Ingredients
Drink
- 50 mlgin
- 25 mllemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 12.5 mlsugar syrup, two parts sugar to one part water
- 15 mlcrème de mûre
To finish
- crushed ice
- 1blackberry
- 1lemon slice
Directions
- Fill a rocks glass to the brim with crushed ice. It has to be crushed rather than cubed, because the drink is built around gradual dilution and the liqueur needs a path to sink through.
- Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup hard with cubed ice for about 10 seconds, until the outside of the tin frosts.
- Strain the mixture over the crushed ice, then top the glass up with more crushed ice and churn it briefly with a bar spoon.
- Drizzle the crème de mûre slowly over the surface and let it bleed down through the ice in a dark ribbon.
- Do not stir it in. The gradient, pale at the top and deep purple at the base, is the whole visual idea of the drink, and mixing it through leaves you with an ordinary purple sour.
- Garnish with a blackberry and a lemon slice and serve with a short straw.
Technique
- Dick Bradsell created it at Fred’s Club in Soho in the mid-1980s, drawing on childhood memories of picking blackberries on Exmoor. He also created the Espresso Martini.
- Fresh lemon only. Bottled juice flattens the drink completely and there is nowhere for it to hide in a build this simple.
- A London dry gin with real juniper backbone stands up to the fruit best.
Substitutions
- Crème de cassis in place of crème de mûre, which makes a related drink rather than the same one.
- Honey syrup instead of sugar syrup, for a rounder edge.
Variations
- Made with sloe gin and no liqueur at all.
- A non-alcoholic version with blackberry cordial and a zero-proof gin.
- Lengthened with soda water into a longer summer drink.
History
Created by bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in London in the mid-1980s, inspired by blackberrying on Exmoor.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bramble?
Bramble is a cocktail from United Kingdom: gin, lemon and sugar over crushed ice, drizzled with blackberry liqueur. Created by bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in London in the mid-1980s, inspired by blackberrying on Exmoor.
How long does Bramble take to make?
Bramble takes 5 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bramble?
Yes, within limits. Crème de cassis in place of crème de mûre, which makes a related drink rather than the same one. Honey syrup instead of sugar syrup, for a rounder edge.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bramble?
Fill a rocks glass to the brim with crushed ice. It has to be crushed rather than cubed, because the drink is built around gradual dilution and the liqueur needs a path to sink through.
