Bramble Blackberry Simple Syrup

A rich purple, simple and sweet blackberry simple syrup. The perfect seasonal syrup, making the most out of wild brambles - packed full of flavor! Easy to make, long lasting and a fantastic add in to drinks and desserts.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this syrup
• Ingredient Notes
• Equipment Notes
• How to Make Blackberry Simple Syrup
• Tips
• Storage
• Ideas to Use the Syrup
• More Blackberry Recipes
• Bramble Blackberry Simple Syrup

It's blackberry season! Probably one of my favorite times of the year in the UK. There's so many wild blackberries growing everywhere - its hard not to bring home bushels full from a walk near local fields. But once you have all the blackberries you could ever want - what can you do with them (aside from eating them immediately of course!). One option is this super simple blackberry infused simple syrup! You'll only need a few ingredients and about 15-20 minutes.

Why you'll love this syrup

• Gorgeous color - the depth of purple in this syrup is just incredible! The precise color will depend on your berries, but if they're ripe and ready to eat, they will no doubt give a glorious shade to this syrup.
• Super simple - I know it's called a 'simple syrup' but the idea of infusing it with berries might have you thinking it becomes complex. Absolutely not! This simple syrups stays as simple as it gets - one pan recipe. The only extra tool you'll need is a strainer.
• Fun seasonal flavor - this syrup packs a huge punch of fresh blackberries! While you can make it at other times of the year, nothing beats the fullness of fruits in season.

Ingredient Notes

All you'll need for this recipe are:

• Blackberries - I used fresh brambles picked locally for my syrup. You can use black raspberries, shop bought varieties or frozen blackberries here. If your blackberries are large or a bit under ripe, I'd recommend cutting them in half to help them break down more quickly in the syrup.
• Sugar - just plain old granulated sugar or caster sugar.
• Water
• (optional) Vanilla pod - half a vanilla pod, slit down lengthwise to help the vanilla infuse into the syrup is a great addition here. It's optional, but highly recommended!

Equipment Notes

This is essentially a one pan recipe, but you will need a strainer to remove the blackberry pulp and give you a smooth syrup. All I used was:

• Medium sized saucepan - ideally something deep sided as you'll be boiling the syrup for a few minutes. This is an easily adjustable recipe, so smaller or larger pans will be suitable depending on the amount of syrup you're making.
• Spatula - a small silicone spatula is perfect for stirring this syrup, making sure the sugar dissolves and avoiding the berries catching on the bottom of the pan.
• Fine sieve - a relatively fine meshed strainer will help you to remove the pulp at the end and give you the lusciously smooth syrup.
• Jar, bottle or bowl to store your syrup!

How to Make Blackberry Simple Syrup

If you've ever made a simple syrup - you'll know the basics of this drill!

1. Start by placing your ingredients in your saucepan - all can go in at the same time. Place this over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
2. Once your sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes), turn the heat up slightly and allow to boil.
3. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to ensure that the berries aren't becoming stuck on the bottom of the pan and burning. See tips below for info on the length of boiling.
4. Strain through a fine meshed sieve to remove the vanilla pod and pulp, leaving you with a smooth vibrant purple simple syrup.
5. Allow to cool and store in the fridge. Length of chilling will depend on intended use - if aiming for a chilled cocktail, it's best to leave for a couple of hours to get thoroughly cool.

Tips

As with most sugar syrups, this recipe is pretty forgiving and infinitely versatile. Don't have vanilla beans? Don't worry - leave it out or add a teaspoon of extract if you want to keep a hint of vanilla flavor here. Want to try infusing something else? Give it a go!

My top tips are:

• The best berries to use here will be fresh, local wild blackberries or black raspberries. When ripe, these are relatively small, soft fruits as opposed to some of the larger shop bought blackberries. If you're using larger blackberries or some seem less than ripe, don't worry - just cut them in half to help them cook down easier.
• The longer you boil the simple syrup, the more it will reduce and the thicker it will become. Your goal here isn't to make it a candy, so don't go too wild with it! Reduce down too long and you'll eventually get caramel.
• Don't boil on too high a heat - I like to keep it basically just above simmering. This means the flavors are infusing into your syrup but you're less likely to burn the sauce or catch the berries on the base of the pan. Burnt berries will add a burnt flavor to the syrup even if you're straining the berries out.
• Your sieve only needs to be fine enough that the bulk of the pulp is removed. If you have one that you sift your flour with, this should be sufficient. The larger the mesh, the more likely some of the pulp might come through, but that won't be the end of the world.

Storage

This blackberry infused simply syrup should be kept chilled. If stored in an airtight container, it is usually fine for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

You can also freeze the syrup - a good way to freeze for use in cocktails is in ice cube trays. This allows you to defrost small amounts at a time, rather than a whole tub of syrup!

Ideas to Use the Syrup

Now that you've made your syrup, you might be wondering - what do I do with it?! Well, fear not, there are so many options here!

• Try some blackberry infused cocktails and mocktails. Why not add to prosecco or champagne for a quick flavorful fizz? Or use in place of simple syrup in an old fashioned for a blackberry twist on a classic?
• Use as a sauce to give flavor to desserts. Try in place of my bourbon cherries in my easy Cherry Panna Cotta recipe or pour over a slice of Vanilla Bean No Bake Cheesecake.
• Serve with ice cream or yogurt or as a sweet dip for soft brioche rolls, like my Mini Brioche Buns.

More Blackberry Recipes

• Blackberry Bay Donuts
• Apple Blackberry Crisp
• Small Batch Blackberry Jam
• Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Lemon Blackberry Layer Cake