Black Magic Guinness Cocktail
, Updated Oct 10, 2026
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If you’re looking for a Halloween or St Patrick’s Day drink that’s a little more adventurous than the usual pint of stout, this Guinness Black Magic Cocktail is a fun and delicious option.
Fresh blackberries, bourbon and lime create a bright, fruity base that balances beautifully with the deep roasted notes of Guinness. It may sound like an unusual combination, but it works surprisingly well – creating a cocktail that’s rich, refreshing and just a little bit mysterious.
With its inky color, moody good looks and a name like Black Magic, this is also a brilliant Halloween cocktail – dark, dramatic and perfect for a grown-up Halloween party. For an extra spooky touch, drizzle a little of my edible fake blood around the rim of the glass.
Serve it for Halloween parties, St Patrick’s Day celebrations, cocktail parties or a cozy evening in. Sláinte!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Guinness draught: The iconic Irish stout adds roasted, slightly bitter notes that balance the sweetness of the fruit.
- Irish whiskey or bourbon: For smoky, warm vanilla and caramel flavors that complement the stout and berries.
- Blackberries: Fresh blackberries provide natural sweetness and a beautiful fruity aroma. You can also use frozen and defrosted berries if you like.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime juice brightens the drink, adding acidity that balances the richness of the stout.
- Grenadine: Adds subtle sweetness and enhances the berry flavor.
Cocktail tip
Use Homemade Blackberry Liqueur
Instead of muddling blackberries and adding grenadine, add a small amount of my homemade blackberry liqueur (crème de mûre) and adjust to taste.
How to Make My Guinness Black Magic Cocktail
This bewitching cocktail combines bourbon, lime juice, blackberries and Guinness draught. It sounds like an unlikely combination but, trust me, it’s delicious!
- Add the blackberries, bourbon, grenadine and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the blackberries with a muddler or the back of a rolling pin.
- Half fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for 30 seconds then pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir in the Guinness and garnish with blackberries threaded onto a cocktail stick.
Did you make my Guinness Black Magic Cocktail? Please leave a comment and rating if you tried this recipe, follow me on Pinterest for more easy recipes and don’t forget to tag me on @Instagram or TikTok so I can see your creations.
Guinness Black Magic Cocktail
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Irish whiskey or bourbon
- 2 tsp grenadine or sugar syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice or to taste
- ½ cup (120ml) Guinness draught
- 5 fresh blackberries plus extra to garnish
- lime wedges to garnish
Instructions
- Add the blackberries, whiskey, grenadine and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the blackberries with a mudding spoon or the back of a rolling pin.4 tbsp Irish whiskey, 2 tsp grenadine, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Half fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glasses. Stir in the Guinness, add a few ice cubes and garnish with a lime wedge and a couple of blackberries threaded on a toothpick.½ cup (120ml) Guinness draught
Notes
- This cocktail is best made fresh. However, you can prepare the blackberry bourbon base ahead of time and keep it refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Simply shake with ice and top with Guinness just before serving.
- Instead of muddling blackberries and adding grenadine, add a small amount of my homemade blackberry liqueur (crème de mûre) and adjust to taste.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
I love your glasses that you used for this. Where did you get them?
I have an endless collection of vintage glasses I use as props. I can’t 100% recall where I got these (they could even be from IKEA). Amazon has some close matches tho
I tried this as per the recipe, and it’s a great starting point but I felt lacked depth. I tried it again replacing the grenadine with crème de mure (blackberry liqueur) and not adding quite so much lime juice, but instead just a twist as a garnish. The blackberry liqueur really rounds out the flavour, enhancing the muddled blackberries and darkness of the Guinness, and pulling back on the lime mellows some of the sharpness I felt was in the original recipe. To make a longer drink I think it works well to add dandelion and burdock (or lemonade for something lighter), equal parts with the Guinness. All-in-all thanks so much for the recipe, I wouldn’t have tried such an odd mix off my own bat!
Did you think of replacing the syrup and muddled berries with blackberry brandy (liqueur)?
You can try that if you like, I didn’t have any at the time
Sounds wonderful and the photos are amazing!
I'm not a huge fan of Guinness but I always feel I should drink it on St Patrick's Day – mixing it into a cocktail is the perfect solution and this sounds wonderful! Also your productive day makes me feel very UNproductive haha, feel like I haven't stopped all day but I haven't achieved anywhere near that much!
Lucy, having three yummy and very different recipes to sample and shot is my idea of heaven, too. I admit that I am not a big Guinness or stout fan but you might just convince me with this as I DO like a cocktail or two. Consider me intrigued. 🙂