Blackberry Fruitini
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 26.8% ABV ∙
The Blackberry Fruitini is a muddled vodka martini-style cocktail made with fresh blackberries, sugar syrup, and orange bitters, shaken and served up. Muddled blackberry pulp gives it a deep, jammy sweetness, cut by a bright vodka backbone and a faint dry spice from the bitters on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Fresh blackberries 5 pcs
- Add the remaining ingredients: Vodka 60 mlSugar syrup 10 mlOrange bitters 2 dashes
- Shake with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a blackberry on a skewer
Tips
- Muddle the 5 blackberries gently with sugar syrup first to release juice without crushing the seeds, which turns the drink bitter.
- Double-strain through a fine mesh after shaking to catch blackberry seeds and pulp, giving the coupe a smooth, clean texture.
- Shake vodka, muddled blackberry mixture, and orange bitters hard for 12-15 seconds with plenty of ice to fully dilute and chill before straining.
- Fill the shaker with fresh ice rather than reusing the muddling ice, keeping seed fragments out of the final strain.
History
The Blackberry Fruitini is a variation of the Fruitini, also called the Fresh Fruit Martini, a style of vodka-based drink built with fresh fruit juice or muddled fruit and a touch of sugar syrup, served in a martini glass. This fruity Neo-Martini style emerged and became fashionable in London during the 1990s, closely associated with the Met Bar, a members' club known for turning away celebrities at its door. The style belongs to the broader 1990s trend, championed by bartenders such as Dick Bradsell and Dale DeGroff, of dressing an ever-widening range of fresh, fruit-forward vodka drinks in the V-shaped glass and marketing them under the Martini name even though they contain no vermouth. The Blackberry Fruitini applies this fresh-fruit-Martini formula to muddled blackberries in place of whichever fruit a given Fruitini recipe features.
FAQ
What is in a Blackberry Fruitini?
Fresh blackberries, vodka, sugar syrup, and orange bitters, muddled and shaken together, then fine-strained into a chilled glass. The muddled fruit and syrup give it natural sweetness and color rather than a fruit liqueur.
Is a Blackberry Fruitini shaken or stirred?
Shaken, after the blackberries are muddled in the shaker. Shaking is needed to fully mix the crushed fruit and syrup with the vodka and chill it quickly; stirring would leave pulp unincorporated and the drink under-diluted.
What glass is a Blackberry Fruitini served in?
A coupe glass, served up and garnished with a fresh blackberry.
Is a Blackberry Fruitini vegan?
Yes, it is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free, made only from blackberries, vodka, sugar syrup, and bitters with no dairy or animal-derived ingredients.
