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The kids are out of school, so that means it’s SUMMER! And summertime means sitting outside on the deck with a drink in hand. This low carb blackberry basil lemonade cocktail is the perfect drink for just that– and only takes five minutes to make!
Blackberry Basil Lemonade
This blackberry basil lemonade can be made hard with some vodka, but you can definitely leave that out completely for a really delicious non-alcoholic drink.
This recipe is for a single serving. However, if you’d like to make this for sharing, you can scale up pretty easily. You’ll need to change up the technique a little bit, but we’ll talk about that as we go.
The first thing you’ll need to do is muddle some basil in the bottom of a cocktail mixer.
I don’t have a proper muddler, so I just used the back of a wooden spoon. You just want to bruise up the basil a little so it releases its flavor into the lemonade.
If you need supplies, this muddler
and this cocktail shaker
have good reviews on Amazon.
Next you’re going to fill up the cocktail shaker with ice, right on top of the basil. Then we add lemon juice, sweetener, water, and vodka (if you’re using it.)
I used my Low Carb Sweetener Blend here, but you can use any powdered low carb sweetener you like. Just know that the measurements provided are for a sweetener that has a 1:1 sweetness ratio to sugar (like Swerve
or Sukrin
.) You can use stevia
or monkfruit
here if you prefer, but you’ll need MUCH less, so just sweeten to taste.
Once you’ve added your ingredients, give it a really good shake. This will incorporate all the lemonade ingredients nicely.
Strain this into a tall glass that has a little more ice.
If you’d like to make a larger batch of this, you’ll need to do the muddling in a larger container, add the other ingredients and mix, then strain it into a large pitcher.
My secret ingredient is this super lovely Blackberry soda from Bai Bubbles
.
I’m kind of obsessed with these– they have a very little bit of real juice to flavor them, and are sweetened with erythritol and stevia. I love this one, the cherry one
, and the grapefruit one
(that one makes amazing palomas!)
When added (gently) on top of the lemonade, not only do we get a lovely blackberry flavor, we get a gorgeous layered look.
That being said, if this isn’t available where you are, you can instead muddle a couple fresh blackberries with the basil. You won’t get the layered look, but you’ll get the blackberry flavor. Depending on the sweetness of your blackberries, you might want to add a little extra sweetener. You can also add a spritz of sparkling water if you like.
If you’re making a big batch of this, you’ll want to keep the blackberry soda separate and just add some to the top of each glass.
Ain’t it just so purty? And it tastes amazing.
I used some cocktail skewers
with a basil leaf and a fresh blackberry to garnish. Just for pretties.
So shake yourself up some of this blackberry basil lemonade, kick back on the porch and put your feet up.
Low Carb Blackberry Basil Lemonade
This herbacious cocktail combines basil, blackberries, and lemonade to create a gorgeous low carb cocktail, perfect for summer barbecues!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch basil
- ice
- 1.5 oz (45mL) fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz (120 mL) water
- 2.5-3 Tbsp powdered low carb sweetener (to taste)
- 3 oz (90mL) vodka (optional)
- 3 oz (90mL) Blackberry Lime Bai Bubbles
- fresh blackberry and basil leaf for garnishing, if desired
Instructions
- In the bottom of a cocktail mixer, muddle the basil gently.
- Fill cocktail mixer with ice, then add lemon juice, sweetener, and vodka. Shake well.
- Add about half a cup of ice to a tall glass. Strain lemon juice mixture into the glass.
- Gently pour blackberry soda over the top to fill the glass, creating a layered look.
- Garnish with fresh blackberry and basil leaf, and serve.
Notes
If Blackberry Bai is not available, you can muddle a couple of fresh blackberries with the basil. You won't get a layered look, but it will still give great flavor!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 0.1gCarbohydrates: 3.5gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 2g
