Homemade raspberry syrup is super simple to make and only requires two ingredients plus water. You can make this in less than 20 minutes and use in all sorts of other recipes. This is a raspberry simple syrup, so think a thin consistency that can be added to drinks; not like a thick syrup you might add to pancakes.

Raspberry syrup is great to use in cocktails, mocktails, adding to sparkling water or soda (like Diet Coke) or to make a raspberry latte or mocha.

Related: Next up try our strawberry syrup, honey syrup or mint syrup recipes.

Ingredients

• Raspberries – fresh or frozen
• Granulated white sugar
• Water

I like fresh raspberries for this recipe but frozen works just as well. If using frozen thaw before using in this recipe.

How to make Raspberry Syrup

Rinse the raspberries and remove any leaves.

In a small to medium sized pot add the sugar and water. Whisk until the sugar fully dissolves. Add the raspberries and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit is very soft. The berries will begin to break down. Remove from heat.

Allow the mixture to cool in the pot, this will steep the flavors further. Then pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a glass measuring cup with spout. Use a large spoon to really press the liquid from the raspberry pieces.

Store the raspberry syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you think you will need to store it for longer you can freeze the simple syrup in ice cubes to use as needed.

Notes and Substitutions / Additions

• Skim off any white foam that accumulates on top of the syrup before storing.
• While I like to keep this simple you can add a little more flavor and dimension to this simple syrup recipe if you like. Add one or more of these during the cooking process: vanilla bean shell, vanilla extract, fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, mint, thyme), balsamic vinegar, citrus rind (orange, lemon or lime) or simply a big pinch of sea salt.
• Swap some or all of the granulated white sugar for brown sugar to change up the flavor profile. Swap for demerara sugar to alter the texture of the syrup.
• I stored my raspberry syrup in this glass bottle with spout for easy use.

More Raspberry Recipes

The Gummy Bear shot is an adorable novelty shot recipe that tastes just a gummy bear. This recipe is inspired by a favorite childhood candy with an adult twist. This is the perfect playful shot recipe to make for your next celebration.

Create this iconic candy-inspired shot using a mix of fruity liquors. Your friends will love this cute shot.

More shot and drink recipes: Lemon Drop Shot, Green Tea Shot, Basic Jello Shots, Chocolate Cake Shots, Mexican Candy Shots, Pineapple Upside Down Cake Shots, Jolly Rancher Shot.

Ingredients in a Gummy Bear Shot

• Cherry Vodka – The base of your drink.
• Peach Schapps – Adds a nice peach flavor to your shot.
• Pineapple Juice – Adds more tropical flavor to this recipe.
• Lemon-Lime Soda – Such as Sprite. Just a splash to add some bubbles.
• Gummy Bears – Are an optional garnish (and so cute!)

I served my shots in these simple shot glasses along with my favorite brand of gummy bears.

Vodka Gummy Bears

To take this recipe to the next level, make vodka soaked gummy bears to use as a garnish. Soak gummy bears in vodka at room temperature for 8 hours, or overnight. Remove excess vodka and use the new (plumper) vodka gummy bears as garnish for this shot.

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, combine one ounce cherry vodka and one ounce peach schnapps. Next, add pineapple juice and ice.

Shake for 10-15 seconds.

Pour into a shot glass and add a splash of lemon-lime soda.

Add a gummy bear for garnish. I added one to the edge of each glass (cut a slit in the bottom using a knife). You can also add gummy bears to the inside of your shot if you wish—it’s totally optional.

Tips & Tricks for Making

• For a white gummy bear shot, use pineapple vodka and be sure to use pineapple juice. The rest of the recipe is the same. Fun fact: The white gummy bear is pineapple flavored.
• If you want a more neutral color shot, choose an uncolored cherry vodka. My shots are red because of the color from the cherry vodka.
• If you don’t have cherry vodka on hand feel free to use unflavored vodka or another fruity flavor. You could add a splash of grenadine if you want some red color.
• You can batch this recipe in advance, just save the lemon-lime soda to add when you are serving.
• For an ever sweeter shot, add a sugared rim.
• Substitutions: You can sub cherry vodka for raspberry vodka. Pineapple juice can be subbed for cranberry juice or peach juice. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can use a mixing glass with ice.

Variations

• White Gummy Bear Shot Recipe If you want to tweak this recipe into a white gummy bear shot simple swap out the cherry vodka for pineapple vodka and garnish with a white gummy bear.
• Gummy Bear Cocktail If you prefer a cocktail to sip over a shooter, simply double this recipe and serve it in a martini glass or a rocks glass with an ice cube. And a gummy bear garnish!

More cute party recipes you may like

If you enjoy our recipe, please remember to leave us a 5-star rating.  If you’re building your home bartender skills, try making your own sour mix and simple syrup.

FAQ

Dessert cocktails are absolutely delicious and this smooth, sweet and boozy chocolate martini recipe is my favorite. This easy recipe is rich and chocolate-y but isn’t cloying, even with the swirl of chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings on top. If you love chocolate like I do, I think you’re going to be obsessed.

