Our Dark Berries Liqueur — a blend of raspberry and blackcurrant — picked up an award at the Class Bartenders Brand Awards, and the Bramble is usually the first place people reach for it. Gin, lemon, a dash of Dark Berries drizzled over crushed ice: it’s a classic for a reason.
But limiting a liqueur this versatile to one cocktail is selling it short. Here are five other ways to put the bottle to work.
1. Dark Berries Spritz
Swap the Aperol in a spritz for Dark Berries. Build over ice with prosecco and a splash of soda, top with a few fresh raspberries or blackcurrants if you have them. The result is a deeper, more British take on the spritz format — less citrus-bright, more fresh Jammy Acidity. Works particularly well as the weather turns.
Ratio: 50ml Dark Berries Liqueur, 75ml prosecco, splash of soda water to taste.
2. An English French Martini
A classic French Martini uses the overly sweet Chambord Liqueur, invented by marketeers in the 1980s. We think Berries should be darker in 2020. This works so well because our Handmade Liqueur brings balanced acidity alongside rich Jammy berries. Alongside a good quality vodka, and shaken with pineapple juice, this twist will blow your mind.
Ratio: 40ml Vodka, 20ml Dark Berries Liqueur, 50ml good quality Pineapple Juice. Shake hard, strain into a coupe, Garnish with fresh Raspberries.
3. A Dark Berries Old Fashioned
An unconventional one, but a good bar trick. Use Dark Berries Liqueur in place of the sugar in an Old Fashioned, alongside your usual whisky and a dash of bitters. The berry note plays surprisingly well against oak and spice, and you lose the syrupy sweetness a standard sugar cube can bring.
Ratio: 50ml whisky, 10ml Dark Berries Liqueur, 2 dashes Citrus bitters, stirred over ice, orange twist to finish.
4. Berries & Tonic
The simplest option on this list, and one of the best for a warm afternoon. Pour over ice, top with tonic water, garnish with a few berries and a mint sprig. Low-effort, genuinely refreshing, and a good way to introduce the liqueur to someone who’s never tried it neat.
Ratio: 50ml Dark Berries Liqueur, top with tonic, garnish to taste.
5. Dark Berries Sour
A proper shaken sour: liqueur, citrus, egg white (or aquafaba for a vegan version), shaken hard twice — once without ice to build the foam, once with ice to chill it. The tartness of the berries plays against the richness of the egg white beautifully, and it looks the part with a few drops of bitters on the foam.
Ratio: 45ml Dark Berries Liqueur, 20ml lemon juice, 15ml egg white (or aquafaba), shaken and double-strained.
Why it works across so many styles
Dark Berries Liqueur was built to be flavour-forward rather than sugar-forward — a deliberate choice, and one of the reasons it picked up an award in the first place. Real raspberry and blackcurrant character with balanced acidity means it holds its own in spirit-forward drinks like an Old Fashioned, not just fruity, sweet builds like a spritz. That range is exactly what “balanced for cocktails” means to us: a liqueur bartenders can actually build a menu around, not just drizzle on top.
Get the bottle
Dark Berries Liqueur is handmade in Central Manchester, available as a full 700ml bottle or a 200ml mini for trying it first. Every label lists the full ingredients — something no UK alcohol producer is legally required to do, but something we think you’re entitled to know.
Shop it here : Mouse Kingdom Dark Berries.
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