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July 14, 2015
Last updated

How to Make Blackberry Moonshine

Owner of Clawhammer Supply


Blackberry moonshine is an amazing summer treat. This article will show how we made this delicious drink in just a few simple steps. We have enjoyed it as a shot and also used it to enhance summer cocktails. WARNING this blackberry moonshine recipe is packed with intense flavor and it also provides quite a kick!

When we tested this recipe, we used store bought moonshine, which is how we suggest you do it as well. Why? Distilling alcohol for personal consumption in the United States is illegal.

We have used both fresh and frozen blackberries for this recipe. When we use frozen blackberries we always defrost them first. When using fresh wild blackberries we always taste them to see how sweet or tart they are. We always start with low amount of sugar and then add more depending on the preferred final product. 

Blackberry Moonshine Ingredients

Here's what you need to make blackberry moonshine at home.

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups Blackberries
• ¾ cup Ole Smoky moonshine (Everclear or vodka are good substitutions)
• Lime Zest
• Lemon Zest

How To Make Blackberry Simple Syrup

First, you need to make a blackberry simple syrup. This is the process we followed.

  • We added 1 cup water to a sauce pan
  • We turned the heat to high
  • Then we added 1 cup sugar
  • Then we squeezed a couple of black berries into mixture.
  • Once everything was well incorporated  and reduced we poured into a mason jar.
  • We then let it cool until room temperature
  • Then we stored it in the refrigerator. .

Blackberry Moonshine Recipe

Once we made the blackberry simple syrup it was time to move onto making the blackberry moonshine. Here's how to do it.

  • We added 2 cups of washed and then towel dried black berries. (If we use frozen we always defrost) 
  • We added ¼inch lime zest
  • We added ¼ inch lemon zest
  • We added 1 cup of our blackberry simple syrup
  • We added ¾ cups or so Ole Smokey Moonshine( we just filled the rest of the mason jar)

We then let sit in the refrigerator- shaking it daily until all of the sugar was dissolved. Once the sugar was dissolved we found letting it sit for at least another 24 hours works well -- but it just got better with age.

Once we were happy with the flavors we then strained everything through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds and chunky bits. We gently pressed the berries to extract the maximum amount of alcohol and flavor. 

We drank this on the rocks and it was quite refreshing. The lemon and lime really added depth to the drink and helped create a tremendously enjoyable accent to such a simple recipe.

How To Make Blackberry Moonshine Sangria

Now that you have your blackberry moonshine, you can drink it alone or make a cocktail. Here's one of our favorite blackberry moonshine cocktails. Leave a comment below if you try it!

Here's how we made blackberry moonshine sangria:

We added about to a 1/2 cup of our blackberry Ole Smoky moonshine, about 2 cups of a dessert red wine, our ole Smokey moonshine soaked blackberries, raspberries and blueberries and a few thin slices of lime, into a glass jar or jug.  We covered this  and refrigerated for 4-6 hours.
We then poured this over ice and served with Ole Smokey infused fruit.

Please note blackberries stain!!! 

Not a fan of blackberries? Check out the rest of our moonshine recipes.

To drive this point home: Distilling alcohol is illegal without a federal fuel alcohol or distilled spirit plant permit as well as relevant state permits. Our distillation equipment is designed for legal uses only and the information in this article is for educational purposes only. Please read our complete legal summary for more information on the legalities of distillation.

Kyle Brown is the owner of Clawhammer Supply, a small scale distillation and brewing equipment company which he founded in 2009. His passion is teaching people about the many uses of distillation equipment as well as how to make beer at home. When he isn't brewing beer or writing about it, you can find him at his local gym or on the running trail.

  • I’m looking for a recipe for the blackberry shine that starts without a corn mash base. We like a more refined flavor and do not care for the corn smell and flavor. So, which grain do I use to get my mash just perfect for what I’m wanting? Some of the best moonshine I ever had only tasted like spring water and had no corn smell/flavor.

    Posted by staplesmissy68@gmail.com on February 01, 2024
  • How do you store this moonshine? In the refrigerator or at room temperature? And does it have ti sit before trying it?

    Posted by Suzanne Palmer on August 22, 2022
  • I’m making blackberry moonshine . The recipe called for 3 cups of fresh blackberry juice 2 cups of sugar and 2 L of Everclear. I let it sit for three weeks shaking it daily. And now I’m supposed to add water to it but can’t find the recipe. How Many cups of water do I add to it.

    Posted by Clara Smith on July 18, 2022
  • If you have it sealed and it becomes carbonated does that mean it went bad

    Posted by Col.slayer@gmail.com on December 04, 2020
  • What size mason jar does this recipe call for?

    Posted by HEather on July 20, 2020
  • You need to have a vent in the mason jar lid or your new blackberry shine will be all over the room…fruit will ferment.

    Posted by Jon on July 22, 2019
  • What is the shelf life?

    Posted by Julie on May 13, 2019
  • What the heck does 1/4 inch of zest mean? I know what lemon/lime zest is but 1/4 inch?? A i/4 inch of a peel? Thanks

    —Dan

    Posted by Dan on May 06, 2019
  • My moonshine jelled after i added the everclear what did i do wrong

    Posted by Tracy on October 25, 2018
  • Try this 3/4 jar of a good shine enough berries to too off. Pour shine in a pan heat up add berries and half cup of sugar mix together after everything has been mixed set to side and let cool place back in jar you will have a little bit of extra pour in a spare jar and save

    Posted by Carlos on October 20, 2017
  • I used a 1/2 gal of shine ,and added about 2 lbs of blackberries mashed up and simple syrup ,,taste is changing some but its only been about a week andIM not sure if this is gonna work out,,, any suggestions ,,,, are welcomed

    Posted by Tony on October 11, 2017
  • thankyou

    Posted by mike on July 30, 2017
  • It says shake daily until sugar is completely dissolved then another 24 hrs minimum. Question is how many days does the shaking process usually take until dissolved?

    Posted by Jaime on May 18, 2017
  • It says shake daily until sugar is completely dissolved then another 24 hrs minimum. Question is how many days does the shaking process usually take until dissolved?

    Posted by Jaime on May 18, 2017
  • I am looking for how to make blackberry mash

    Posted by bob morris on May 17, 2017
  • I don’t see how much this makes??

    Posted by TAmmy on September 03, 2016
  • picked 20 gal of blackberries off my 3yr old bush and have decided to try this recipe. I quadrupled the recipe as I anticipate returning favors from over the summer. Thanks for recipe

    Posted by THe PInchanze on August 29, 2016
  • This sounds great for xmas presents. ONce made how long can i safely keep sealed in sterilised bottles?

    Posted by Jenny-Kathleen on August 24, 2016
  • Going to try. I have 10 lbs of wild blackberries and 3/4 gallon of excellent shine from some friends a little south from me. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for the info

    Posted by michael on August 05, 2016
  • Post a video!!!

    Posted by COrey on January 31, 2016


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