Related: Espresso Martini, Dry Martini, Lemon Drop Martini, Lychee Martini, Cosmo Recipe, Appletini, French Martini, Vesper Martini

Chocolate Martini Ingredients

• Chocolate Liqueur I used Godiva chocolate liqueur.
• Irish Cream Liqueur Such as Bailey’s.
• Vodka Unflavored is best.
• Chocolate Syrup For garnishing the inside of your glass.
• Grated Chocolate for garnish

The best glassware to serve a martini in is a classic martini glass. We have dozens of recipes to make using these timeless glasses.

How to make a Chocolate Martini

This is a straightforward drink to mix. My favorite part of making this drink is the chocolate syrup swirl.

• Drizzle chocolate syrup into a chilled martini glass and set aside.
• Shake equal parts chocolate liqueur, Irish cream and vodka with ice, then pour in the the prepared glass.
• Garnish with grated chocolate for a classy finish.

Recipe Variations

• If you want to make this martini a little less boozy, feel free to use heavy cream instead of Irish cream.
• Swap the chocolate liqueur for a flavored chocolate liqueur like peppermint to create a seasonal drink.
• Try a flavored vodka if you want to add a subtle flavor like cherry or raspberry to your chocolate martini.

Tips for making

• I found that chilling the martini glass for a few minutes beforehand helps set the syrup so the lines don’t run too much.
• Add a sprig of mint or an orange slice if you want to add a natural garnish.
• Creme De Cacao is an interchangeable ingredient with Chocolate Liqueur.

More Chocolate Recipes to try:

It’s so easy to double everything to make two drinks— Valentine’s Day treat, maybe?

You can serve this chocolate martini in a classic martini glass, a coupe glass, or something unique like this. Cheers!

The difference between a good cocktail and a bad cocktail can often come down to ratios. Balancing different spirits, syrups, and mixers is what will distinguish a superb drink with nuanced flavors and aromas from a concoction that tastes like something banned by the Geneva Convention. As staff writer Sam Stone, who has been covering all the drinks, alcoholic and not, for BA since 2022, puts it, “a good cocktail should come together to be something more than the sum of its parts.” When done right, familiar elements can be combined into something truly alchemical, new, and exciting.

As fun as it is to play amateur bartender with one’s own stash of bottles by mixing and matching drink components to varied success, it’s worth having a good cocktail book on hand to help you buff and refine your skills. There are many great cocktail books out there, penned by incredibly talented bartenders who are more than willing to share their wisdom. We’ve selected some of the best cocktail books that we think are essential for any person looking to learn more about the art of making a good cocktail.

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The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar by Jim Meehan, Bart Sasso, and Emma Janzen

It’s become somewhat glib to say this, but trace the work of the world’s best bars and you’ll find that they are run more like kitchens. Enter Bartender’s Pantry, from a multi-award-winning crew of hospitality pros and writers. The book posits that the best bar is one that embraces one’s pantry and prep time to the fullest. This book helps you deploy fresh ingredients like real lemons and limes like the pros—as opposed to that li’l plastic grenade of juice lapsing in your grocery store produce aisle— and creating clever multi-functional infusions and syrups for all manner of cocktails, with or sans alcohol.  Meanwhile, it also feels like a community effort, with recipes from bartenders, educators and brand ambassadors who offer their own tried-and-true wisdom from years behind the bar. —Joey Hernandez, associate director, drinks and lifestyle

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Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold

I direct two kinds of people toward Dave Arnold’s James Beard Award–winning Liquid Intelligence: those obsessed with fine-tuning the minutiae of every drink they sip, stir, or shake and those who want to benefit from that level of obsession in someone else. Arnold’s book, filled with 120 recipes and almost 450 photographs, is the result of years of experimentation both behind the bar and in the science lab, and it shows. There are more than 20 pages on ice alone! I personally believe cocktail-making is as much an art as it is a science. Given his professional lean toward engineering and chemistry, Arnold may or may not agree. But the profound level of data, insight, and thought he poured into this book will serve anyone making a drink, whether they deeply care about the molecular structure of an ice cube, or simply remember to slap mint instead of tear it because of his work. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor

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Imbibe! by David Wondrich

When I was a newbie bartender in a small wine bar, I spent a lot of time looking at recipes on my phone whenever someone ordered a proper cocktail. Embarrassingly, I lacked foundational knowledge; David Wondrich became my first cocktail teacher, and I still recommend his work to this day. First published in 2007 during the millennial cocktail renaissance, Imbibe! is canon at this point, an engaging historical romp that provides context and practical know-how to hundreds of punches, sours, and slings. The essential ingredient to cocktail geekery is learning the base ratios and formulas that define a drink, and Wondrich balances the pragmatic with colorful storytelling that keeps things from getting too sleepy. —J.H.

