Ocean Prime’s Berries & Bubbles arrives like a tiny stage production: a dark blackberry cocktail, a sparkling finish and a cloud of dry-ice fog spilling around the glass. The smoke made it recognizable, but the actual drink is worth separating from the special effect. Underneath is a bright vodka sour softened by cassis and lifted with brut sparkling wine.
The restaurant still serves it, although the named brands have changed over time. That makes this less a claim to possess today’s secret spec than a careful reconstruction using Ocean Prime’s own disclosed older measurements and its current menu description.
What Ocean Prime Actually Serves
Current Ocean Prime menus name Ketel One Citroen vodka, marinated blackberries, fresh lemon juice, Piper Sonoma Brut and dry-ice smoke. A March 2026 Las Vegas menu priced the drink at $27, while Kansas City’s current lounge happy hour lists it at $15. Those examples show why one national price would be misleading.
Earlier official menus used Belvedere Organic Lemon & Basil Vodka and Domaine Chandon Brut. More importantly, an Ocean Prime cocktail training guide published the working proportions: 1 1/4 ounces vodka, 3/4 ounce crème de cassis, 1 1/2 ounces house sour and 1 ounce brut. The guide defines that sour as two parts fresh lemon to one part simple syrup.
The present menu no longer prints cassis, just as older guest menus did not always print every working ingredient. Still, Ocean Prime has not confirmed that the old measurements remain unchanged. Treat this as a documented copycat framework updated with current brands, not an official 2026 recipe.
Why Typical Copycats Fail
The first failure is using blackberry liqueur and sweet sparkling wine together. Cassis is already rich, and simple syrup is part of the published sour. A dry brut is necessary to stop the drink from becoming berry candy.
The second is shaking the sparkling wine. Carbonation expands violently in a sealed shaker and disappears quickly afterward. Shake only the still ingredients, strain them, then pour the brut gently into the glass.
The third is treating dry ice like ordinary ice. It is far colder than water ice and can burn tissue. A restaurant can use controlled service procedures and trained staff; a home recipe should not encourage a risky imitation. Skip it. Cold glassware, ripe berries and fresh bubbles supply plenty of drama.
The Key Technique: Build Contrast Before the Bubbles
Use fresh lemon and shake the base hard. Cassis has a dense, almost jammy texture, so it needs both acid and dilution. Twelve to fifteen seconds with solid ice makes the base cold, integrated and slightly aerated.
Fine-strain before adding the brut. This keeps seeds and small ice shards from disrupting the surface. Pour the sparkling wine down the inside edge of the glass, give it one very gentle lift with a bar spoon if necessary, and stop. Aggressive stirring throws away the bubbles you paid for.
For a simple garnish, soak blackberries in equal spoonfuls of orange juice and simple syrup for 30 minutes. The older restaurant guide called for Grand Marnier and syrup, but the zero-proof soak tastes bright and does not add an invisible extra pour.
Batch Eight Without Losing the Fizz
Combine 10 oz (300 ml) citrus vodka, 6 oz (180 ml) crème de cassis, 8 oz (240 ml) fresh lemon juice, 4 oz (120 ml) simple syrup and 6 oz (180 ml) cold water. Refrigerate for at least two hours. The water replaces the dilution normally supplied by shaking.
Pour 4 1/4 oz (127 ml) of the cold batch into each coupe and top with 1 oz (30 ml) brut. Garnish each glass separately. Do not pour the sparkling wine into the batch early, and never put dry ice in a pitcher or punch bowl.
The Blackberry Bubbles Mocktail
Without vodka, cassis and wine, berry syrup plus lemon can taste like lemonade. Strong chilled black tea adds tannin and a dry finish, while a genuinely dry nonalcoholic sparkling wine brings acidity and persistent bubbles.
Choose blackberry syrup made from fruit rather than candy flavoring. Shake it with the tea and lemon, then add the sparkling component in the glass exactly as with the cocktail. The result keeps the deep color, tart center and celebratory snap without pretending soda alone can replace the original structure.
Berries & Bubbles works because it balances two personalities: a dark, concentrated blackberry sour and a crisp sparkling finish. Nail that contrast and the drink remains distinctive even after the smoke clears.
See more restaurant copycat cocktails →
