Cocktail · Medium strength
Bramble
Gin, lemon, and a blackberry liqueur drizzle over crushed ice — London's berry patch.
How to order it: Dick Bradsell, 1984. Crème de mûre bleeding through crushed ice is the show.
Flavor profile
The recipe
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- Crushed ice; drizzle ½ oz crème de mûre
- Blackberry and lemon wheel
The story
The Bramble was invented in 1984 by Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in London's Soho, and it is openly autobiographical: Bradsell wanted a drink that tasted of picking blackberries on the Isle of Wight, where he spent part of his childhood. Gin, lemon, and sugar over crushed ice, with crème de mûre bleeding down through the glass like late summer, it became the rare modern British classic. Bradsell, who also gave the world the Espresso Martini, did more than anyone to drag London bartending out of its postwar slump. The Bramble endures as his gentlest legacy: nostalgia, properly chilled.
Adjacent pours