Spicy Vodka Blackberry Smash Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

Make this Spicy Vodka Blackberry Smash your new favorite drink of summer. The co*cktail is packed with blackberry flavor along with subtle touches of mint and jalapeño.

We've entered the portion of summer where everyone is starting to say, "I'm SO ready for fall." Well, I'd just like to make this very important public service announcement that I respectfully disagree with all of those summer haters and am in no way, shape, or form ready for summer to be over.

Sure, it was 100 degrees in Boston last week and it will likely hit high 90s again next week, but I'm still perfectly happy sitting here in this summer bliss. And though I absolutely love fall, I am not even close to ready for summer to end. I still have over a week to go before my summer vacation in Maine!

And I haven't done nearly enough grilling. Or summer co*cktail-ing. Why haven't I been making more summer co*cktails?? SOS.

Welp, there's no time like the present to start, so I'm here today on this very glorious co*cktail Friday to present you with a Spicy Vodka Blackberry Smash.

Whenever I think of "smash" co*cktails, I think of whiskey, but you can really use any type of liquor you choose.

And though I do like whiskey and do think it would be delicious in this co*cktail, on a sunny summer afternoon, I often prefer something a bit lighter, like vodka.

SPICY VODKA BLACKBERRY SMASH RECIPE

I tested this co*cktail a few different ways before landing on this final recipe. Smashes can be made in a variety of different ways, from straining out the smashed ingredients to adding the smashed ingredients into the co*cktail (I'm in the camp that says they should be added!).

But before I got started on the smashing, I made a mint simple syrup, which is really just a simple syrup with some fresh mint leaves added in for flavoring.

Follow the directions here, but also be sure to check out my full post on how to make mint simple syrup (with video included!).

It's easy to make and fabulous for keeping in a jar in your fridge for all your summer simple syrup needs.

Then comes the smashing! Just add your blackberries and chopped jalapeños to a shaker and smash away. You'll want to smash as much as you can to extract as much juice as possible from the blackberries and to muddle the jalapeños really well so you don't get any chunks when you're sipping.

This co*cktail isn't super spicy, but if you want to tone down the heat even more, scrape the seeds out of the jalapeños before adding to the shaker.

Once everything is muddled, add vodka, simple syrup, and lime juice, along with some crushed ice.

Shake really well and then pour into a co*cktail glass. I didn't strain it and just added the whole shebang to the glass.

And top off with a little bit of soda water to fill it to the top. Oh, and I added a little sugared rim to my glass (I just rubbed a lime wedge around the glass and put it upside-down on a plate full of coarse sugar.

Add the co*cktail garnishes of your choosing, but I recommend some blackberries, a jalapeño slice, and some mint leaves.

Not only is this spicy vodka blackberry smash a pretty cool color, but it's also a refreshingly sweet drink, too.

I feel like we rarely fully enjoy the deliciousness of blackberries. They're generally a pretty pricey fruit and you don't often find them in fruit salads and if they are, you only get a few. Sometimes I forget how delicious they are.

This blackberry smash made me realize I need to splurge on them more often... Or at least make sure I buy them every time they're on sale.

Like I mentioned, this co*cktail isn't overly spicy, but has a little bit of delicious jalapeño flavor. The mint flavor is also pretty subtle.

You could always muddle some mint leaves in with the berries and jalapeños, but I really wanted to let the blackberry flavor shine so appreciated the subtle mint and jalapeño complementary flavors.

I think this spicy vodka blackberry smash just became my new favorite summer drink.

Luckily we still have quite a bit of summer left. Can we all just vow to enjoy it instead of wishing it away? Maybe you'll enjoy it more if I offer you a blackberry smash?

We can drink it together out in the sun on my deck. Or if you prefer, we could sit in the air conditioned house instead.

If you like this co*cktail recipe, be sure to check out my Blueberry Vodka Lemonade (one of the most popular recipes on my blog!) and my Blackberry Lemonade Margarita. I also want to try this Blackberry Thyme Spritzer from Fork in the Road!

📖 Recipe