23 Feb Bramble recipe – Make a perfect Bramble in 3 minutes
The Bramble is a modern classic that has secured its place on cocktail menus around the world. A cocktail for the hot summer day with its fresh and fruity flavor profile. This is our take on the cocktail.
The story of the Bramble
Unlike many cocktails, the origin of the Bramble is well documented. It was made by Dick Bradsell in 1986 at the Fred’s Club bar in Soho, London. According to the story, Bradsell tried Crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur) and he had his madeleine moment. It brought back memories from his childhood, when he used to pick blackberries along the forest paths and the roadside hedgerows. That association became the starting point for the cocktail.
Bradsell wanted to make a true british cocktail, so he built the cocktail around gin as the basespirit, balancing it with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. He served it over crushed ice in a lowball glass, with a float of Crème de mûre to give the cocktail its color and unique taste. It didn’t take long for Bramble to become an extremely popular cocktail due to its very embracing flavor expression.
Dick Bradsell chose to call it Bramble because of his many childhood hours spent picking blackberries. Bramble is a Blackberry bush and Dick Bradsell remembers how he often got scratches from the thorns on the bush in the attempt to pick the berries. Therefore, he thought it was appropriate to give the drink the name of what made it unique, namely the blackberries.
Choosing the ingredients
When making cocktails the most important advice is to use quality ingredients. That doesn’t mean spending excessively, but understading which components matter.
Gin:
The Bramble is built on gin, and the choice of gin plays a defining role in the final balance of the cocktail.
For this recipe, a well-balanced London Dry style is ideal.
We recommend using Bombay Sapphire for this recipe. Its classic London Dry profile offers clear juniper structure supported by subtle citrus and light spice notes. Those characteristics work particularly well with fresh lemon juice and blackberry, allowing the fruit to integrate without overpowering the base spirit.
Bombay Sapphire provides enough botanical presence to keep the cocktail structured, while remaining clean and approachable. The citrus elements lift the drink, and the dry finish prevents it from becoming overly sweet.
Lemon juice:
Freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended for the best result. Citrus juice changes quickly once exposed to air, shifting from bright and acidic to flatter and slightly bitter. This is due to oxidation, which alters both flavor and aroma.
Blackberry syrup:
We recommend using a quality homemade blackberry syrup rather than Crème de mûre for this recipe.
The original recipe calls for Crème de mûre, floated on top of the cocktail. In practice, however, most Crème de mûre liqueurs sink to the bottom of the cocktail because of their high sugar levels. The blackberry profile in many commercial Crème de mûre products also tends to taste artificial. When building a cocktail around the blackberry this is not an element worth compromising on.
For these reasons, we are not using either a float or Crème de mûre in this recipe.
Instead, a homemade blackberry syrup provides better structure and full control over sweetness and berry intensity. It integrates more naturally with the gin, while giving more character to the cocktail.
Garnish:
Garnish with a fresh blackberry. The garnish should be minimal and consistent with the ingredients in the cocktail.
Bramble Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cool glass down with crushed ice or in the freezer for a couple of minutes.
- Remove the ice from the glass.
- Add gin, lemon juice and blackberry syrup to the glass.
- Add crushed ice to the glass and give it a quick stir.
- Add even more crushed ice in the glass until it forms a small peak over the glass.
- Add a straw and the blackberry as garnish.
What to Remember
- Keep it simple - Use fresh ingredients and quality spirits. Nothing more is needed.
Use chrushed ice - It defines the texture of the Bramble.
- Mix the ingredients well - Blackberry syrup is dense and will settle at the bottom if not integrated thoroughly.
- Use homemade syrup - It provides better balance and a more natural berry profile.
FAQ
- What is in a Bramble cocktail? - The Bramble is made with gin, lemon juice and blackberry syrup (traditionally Crème de mûre), served in a lowball with crushed ice.
- What glass should I use for serving? - Serve it in a lowball with crushed ice.
- Can I use a different gin than Bombay sapphire? - Yes. Any well-balanced quality London Dry gin works well with the lemon juice and homemade blackberry syrup.
- What is the alcohol percentage of a Bramble? - The alcohol percentage in a Bramble typically ranges between 10 - 15 % ABV, depending on dilution and proportions.
- Is the Bramble a sweet cocktail? - Yes. It is a rather sweet cocktail, but the fresh lemon juice provides enough acidity to maintain balance, making it perfect for the summer.
- Can i use Crème de mûre instead of blackberry syrup? - No. We don't recommend it, because our recipe is a lot different than the original.
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Carl-Ditlev is a bartender and co-founder of EOW Magazine, dedicated to keeping cocktails simple with quality spirits, fresh juice, and homemade syrups.
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