Creme de mure is a blackberry liqueur that tastes like berry jam! Here’s why it deserves a place in your liquor collection.

Creme de mure

It’s sweet tart, jammy, and a swig tastes like the best berry candy you’ve ever had: it’s creme de mure! This dark, sweet French liqueur is absolutely worth the purchase: in fact, you might find the flavor transcendental. (We did!) It’s well-known in the Bramble cocktail, but this berry liqueur can be used for so much more. Here’s more about it and how to use it in drinks.

What is crème de mûre?

Crème de mûre is a French liqueur made with fresh blackberries. It’s been made in France since the 1800’s, and today it’s made by many different brands. The flavor is rich and jammy, juicy sweet with a tart berry finish. It’s most well-known for its inclusion in the Bramble cocktail paired with gin and lemon, invented in the 1980’s in London.

Creme de mure is one in a family of French crème liqueurs, liqueurs with a high sugar content. Despite the sound of the name, the crème family of liqueurs have no dairy. Others include crème de cacao (chocolate), crème de menthe (mint), and crème de cassis (blackcurrant).

What does creme de mure taste like?

Creme de mure is powerful and layered: fruity, rich, bold, sweet, bright, and jammy all at once, with a sweet tart finish. It tastes like a larger than life version of a blackberry candy, and it’s instantly memorable. When the Bramble cocktail’s inventor Dick Bradsell tried creme de mure for the first time, he had a “moment” and was immediately transported back to his fruit picking childhood (read about it here).

What ABV is crème de mûre? It is 17% ABV (alcohol by volume), so it has a relatively low alcohol level, similar to most sweet liqueurs.

Are there any substitutes? Chambord, a French black raspberry liqueur, or crème de cassis, a French blackcurrant liqueur, are decent substitutes for crème de mure. But there’s nothing quite like the smooth, pungent sweetness of the real thing. It’s worth seeking out a bottle. (Trust us!)

Why we like it

A sip of crème de mûre is as transcendental experience! The powerful blackberry jam flavor is immediately surprising and pleasant. Use it in a Bramble cocktail, or pair it with champagne for a berry-forward spin on the Kir Royale! It’s also fantastic as a summery spritzer paired with soda water.

How much does it cost?

Creme de mûre ranges from inexpensive to mid-range. A 750 ml bottle of Drillaud brand costs $15, Joseph Cartron Creme de Mure is around $25, and Giffard Creme de Mure costs about $30. We highly recommend the Joseph Cartron brand pictured here.

Creme de mure works as a shot or you can serve it over ice, but it’s at its best in cocktails. Here are a few ways to use it in drinks:

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Creme de mure

Guide to Creme de Mure & Cocktails!


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x

Description

The Bramble cocktail is one of the great modern gin cocktails! Drizzle a lemony gin sour with candy-sweet blackberry liqueur for a stunning drink. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) gin
  • ¾ ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) lemon juice
  • ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) simple syrup
  • ¾ ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) crème de mûre*
  • Crushed ice, for serving
  • For the garnish: Lemon slice and fresh blackberry

Instructions

  1. Add crushed ice to a lowball glass.
  2. Add the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake until cold.
  3. Strain the drink into the glass with crushed ice. Drizzle the crème de mûre over crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and afresh blackberry.
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegan

Keywords: Creme de mure

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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3 Comments

  1. I have been wanting to try many of these for some time, and I have searched the world high and low for Crème de Mûre and it simply can’t be found anywhere. In fact, I have yet to find any liquor store that has even heard of it. I’m not quite ready to buy it online and pay as much for the shipping as it costs for the liqueur. How different is a “Crème de Mûre” from a no-name “blackberry liqueur?”