Bramble Recipe in 5 Minutes

Name: Bramble
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 50 ml gin; 25 ml fresh lemon juice; 15 ml sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water); Crushed ice; 15 ml crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur); 2 fresh blackberries and 1 lemon slice, to garnish

Why This Bramble Recipe Works

The Bramble is one of the great modern British cocktails, created in 1984 by the London bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in Soho, and it has become a standard in bars across the world. Bradsell said that he was inspired by the blackberry picking of his childhood on the Isle of Wight, when he would come home with hands scratched by brambles and stained purple with the fruit. The drink has the simplicity of a classic, and it is built like a gin sour, with gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup, shaken and poured over crushed ice. The distinctive touch is the last step. A measure of blackberry liqueur, crème de mûre, is drizzled over the top of the ice, where it sinks slowly through the drink in dark purple ribbons, so the drink looks as though it is bleeding, and changes colour and flavour as it is drunk. The first sips are sharp and lemony, and the last are sweet and full of blackberry. Crushed ice matters, since it dilutes the drink slowly and keeps it very cold, so if you do not have any, wrap ice cubes in a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin. Choose a London dry gin with a good juniper backbone, and use fresh lemon juice. A few fresh blackberries and a slice of lemon make the garnish, and a short straw is useful.

How to Make Bramble

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Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
Pour the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain the mixture over the crushed ice in the glass.
Slowly drizzle the crème de mûre over the top so that it seeps down through the ice.
Garnish with the blackberries and lemon slice and serve with a short straw.

Tips for Making Bramble

Use plenty of crushed ice. It keeps the drink cold and dilutes it slowly, and the liqueur sinks through it in ribbons.
Pour the crème de mûre slowly, last of all. If it is stirred in, it turns the whole drink a uniform purple, and you lose the effect.
Taste, and balance. If the lemon is too sharp for you, add a little more syrup, and if it is too sweet, reduce the liqueur.

What to Serve with Bramble

Cheese straws
Smoked mackerel pâté
Blackberry crumble

Storing & Reheating Bramble

Best made to order. For a party, mix gin, lemon and syrup in a jug ahead of time, and build each drink over crushed ice.

Bramble FAQ: Common Questions

How long does Bramble take to make?

About 5 minutes in total — 5 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 1.

What are the key tips for making Bramble?

Use plenty of crushed ice. It keeps the drink cold and dilutes it slowly, and the liqueur sinks through it in ribbons. Pour the crème de mûre slowly, last of all. If it is stirred in, it turns the whole drink a uniform purple, and you lose the effect. Taste, and balance. If the lemon is too sharp for you, add a little more syrup, and if it is too sweet, reduce the liqueur.

What should I serve with Bramble?

Cheese straws; Smoked mackerel pâté; Blackberry crumble.

Is Bramble suitable for a special diet?

This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free and low-carb. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.

How many calories are in Bramble?

About 192 kcal per serving, with 0 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate and 0 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.

Bramble Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.

192Calories

0gProtein

17gCarbs

0gFat

1gFibre

15gSugar

5mgSodium

Vegan Vegetarian Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Low-Carb

Bramble

How to Make Bramble

Tips for Making Bramble

What to Serve with Bramble

Storing & Reheating Bramble

Bramble FAQ: Common Questions

Bramble Nutrition

Reader Reviews

Cooked this? Leave a review

How to Make Bramble

Tips for Making Bramble

What to Serve with Bramble

Storing & Reheating Bramble

Bramble FAQ: Common Questions

Bramble Nutrition

Reader Reviews

Cooked this? Leave a review

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