Cocktails · Modern classic

Bramble

Wild flavours in a glass.

Dick Bradsell created the Bramble at Fred’s Club in London in the 1980s, reaching for something that tasted of a British hedgerow rather than a beach. It is the single best thing to do with a juniper-forward gin.

You need

Serves one

  • 50ml gin
  • 25ml fresh lemon juice
  • 12.5ml sugar syrup
  • 15ml crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur)
  • Crushed ice

Method

  1. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
  2. Shake the gin, lemon and sugar syrup with ice and strain over the top.
  3. Drizzle the crème de mûre over the ice so it bleeds down through the drink. Do not stir it in.
  4. Garnish with a blackberry and a lemon slice.

Our suggestion: a strongly juniper-led gin stands up best here — the blackberry will bury anything delicate. If you can find Scottish brambles in September, muddle a few in place of some of the liqueur.