresh blackberries so I knew I would love it. How can you go wrong with fresh blackberries, rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, a few dashes of orange bitters, tequila and sparking water? Simple enough and perfect for the occasion.
To make the drink: muddle blackberries, lemon juice, simple syrup, orange bitters and tequila. Strain over ice, top with sparking water and garnish with blackberries and rosemary sprigs! Voila. You have a Black Widow Smash.
The recipe is for a single serving, but it’s easy to make a batch by multiplying by 8. I always like to have extra ingredients on hand to make more. I know my guests, and they love specialty drinks!
I coated the rim of each glass in Rose Sugar I purchased from The Spice & Tea Exchange in Mount Dora, FL. It worked out perfectly! I love the sugar around the drink and the rose just made it more fragrant. You can make your own with salt or sugar and crushed edible flowers.
I adapted this recipe from Half Baked Harvest’s original recipe because I don’t like honey in my drinks – except of course for a strong hot toddy. Substituting the honey for a rosemary infused simple syrup was the way to go for me. It was delicious! The rosemary added a subtle flavor and it wasn’t overpowering at all. Infused simple syrups are always fantastic and they look stunning when included in a bar set up.
Note: Rosemary Simple Syrup is so easy. Just dissolve over medium heat equal parts of granulated sugar and water with a bunch of rosemary sprigs. Allow to cool and pour into a glass jar with rosemary sprigs as shown above.
Black Widow Smash
A spooky and delicious Halloween cocktail. The perfect drink for your next party. Add some dry ice for the smokey, scary effect.
Ingredients
Black Widow Smash
- 8 blackberries, plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, plus one rosemary sprig to garnish
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 Tablespoons Rosemary Simple Syrup (recipe below)
- 2 ounces white tequila
- a few dashes orange bitters
- sparking water for topping
- ice cubes
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Making the Rosemary Simple Syrup
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Add rosemary sprigs, water and granulated sugar to a sauce pot. Dissolve sugar over medium heat and allow to simmer for a minute. Turn heat off and allow to cool at room temperature. Strain into a decorative glass jar.
Making the Black Widow Smash
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In a cocktail shaker, muddle together blackberries, rosemary, lemon juice, rosemary simple syrup, tequila and orange bitters. Stain over cocktail glass with ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with extra berries and rosemary sprig.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was adapted from Half Baked Harvest’s Black Widow Smash.
