Blackberry Sage Arnold Palmer
This blackberry sage Arnold Palmer is what happens when the classic iced tea lemonade gets muddled berries, earthy oolong, and a little shake — and comes out the other side looking like it has its life together.
Don't Let "Sage" Scare You Off
- The sage is in the tea — you don't have to do anything extra. It's already handled.
- Muddled blackberries and raspberries run the flavor show. The oolong just gives them something interesting to stand next to.
- Ready in under 5 minutes. Shake, pour, sit outside, pretend you have no responsibilities. Done.
- Add seltzer if you want fizz. Add vodka or gin if the day earned it. Works either way.
The Java Momma Twist: We use Blackberry Sage Oolong here because it does the herbal heavy lifting without any extra effort — the sage and blackberry notes are already brewed in. That means you get a genuinely complex summer iced tea lemonade without sourcing dried sage or muddling anything you don't already have.
What You'll Need
For the Muddle:
- ¼ cup mixed blackberries and raspberries
- 1 Tbsp honey, agave, or maple syrup
For the Shake:
- 6 oz brewed Blackberry Sage Oolong, chilled
- ½ cup lemonade
- ¼ cup crushed ice
To Build the Drink:
- ¾ cup crushed ice
- Seltzer to top, optional
How To Make It
- Muddle the berries. In the bottom of a mason jar or cocktail shaker, combine the berries and your sweetener of choice. Muddle until juicy — you want those berries fully broken down and releasing everything they've got.
- Add the tea and lemonade. Pour in ¼ cup crushed ice, the chilled Blackberry Sage Oolong, and the lemonade. Seal the jar or shaker tightly.
- Shake it. Give it a good 10–15 second shake. The ice breaks down slightly and chills everything fast — this is where the muddled berry color bleeds through the whole drink.
- Build the glass. Fill a tall glass with the remaining ¾ cup crushed ice. Pour the shaken mixture over the ice, berries and all.
- Top and serve. Add a splash of seltzer if you want fizz. Sip immediately. Pretend, just for a minute, that you have nowhere to be.
A couple of things worth knowing:
If you want a cleaner-looking drink with no berry seeds or pulp, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve before pouring over ice — totally optional, purely aesthetic. The un-strained version tastes just as good and photographs better anyway. Also: the ratio of tea to lemonade here skews slightly more tea-forward than a classic Arnold Palmer (think 60/40 instead of 50/50), because the oolong brings enough natural sweetness that you don't need the lemonade to carry the whole flavor load.
Swaps & Permission Slips
- No Blackberry Sage Oolong? Brew regular black tea and muddle a few fresh sage leaves in with the berries. You'll get close — you'll just have to do more work for it.
- Only have one kind of berry? All blackberries or all raspberries works fine. The dual berry thing adds visual interest but the flavor is forgiving.
- Want it boozy? A shot of gin or vodka goes in after the shake, before the seltzer. Gin plays particularly well with the herbal sage notes — the botanicals vibe.
- Sweetener questions? Honey adds a floral note that actually enhances the berry. Maple syrup makes it warmer and slightly earthy. Agave is neutral — good if you want the berries to carry without competition.
- Watching carbs? Swap the sweetener for allulose and use a low-sugar or unsweetened lemonade. The muddled berries already bring natural sweetness, so you're not missing much.
The blackberry sage Arnold Palmer is a five-minute drink that tastes like you planned it — which is the very best kind. Brew it, shake it, go sit somewhere without a screen. That's the whole plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a blackberry Arnold Palmer made of?
A blackberry Arnold Palmer is the classic iced tea lemonade combination with muddled fresh blackberries mixed in. This version also uses Blackberry Sage Oolong tea as the base, which adds herbal depth and a natural berry flavor to the drink without any extra ingredients.
What's the best tea to use in an Arnold Palmer?
Classic Arnold Palmers call for unsweetened black tea — but oolong tea makes an excellent swap because it has a natural sweetness and slightly floral character that plays well with lemonade. Blackberry Sage Oolong takes it further, layering berry and herbal notes into the tea base so the drink is more complex with zero additional effort.
Can you make an Arnold Palmer into a cocktail?
Absolutely — and this fruity version is a great candidate. Add a shot of gin or vodka after shaking and before topping with seltzer. Gin works especially well here because the botanicals echo the herbal sage notes in the oolong tea. The cocktail version is sometimes called a John Daly.
How do you muddle berries for a drink?
Place the berries and sweetener in the bottom of a mason jar or cocktail shaker and press them firmly with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon. You're not mashing — you're pressing down and twisting to break the skins and release the juice. Stop when the berries are fully broken down and the sweetener has worked into the fruit.
How long does an Arnold Palmer last in the fridge?
The brewed Blackberry Sage Oolong keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can batch it ahead. Once muddled and combined with lemonade, the full drink is best served immediately — the muddled berries will continue to release juice and the drink will get progressively more berry-forward the longer it sits, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
