This non-alcoholic blackberry sour recipe is the perfect blackberry mocktail for anyone. It’s made with fresh lemon juice, a homemade blackberry syrup, and a zero-proof whiskey alternative, so it’s similar to a seasonal whiskey sour. It has a perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor without any of the booze!
When you’ve spent over a decade mixing up drinks at home, variety becomes important! Inclusivity in drinking means being able to mix up fantastic non-alcoholic options without sacrificing flavor.
💕 why you’ve gotta mix up this blackberry lemon mocktail…
🍋 bright and zesty. Blackberries & lemon are perfect together, and this drink lets both flavors shine.
🙌 actually flavorful. This mocktail is more than just sweetened soda water. We have homemade soda recipes for that. Instead, this drink is worthy of it’s own happy hour, even without the booze.
🚫 no hangovers. Sometimes you want a fancy drink, but you don’t want to worry about feeling sluggish the next day. This drink accomplishes both of those.
🛒 ingredients
- blackberry simple syrup – fresh blackberries can be too tart or sour in cocktails, especially with lemon juice in the mix. The solution? This blackberry simple syrup, which has been cooked down into a deep and jammy syrup that’s perfect for using in cocktails!
- whiskey alternative – the company Spiritless makes a wonderful whiskey alternative called Kentucky 74 that is perfect for this cocktail. It brings the depth of whiskey flavor without any of the booze, and it mixes up incredibly well into a drink. While it lacks the true complexity (and burn factor) of whiskey, it is a solid stand-in!
- egg white – don’t be afraid of using fresh egg whites in a cocktail, trust me! As long as you are using fresh egg whites or egg whites that have been pasteurized, you’re safe from salmonella! The egg white adds body to the drink, giving it a heavier velvety mouthfeel that mocktails really benefit from.
- lemons – you’ll need freshly squeezed lemon juice for this beverage, and you can also use lemon slices to garnish the drink.
- lemon verbena bitters – I love All The Bitter for all of my drinks! They’re one of the few brands of bitters that are not made using alcohol, and they are always releasing special seasonal flavors like this lemon verbena bitters!
- blackberries – fresh blackberries make the perfect garnish for this beverage, especially when skewered on a cocktail pick and frozen for a few minutes!
- ice – ice is super important when making drinks, and this mocktail benefits from a large clear ice cube. You’ll also need a 1 x 1 inch cube for shaking the cocktail. A thicker 1-inch cube is best because it helps aerate the foam without using the dry-shake method, meaning one less step!
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 instructions
1: Add one 1 x 1 inch ice cube to a cocktail shaker.
2: Slice and juice a lemon to get 1 ounce of lemon juice and add it to the shaker.
3: Next, add in the blackberry syrup.
4: Then, add .5 ounces of egg whites to the shaker.
5: Pour in 2 ounces of whiskey alternative.
6: Finally, add 3 – 5 generous dashes of lemon verbena bitters.
7: Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds, until you can’t really hear the ice cube shaking around as much. This helps to get a nice, thick, stable foam.
8: Strain your mocktail into your chosen cocktail glass with a large ice cube and serve immediately.
Hint: For the garnish, place 3 blackberries on a cocktail pick. If you have a few extra moments, place them in the freezer for up to 30 minutes. They’ll develop a nice frost when you take them out of the freezer!
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
🍽️ serving tips
Choose your glass
- The total volume of this drink is a little less than 5 ounces, but there will be some dilution from the ice cube while you’re shaking the cocktail.
- Choose a glass that will hold about 5-9 ounces, especially with a large cube. If you don’t want to ice your mocktail, choose a coupe glass!
Garnish
- Garnish this drink with 3 blackberries that have been skewered on a cocktail pick.
- If you have time, place the cocktail picks in the freezer to allow the berries to freeze solid. When you take them out of the freezer they will frost over!
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ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- not foamy enough – the key to getting a thick and stable foam in this mocktail is shaking the cocktail vigorously until you can’t hear the ice cube shaking much anymore. This auditory clue lets you know the foam is thick enough!
