Bramble
A fresh gin sour with tart lemon and sweetness, crowned with dark blackberry liqueur that trickles beautifully through crushed ice.
Ingredients
- London Dry gin45 ml
- Blackberry liqueur, drizzled on top as a float15 ml
- Lemon juice, freshly squeezed25 ml
- Simple syrup (1 part Sugar, 1 part Water)15 ml
- Blackberry, for garnish (optional)3 pieces
- Lemon, for garnish (optional)1 slice
Method
- Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
- Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup with ice cubes until well chilled.
- Strain the drink over the crushed ice in the glass.
- Slowly drizzle the blackberry liqueur over the top, so it sinks beautifully through the ice.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries and a slice of lemon.
Dick Bradsell
About this drink
The Bramble was created by Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in Soho in 1984, inspired by the blackberry hedgerows he remembered from his childhood in the English countryside. The drink reinvented the gin-sour format by adding a float of blackberry liqueur, which slowly bleeds through the ice to create both a visual and flavourful layer. It is now considered a modern classic and one of the finest examples of balance between acidity, sweetness and fruit.
Questions and answers
Why is the blackberry liqueur drizzled on top rather than mixed in?
Drizzled slowly over crushed ice, the liqueur gradually sinks through the drink and creates the marbled look the Bramble is known for. Shake it into the shaker and the effect disappears completely.
Is there an alternative to blackberry liqueur?
Crème de mûre is the standard, but blackcurrant crème de cassis or raspberry Chambord work well as substitutes. In practice, you are simply changing the berry that colours the drink.
