PREP TIME 5 min
Are you wondering, what is a Bramble cocktail? Don’t fret, we’ve got all the info you need to know and a delicious recipe to boot! A Bramble cocktail is a member of the Tom Collins family of gin-based cocktails, which usually include a good squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of simple syrup. Tom Collins cocktails are traditionally topped up with a dash of soda water for fizz but this Bramble cocktail recipe goes without and is served on the rocks instead.
Add a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker or mason jar and pour over the gin, lemon juice and syrup.
Shake briefly to allow ingredients to chill.
Fill a tumbler with ice and strain the mixture into it before drizzling over the crème de Mûre.
Allow it to bleed into the drink and garnish with the lemon and blackberries if they are in season.
For the perfect Bramble gin cocktail, you’ll need just 4 ingredients. Let’s start with the ingredient that gives this cocktail its bramble namesake – Crème de Mûre. This age-old French liqueur is made with jammy sweet blackberries, harvested at their ripest from prickly hedgerows. With its renowned flavour and deep purple hue, you’ll be reminded of summers spent blackberry picking, snacking on the juicy berries as you got lost amongst the wild hedgerows.
Our second hero ingredient in this juicy cocktail is a top-quality gin. For a good base packed with fragrant botanicals, we recommend choosing a London Dry Gin like Bulldog or Bickens Premium Distilled.
Next up is lemon juice and it has to be freshly squeezed for the most lip-smackingly delicious cocktail. Finally, add simple syrup to balance all the sweetness. You can buy it ready-made or make your own easily by dissolving equal measures of sugar into simmering water. Allow to cool and keep in the fridge for up to one month.
Our Bramble gin cocktail is so easy to make – simply combine the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into your chosen glass over ice (or on the rocks, as it’s called in cocktail lingo) and finish with the Crème de Mûre for an ombre effect as the purple liqueur bleeds into the drink just like freshly pressed blackberry. To garnish, add lemon wedge and a blackberry if you like. To mimic summer picnic vibes and fragrant herb gardens, add a sprig of mint too.
If you want to make this cocktail like the pros, opt for crushed ice when serving to really tame the sweetness of the blackberry. If you have a powerful blender, blitz a few ice cubes until crushed. Alternatively, buy a bag of ice cubes and, before opening it, drop the bag onto a hard surface a few times to break up the pieces.
Crème de Mûre is a blackberry liquor, which is dark, jammy and sweet, and traditionally comes from France. Crème de Cassis, also from across the pond, is a dark red liqueur made from juicy blackcurrants which is lighter and slightly more tart. A classic Bramble cocktail is traditionally made with Crème de Mûre, and its name is inspired by the brambly hedgerows where blackberries grow. If you’ve only got Crème de Cassis, or prefer a tarter tasting drink, then put your own twist on a Bramble and give it a go.
