A mound of crushed ice, a bright gin sour underneath, and a dark ribbon of blackberry liqueur trickling down through it. Each sip changes as the colours blend, from sharp citrus to jammy fruit. It tastes like late summer hedgerows in Britain.
4.5Editors’ rating
Taste4.5
Balance4.4
Easy to make4.1
Popularity65
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Garnish: Lemon wheel and fresh blackberries · Ice: Crushed ice
Method
Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
Add gin, lemon juice and simple syrup and stir briefly.
Top with a little more crushed ice to form a dome.
Drizzle the crème de mûre slowly over the top so it bleeds down through the ice.
Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh blackberries.
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Bramble
Taste
Tart and fruity, with fresh lemon and juniper at first, then jammy blackberry as the liqueur mixes in. Light, cold and very refreshing.
History and origin
The Bramble was created by Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in Soho, London, in the mid-1980s. Bradsell, one of the most influential British bartenders of his generation, wanted a drink that would feel as British as the blackberry bushes he remembered from childhood on the Isle of Wight.
Its structure is essentially a gin sour served over crushed ice, a nod to the old Fix, with crème de mûre poured over the top. The drink spread quickly through London's cocktail bars in the 1990s and became one of the defining modern classics of the city. It is listed by the International Bartenders Association in its New Era category.
Bartender tips
You can also shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice and strain over crushed ice; it gives a colder, more even base.
Crème de mûre is the classic choice; crème de cassis works but tastes more of blackcurrant.
Use fresh lemon only: the drink has nowhere to hide bottled juice.
Variations
Bramble with fresh berries
Muddle four or five blackberries with the syrup before adding the gin and lemon.
Raspberry Bramble
Use crème de framboise for a lighter, more floral fruit note.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the Bramble?
London bartender Dick Bradsell created it in the mid-1980s at Fred's Club in Soho.
What can I use instead of crème de mûre?
Crème de cassis or another good blackberry liqueur. A spoonful of blackberry syrup works in a pinch.
What is the IBA recipe?
50 ml gin, 25 ml lemon juice, 12.5 ml sugar syrup and 15 ml crème de mûre over crushed ice.
