Black Widow Smash

This Black Widow Smash cocktail is perfect for your next witchy celebration. The Black Widow Smash is a dark, moody Halloween Cocktail made with tequila (or mezcal) and dark fruit like blackberries. My version has some margarita flavors as well with lime juice and Chambord for the liqueur to replace the traditional triple sec of a margarita. I also made my own blackberry sage and cinnamon syrup instead of plain agave. This one is to die for.

How to Make a Black Widow Smash

1. Add blackberries, syrup, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker and muddle.
2. Add in tequila or mezcal, chambord, and bitters.
3. Add ice and shake.
4. Double strain into a coupe glass with a large sphere ice cube to represent a full moon!

How to Make Blackberry Sage Cinnamon Syrup

Making this flavored homemade simple syrup is so easy and so worth it! You can use it in tons of other fall cocktails or drizzle it on pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, and oatmeal.

Add 1 cup water + 1 cup granulated (or brown) sugar + 1 cup blackberries + 6-8 sage leaves + 1 cinnamon stick to a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves, and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. Once cooled, strain through a fine mesh sieve, making sure to really press all the liquid out. Store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Keep the blackberries left over in the strainer as a sort of jam for ice cream and breakfast treats!

Black Widow Ingredients

Tequila or Mezcal

Tequila is bright, clean and crisp whereas mezcal is more complex and smoky. Check out my Tequila Guide and Mezcal Guide for more information, including the bottles I recommend!

Chambord

Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur made in France with a little higher ABV than a bottle of wine. You can substitute Creme de Cassis or Creme de Mure instead.

Blackberries

Blackberries are easy to muddle and give the cocktail its dark and moody color.

Blackberry Sage Cinnamon Syrup

See my instructions above for making your own blackberry sage cinnamon syrup. You can also use cinnamon syrup, or a cinnamon sage syrup.

Bitters

I use Angostura bitters but you can use any other bitters you have that would go well with blackberries.

Lime Juice

If it’s not fresh, we don’t want it!

Tips for Making the Best Black Widow

• Muddle the blackberries really well so you get all their yummy juices and flavors into the cocktail.
• Double straining isn’t totally necessary when making a traditional “smash” cocktail, but I like double straining when using blackberries so I don’t get their tiny seeds in the cocktail. Double straining leaves the final cocktail super smooth.
• Shake all your cocktail ingredients really well so everything gets nice and cold and slightly diluted from the ice. The cocktail shaker should be frosty on the outside.
• If you’re serving these for a Halloween party, you might also want to check out my Halloween Hosting collection.