A sweet and fruity homemade Blackberry Liqueur (also known as Crème de Mûre) that is so easy to make yourself with very little hands on time. The perfect way to use up all the blackberries the season has to offer! This easy homemade Blackberry Liqueur only gets better with time – so make up a big batch now to have the perfect homemade Christmas gifts on hand come December.
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If you couldn’t tell from all the recipes on my blog by now, I absolutely love making co*cktails and playing with different spirits and flavours. This means I need to keep my bar* as fully stocked as I can, so I don’t limit my creativity. At least that’s what I tell myself when I’m spending a fortune on spirits, bitters, and the like! So, if I can make some of the staples at home with minimal effort and cost, I am SO on it. This Crème de Mûre, or Blackberry Liqueur, is one of those!
*by bar, I mean a mess of many different bottles, poorly organised in a kitchen cupboard and a wine rack with bottles of gin instead of fine wines!
These Blackberry Brownies are a great way to bake with Blackberries
I’ve talked many times about how much I love blackberries and blackberry season in the UK – I pick so many wild blackberries in September that my freezer is busting with them. As well as baking delicious goodies with them, Homemade Blackberry Liqueur is one of my favourite ways to make good use of them! Just like jams, liqueur is a great way to preserve your season fruits to enjoy later in the year – and liqueur is a lot more fun that jam, so that’s what I go with.
As it is a crème liqueur, this Blackberry Liqueur is very sweet and is traditionally enjoyed as a digestif. But Blackberry Liqueur also lends itself extremely well to co*cktails – it is the key ingredient in classics such as the Bramble, a gin based co*cktail for which I’ll be sharing my own take on with you soon! The Blackberry Liqueur/Crème de Mure is a great sub for Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) in a Kir Royale too.
Like with most things that have been around forever, there are many, many recipes on the web for Blackberry Liqueur/Crème de Mûre and each one has the “right” way to make it and they can vary quite significantly. Some will tell you it has to be made with brandy, some will say vodka or gin, some will say ever clear. And while I am sure those methods all yield delicious results, I prefer the red wine method – I find this way you get a much richer flavour, and a more enjoyable drinking experience. Plus, there’s less time to wait until it’s ready for drinking – I’m a very impatient lady! You’ll want to choose a good quality red wine to make this Blackberry Liqueur, one that you would enjoy drinking by itself and medium bodied works best. I use a nice Merlot.
As I have already mentioned, making this Blackberry Liqueur or, Crème de Mûre, is very easy, has very little hands on time, and is ready for drinking in a couple of days. The flavours intensify over time though, so it’s great to make now and enjoy at Christmas time – it makes for a great homemade Christmas gift too if you can bear to give it away! So, let’s make some super easy DIY Blackberry Liqueur/Crème de Mûre.
Homemade Blackberry Liqueur (Crème de Mûre)
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Author Michelle
Yield 35 Fl Oz
A sweet and fruity homemade Blackberry Liqueur (also known as Crème de Mûre) that is so easy to make yourself with very little hands on time. The perfect way to use up all the blackberries the season has to offer! This easy homemade Blackberry Liqueur only gets better with time – so make up a big batch now to have the perfect homemade Christmas gifts on hand come December.
Ingredients
- 5 cups (700g) blackberries, washed and de-stemmed
- 1 bottle of red wine, medium bodied (standard 750ml size bottle)
- 1.5 cups (300g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vodka or gin
Instructions
- Put the blackberries in a large glass or ceramic bowl and pour over the red wine. Use a potato masher to mash the berries and release the berries.
- Cover with a clean towel and leave to macerate for 48 hours in a cool place* - give the berries a little mash every now and then if you remember!
- Strain through a wire mesh sieve to remove the berries, then strain again through cheese cloth to ensure all seeds etc are out.
- Pour into a large saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer on a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vodka or gin, and then leave to cool completely.
- Pour into clean, preferably sterilised, bottles.
- Store in cool, dark place. It can be enjoyed immediately, but will keep almost indefinitely if in sterilised bottles - if not, then about a year.
Notes
*I kept mine in our cloakroom as there are no windows to let in sunlight, there's a draft, and it's always cool. If you live in a hot climate and don't have a cool area of the house, then keep in the fridge.
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