The Blacker the Berry

ABOUT

We’re sure you’ve heard "the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice" from Tupac’s 1993 song Keep Ya Head Up. But did you know he got it from Wallace Thurman’s The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life?

Wallace Henry Thurman was a Black editor, novelist and playwright associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He worked with icons like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Gwendolyn Bennett. Best known for his novels The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life and Infants of the Spring, Thurman often spoke out against colorism and respectability in the Black community.

His idea of the Harlem Renaissance has been considered “staunch and revolutionary in its commitment to individuality and critical objectivity: the black writer need not pander to the aesthetic preferences of the black middle class, nor should he or she write for an easy and patronizing white approval."

This July 4th, we’re highlighting Thurman and other Black writers like him who bring attention to anti-Blackness. Check out a large selection of books from Harriett’s Bookstore — a Black-owned book store in Philly here.

Also, check out our recipe for our The Blacker the Berry below. The base spirit for this drink is Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey. 1884 is believed to be the last year Nathan “Nearest” Green — the fomerly enslaved Black man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey — put his whiskey into barrels before retiring.

This drink is served in a double old fashioned glass. Blackberries and blueberries are optional garnishes.

Recipe Type: Cocktails

Glassware: Double Old Fashioned

Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 oz. Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey

  • 5 blackberries

  • Handful of blueberries

  • 1/2 oz. lavender syrup

  • 1/4 oz. pomegranate syrup

  • 1/2 oz. lime juice

  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Add blackberries and blueberries to a cocktail shaker

  2. Add lavender syrup and pomegranate syrup and muddle well

  3. Add remaining ingredients

  4. Add ice and shake for 20 seconds or until shaker is frosty on the outside

  5. Double strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice

  6. Serve

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