These berry spritzer mocktails are made with homemade berry simple syrup, lemon juice, a few sprigs of thyme and sparkling water. Easy, super refreshing and so tasty, this bubbly berry lemonade is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. The berries are the star of this easy to make summer drink with their gorgeous jewel-toned color.
Thank you to Stalhbush Island Farms for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are solely my own.
How to Make Berry Simple Syrup
Making homemade berry simple syrup is better than just muddling fresh berries because we’re cooking down the berries so the flavor is much more concentrated! To make the berry simple syrup, we’re using the best summer berries – a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, Marion blackberries and strawberries. I used the Northwest Berry Blend by Stahlbush Island Farms and it does not disappoint – their berries are perfectly ripened before freezing so they are bursting with flavor!
Back to the simple syrup- it couldn’t be easier, just simmer the frozen berries, sugar, lemon juice and water. The berries will burst, releasing their juices and yummy flavors, concentrating as they cook.
Once the berries are cooked, toss in a few thyme springs and let the mixture cool. The thyme flavor will be subtle but a really nice something *extra*. I usually let the mixture chill in the fridge overnight before straining it to really let the flavors from the berries infuse the simple syrup. When you do strain them, don’t press them against the sieve or the simple syrup will be cloudy. And those leftover macerated berries? They are amazing on pancakes and waffles! You could also throw them in smoothies.
How to Rim Drinking Glasses
I really love sugar rimmed drinking glasses. Glittery lemon infused sugar on the top of a glass is just so pretty and yet easy to do. As casual as my canning jars are that I chose to serve these drinks in, the sugar rim definitely dressed them up. While sugar rimmed glasses are more commonly on alcohol based cocktails, kids (obviously) love a sugar rimmed glass, too. So, if you have kids, get ready to be accepting your super hero recognition when you saunter to the table with these pretty drinks in hand!
How to Serve the Berry Lemon Thyme Spritzers
This berry simple syrup recipe makes enough for about 6-8 small drinks. Once the berry simple syrup is made, make the drinks on demand if you’re using the sparkling water or soda water. Mixing the drink ahead of time will cause the bubbles to go flat.
At serving time, add 2 tablespoons of berry simple syrup and a tablespoon of lemon juice to your sugar rimmed glass. Add in some ice or frozen berries and top with the sparkling water. Done! I like adding the lemon juice at serving time rather than mixing it in with the simple syrup as you may choose to add a bit more simple syrup if you like things sweeter but don’t want any extra lemon in there.
While these fizzy berry drinks are non-alcoholic, you can certainly add in a bit of your favorite liquor. I’d recommend an ounce or two of vodka or tequila.
Adding frozen berries instead of ice cubes is great for a few reasons – the drinks will be prettier and you’ll have some yummy berries at the end of your drink! Also, frozen berries are a summer drink life saver if you’ve forgotten to refill your ice cube tray. The best thing though? They don’t make your drink watery like ice cubes do as they melt.
Here are some tasty appetizers to serve with your Berry Lemon Thyme Virgin Spritzers!
If you make this Berry Lemon Thyme Spritzer, please give it a rating in the recipe card and leave a comment below! Follow along on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes.! You can also follow me on Pinterest for vegan recipe inspiration and on Facebook. Thank you for reading!
Berry Lemon Thyme Spritzer
Ingredients
For the Berry Simple Syrup:
- 10 oz frozen berry blend (approximately 2 cups) may use fresh berry medley
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp fresh whole thyme leaves
For the Lemon Thyme Sugar:
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves minced
For Each Spritzer:
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp berry simple syrup
- ice cubes or frozen berries
- ½ cup sparkling or soda water
Instructions
For the Berry Simple Syrup:
- Combine the berries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the berries have burst, about 6-9 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add in the thyme leaves and let the mixture cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve without pressing on the berries – this won't effect the flavor but will make the syrup cloudy. Save the sweetened macerated berries for topping on pancakes, smoothies etc. Refrigerate the syrup until chilled. Keeps well for up to a week.
For the Lemon Thyme Sugar:
- Combine the sugar, lemon zest and thyme leaves on a small plate or shallow bowl.
To Assemble Each Berry Spritzer:
- Rim your glass with the lemon thyme sugar by first rubbing the rim with a lemon wedge or dipping in water, and then dipping and turning in the lemon thyme sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of the berry simple syrup and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the glass. Add in ice cubes or frozen berries, and top with 1/2 cup of sparking water. Stir gently. Enjoy!
Nutrition Info:
Notes:
The Nutrition Information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the Nutrition Information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
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Whitney North
Friday 1st of January 2021
Hearty thanks to you for sharing the instruction. Your juice recipe looks too good hope it taste also very well. I will try it very soon. My children will love it very much. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Crumbs & Caramel
Sunday 3rd of January 2021
Hi Whitney, Thank you for the kind comment! I hope you and your children enjoy the drinks! ~ Bronwyn