1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of water
3 to 4 fresh sage leaves
1 pound fresh blackberries
Ice
Sparkling water
Extra blackberries and sage leaves for garnish (optional)
Combine the honey and the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir it together as it heats up. Once it reaches the point just before boiling, shut off the burner and remove the mixture from the heat.
Add the whole sage leaves and the blackberries to the hot honey mixture and stir. Allow the berries to macerate in the honey syrup until the mixture has cooled significantly and the berries have broken down a bit.
Pour the blackberries and the syrup into a blender. Blend the entire mixture (including the sage leaves) on high until it is well combined and looks uniform in color and texture. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the blackberry seeds. You should have about 2 cups of smooth, thick syrup.
To make the spritzers, fill a cup with ice and add some of the blackberry and sage syrup. Use two tablespoons for a mild spritzer, or a quarter cup for a sweeter one. You can play around with a ratio to suit your taste.
Add sparkling water to top, stir, and garnish with extra blackberries and a bit of sage.
Recipe Notes
- Although I crafted this spritzer recipe to be non-alcoholic, that can be easily remedied. Simply add a shot of your favorite spirit (I might have tried this with vodka already). I would recommend either vodka or gin for this berry-licious cocktail.