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Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails by Shannon Mustipher

An educator, beverage director, and author, Shannon Mustipher is best known for her deep knowledge of rum, a spirits category that hasn’t always been top of mind in non-tropical contexts. In her book, Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, Mustipher shakes up the thinking around tiki drinks, from sweet and campy to sophisticated and nuanced. Through her work in the book and out in the drink-making world, she rethinks midcentury tiki culture as we know it–which hasn’t really been revived since the recipes were first created in the ’60s, and was famously appropriative of Asian and Pacific Island motifs, not often with respect–and places in it a modern, progressive point of view, focused on ingredients and balanced flavors. —J.H.

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Meehan’s Bartenders Manual by Jim Meehan

If you have a vested professional interest in cocktails and mixology, or have serious fantasies about opening up your own joint, Jim Meehan’s James Beard Award–winning manual on bartending provides 400+ pages on pretty much everything you need to know about the ins and outs of tending bar. He covers the history of bartending, how to lay out and design a bar space, creating a cocktail menu, and the business of hospitality. Even if bartending isn’t something you’re looking to pursue as a profession, this book serves as a fascinating record of all the thought that goes into creating the best bars in the world, and will perhaps impart upon you a greater appreciation the next time you step into the best new bar in town. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer

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The Cocktail Cabinet by Kara Newman

At the end of a long day, I love two things: a refreshing cocktail (gin preferred) and not making decisions. Selecting one recipe from a dense cocktail book is so overwhelming I often skip the whole thing and resign myself to going to bed without a night cap. The Cocktail Cabinet by Kara Newman has helped me avoid this tragedy by adapting the book format to the beautifully illustrated cards that are reminiscent of my many tarot decks (the other way I make many of my decisions). My box, the gin version, looks cute on my bar counter, but also comes in different spirits like vodka or whiskey if gin isn’t your thing. The 50-card deck is beautifully illustrated and offers a good balance of classic recipes and less familiar cocktails, all built with approachable and easily sourced ingredients. I shuffle the deck face down and imagine myself 10 minutes in the future, with a chilled drink in a dainty glass before pulling a card at random and placing it on top of my bar cabinet. Will it be a pink lady or a classic martini? It is comforting to leave the final call to fate—the cards know best. —Megan Paetzhold, senior visuals editor

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Drinking French by David Lebovitz

Drinking French is really a cocktail hour book, but I think that makes it all the more fun to read and cook from. Cookbook author, memoirist, and blogger David Lebovitz invites us into a very French way of gathering and entertaining with recipes for café drinks (coffees, teas, hot cocoas, etc.), DIY infusions, cocktails, of course, and the ever-important snacks to go along with it all. He folds in helpful primers on French aperitifs, demystifying the long list of bottles on many a bar menu I’ve bluffed my way through ordering from, and shares his favorite bars in Paris too. My copy lives on my bar cart, and I turn to it almost every time I entertain, whether for Lebovitz’s impeccable gougères or the elderflower cordial I spike lemonades and iced teas with all summer long. —K.J.Y.

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Smuggler’s Cove by Martin Cate and Rebecca Cate

Everyone loves a good tiki drink: ornate, colorful, and instantly relaxing. Yet it can also be a little intimidating to make at home. Smuggler’s Cove is an insightful guide into not only understanding how to make a perfect drink (the differences between types of rum, how to make homemade infused syrups, proper techniques in building and layering) but also the history of this cocktail culture, where it came from and how to think about it going forward. And like any good tiki drink itself, half the pleasure of this book is the stunning visuals that encourage a little playful escapism. —Ryan Harrington, research director

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In a hot kitchen, you can’t just dump fresh lime, tequila, Cointreau, and simple syrup in a blender with ice: As you whir it, the room-temperature liquid melts the ice, so you get a cool, but not brain-freezing-frozen margarita.

The secret to real slushie-style margaritas at home (as opposed to the classic margarita on the rocks), without using corn syrup or artificial flavors, is to make your margarita base the day before and keep it in a sealed container in your freezer. The mix won’t freeze, since there’s so much alcohol and sugar in it, but it will drop way down in temperature: Ours clocked in at 5°F (-15°C) after an overnight rest. When the party starts, throw your ice in the blender, add your super-cold homemade margarita mix, get it whirring on “ice crush,” and you’re good to go. The result will be sweet-tart, boozy, and totally refreshing.

April 2012

Cook Mode
(Keep screen awake)

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup; 120 ml) silver tequila (100% agave)

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup; 60 ml) high-quality triple sec, such as Cointreau

• 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons; 75 ml) lime juice, from 4 to 5 limes

• 4 ounces (5 tablespoons; 75 ml) simple syrup (see note)

• 12 ounces ice (about 3 cups)

1. At Least 8 Hours Before Serving: Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup in a sealable container that will fit in your freezer. Seal and place in freezer for at least 8 hours and up to 1 week (the mixture will remain completely liquid).

2. When you are ready to serve, add ice and tequila mixture to blender. Blend on highest setting, pulsing and scraping down sides as necessary, until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Blender

Notes

For best results, chill the base for the margaritas at least eight hours before blending. The base mixture can be doubled before it’s placed in the freezer, but you’ll need to work in two separate batches when blending. To make simple syrup, combine equal volumes of sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Make-Ahead

The mixture can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the freezer.

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