- cracked ice cube – if your ice cracks when pouring your mocktail, it might not have sat out long enough to temper. Tempering your ice allows it to warm slightly, so the liquid doesn’t cause a thermal shock reaction of cracking.
♻️ substitutions & variations
♻️ substitutions
Missing an ingredient? No problem. Check out these tried-and-true substitutions, or comment below with your question. I’m here to help you troubleshoot!
- orange or citrus bitters – if you can’t find lemon verbena bitters or plain lemon bitters, you can use orange bitters or citrus bitters in place of the lemon.
- aquafaba – if you are serving this drink to vegetarians or vegans, you can use aquafaba in place of the egg whites.
- skip the zero-proof alcohol alternative – while the alcohol alternative adds flavor to this drink, you can skip it and add filtered water in place of the whiskey alternative.
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🧰 tools needed
- cocktail shaker – you’ll need a quality cocktail shaker for mixing your drinks. I love using this cocktail shaker from Elevated Craft because it is easy to measure liquids in the lid of the shaker. It’s also double-walled, meaning your hands don’t get cold while shaking your cocktails!
- cocktail glass – I love using a small fizz glass, with about a 8 – 9 ounce capacity for this drink. A small coupe glass is the traditional cocktail glass of choice for a sour cocktail. You can also use a small martini glass.
- measuring beakers – I prefer using these OXO nesting measuring beakers instead of jiggers because you can use them for so many more recipes aside from drinks. They come in a graduated set perfect for measuring small amounts of liquid.
💬 q+a
Is it safe to use egg whites in a drink?
Yes! As long as you are using fresh eggs, well within their expiration date, you’re safe! You can also use pasteurized egg whites if you’re still unsure. Sometimes it’s just easier to measure from a carton!
Is there a vegetarian or vegan option for egg whites?
You can use aquafaba or Fee Foam from Fee Brother’s if you don’t want to use egg whites.
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
Non-Alcoholic Blackberry Sour (Blackberry Lemon Mocktail)
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Equipment
- 1 cocktail sieve to double-strain, optional
- 1 measuring beaker or jigger
- 1 citrus press or citrus juicer
- 1 cocktail pick
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 ounce blackberry simple syrup
- 2 ounces non-alcoholic whiskey recommended brand: Spiritless Kentucky 74
- 1 ounce lemon juice freshly squeezed
- .5 ounce egg white from 1 egg, freshly cracked with the yolk separated, or pasteurized egg whites
- 5 dashes lemon verbena bitters or other lemon or citrus bitters
- 3 blackberries for garnish
- ice large 2-inch cube or sphere and one 1-inch cube
Instructions
For the Garnish
- Place 3 blackberries on a cocktail pick. If you have a few extra moments, place them in the freezer for up to 30 minutes. They’ll develop a nice frost when you take them out of the freezer!
For the beverage
- Place your large ice cube or sphere in your chosen cocktail glass to allow it to temper.
- Add one 1 x 1 inch ice cube to a cocktail shaker.
- Add 1 ounce of blackberry simple syrup.
- Next, slice and juice a lemon to get 1 ounce of lemon juice and add it to the shaker.
- Add 2 ounces of whiskey alternative.*
- Then, add .5 ounces of egg whites to the shaker. **
- Finally, add 3 – 5 generous dashes of lemon verbena bitters.
- Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds, until you can’t really hear the ice cube shaking around as much. This helps to get a nice, thick, stable foam.
- Strain your mocktail into your chosen cocktail glass with a large ice cube.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries that have been skewered on a cocktail pick.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
🧯food safety & other information
Food safety is an important ingredient in any recipe for success! Here are some tips to keep you safe in the kitchen!
- While non-alcoholic spirit alternatives are classified as alcohol-free, some brands may still contain trace amounts of alcohol. If you are avoiding alcohol for health reasons or personal reasons, be sure to consult the label of each spirit alternative product.
- If you are in doubt about the alcohol content of any product, and are considering serving this drink to anyone who cannot consume alcohol, leave the spirit alternative out.
