Bramble
Gin, lemon, sugar and a drizzle of blackberry liqueur over crushed ice. Dick Bradsell's 1984 London classic — a Gin Sour that looks like a hedgerow.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
Add the gin, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake briefly.
Strain over the crushed ice and top the glass with more crushed ice.
Drizzle the crème de mûre over the top so it bleeds down through the ice, and garnish with blackberries and a lemon wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Do not stir after the liqueur goes on. The drink is meant to be pink at the top and clear at the bottom, mixing as you drink.
- Crushed ice is part of the recipe — the drink dilutes as it sits, which is what keeps it from being too sweet.
- If you cannot find crème de mûre, crème de cassis makes a 'Blackcurrant Bramble' that Bradsell himself approved of.
Common mistakes
- Shaking the liqueur in. It becomes a purple sour and loses the point.
- Serving on cubes. The lemon and liqueur need the dilution.
- Over-sweetening. The liqueur adds sugar on top of the syrup; keep the syrup at half an ounce.
A few good questions.
What is crème de mûre?
Blackberry liqueur, French-style, at around 16 to 20% ABV. It is sweet and jammy and is meant to be drizzled, not measured into the shaker.
Can I use cassis?
Yes. Blackcurrant liqueur gives a slightly different flavour and Bradsell used it when mûre was unavailable.
Why crushed ice?
For the look — the liqueur bleeding through — and for dilution, which balances the sugar as you drink.
Who was Dick Bradsell?
The bartender who revived London cocktails from the 1980s, inventor of the Bramble, the Espresso Martini and others. He died in 2016.
Variations
- Gin Sour — Gin, lemon and sugar without the liqueur.
- Espresso Martini — Bradsell's other famous invention.
- Gin Basil Smash — Gin, lemon and basil over ice.
- Whiskey Smash — Bourbon, lemon and mint over crushed ice.
Where it comes from
1984 · London · Dick Bradsell · Fred's Club, Soho
Dick Bradsell created the Bramble at Fred’s Club in Soho in 1984, wanting, he said, a drink that tasted like the blackberry-picking of his childhood on the Isle of Wight. The structure is a gin sour over crushed ice with crème de mûre — blackberry liqueur — poured over the top so it bleeds down through the ice. It was the start of the London cocktail renaissance that Bradsell led through the 1990s, and it is probably the most-ordered modern gin drink in Britain. His other inventions include the Espresso Martini and the Russian Spring Punch.
Sources
- Dick Bradsell, interviews and bar notes, 2000 (interview)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Bramble, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.6 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.2% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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