Bramble Cocktail – Whoa Blackerry!

The Blackberry Bramble is a modern classic cocktail with good reason. It is delicious. And refreshing. Enjoy…

To Make a Bramble Cocktail, Use These Simple Steps

Bramble Cocktail


Whoa Blackberry!

Blackberry Bramble cocktail
Blackberry Bramble Cocktail

The Bramble cocktail is a modern classic that was first invented in the 1980s by Dick Bradsell, a bartender at Fred’s Club in London. It’s made with gin, citrus, simple syrup and crème de mûre.upidatat non proident.

The bramble cocktail is perfect for those spring and summer evenings when you need a something to take the edge off the heat. It’s got a fruity, floral, berry and citrus flavour.

What is a Bramble Cocktail?

If fresh blackberries grow near you consider yourself lucky. Sort of. The work it takes to pick them can be hot and painful. The reward is fresh blackberry jams, liqueurs, sorbets and delicious drinks.

This is a British cocktail. The name comes from blackberry bushes that grow near hedges all over England in the summertime. They’re known as brambles and they are thorny shrubs that sometimes grow to be taller than people!

The berries hang from their branches like tempting fat purple grapes. They draw you in, When you bite into one of these little berries or drink them in this recipe for a bramble drink (or cocktail), you’ll be surprised by the tart and sweet flavor.


Problem: I love drinks that are both refreshing and complex. But it can be hard to find a drink that hits the spot on a hot summer day, or when you’re looking for something with a little more flavor than just plain soda water.

The Bramble cocktail is one of those perfect drinks! It’s made from gin (a classic spirit), lemon juice or lime juice, simple syrup and creme de mure. You can also add some fresh red fruits like raspberries or blackberries to finish it off.

We’ve created this recipe so you can make your own Brambles at home in no time. By using premium ingredients you’ll enjoy an amazing drink every time!


What is in a Bramble Cocktail?

  1. The Bramble Cocktail is a drink created by Dick Bradsell, an English bartender in the 1980s. It’s best described as a spring cocktail that combines dry gin, lemon, sugar syrup (or honey), creme de mure and crushed ice.
  2. It’s a gin sour with fresh blackberries muddled in the bottom of a glass filled with crushed ice. This is all drizzled with blackberry liqueur.
  3. Add some fresh red fruits and finish off with lemon slice for garnish

How to make a Bramble Cocktail?

1. To make the bramble cocktail at home follow these simple steps

2. Combine 1 part Gin with 2 parts creme de mure in a cocktail shaker.

3. Add 1/4 parts Fresh Lemon Juice

4. Add 3/4 parts sweetener

8. Fill with Crushed Ice to top it off!

Bramble Cocktail Ingredients

Fresh Blackberries

Fresh blackberries are essential. The flavor is intense and delicious.

London Dry Gin

This is an English drink. The main thing in this drink is Gin, which tastes like pine trees.

What is Crème De Mûre?

This is a blackberry liqueur that gives the cocktail

It is worth having a bottle in your bar.

Substitutions: Chambord, substitute creme de cassis, blackberry brandy, black raspberry liqueur, you can even make your own blackberry liqueur

Fresh Lemon Juice

This gives a sour taste to the drink and cuts through the sweetness of the blackberry. Lime juice works well here too.

Simple Syrup

This is what makes the drink sweet and also helps bring out the flavours of the other ingredients.

How to Make a Bramble Cocktail

There is one tricky bit with this and that is dealing with the ice. You’ve got to work your cocktail shaker and somehow manage to crush a glass of ice and build your drink before the whole thing melts.

The best approach is to shake the gin sour component first and let that sit in the cocktail shaker while you get your crushed ice set up. It’s not such a big deal when you’re making a couple drinks at home for friends, but in a fast paced restaurant or bar situation it can be a bit of a juggling act.

Crushed Ice

Crushed ice is perfect for cocktails because it melts quickly and dilutes the drink evenly. You can use a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle to crush the ice.

In my experience there are two effective ways to make crushed ice. The first is to start with some ice cubes. Wrap them in a tea towel and pound them with a mallet. The other is to put the ice cubes in your cocktail shaker and pound them into submission with a sturdy muddler. The second technique makes better crushed ice, but it can be more injurious.

Rocks Glass

Once you’ve got a nice pile of crushed ice you’re going to fill up a rocks glass (or an Old Fashioned glass, if you prefer) with it. When I say a glass filled, I really mean mounded up, over the top. It will melt quickly diluting the drink and chilling down to the point where it is just so refreshing.


What does a Bramble taste like?

Simple, perfectly balanced in taste – the Bramble became more of today’s modern classic now appearing in many British restaurants. It’s usually short and “gin sugar”. In that case I add Crème De Morre, french blackberry juice.

Is creme de mure the same as Chambord?

Chambord is a French invented blackberry liqueur similar to Creme de Cassis using blackberry fruit instead of blackcurrants. Chambord has a slightly darker taste that is introduced by variations from other ingredients.

What is Bramble gin made of?

The drink is made up of cocktails containing sugar and lemon-flavoured coffee. It was designed in 1984 by Dick Bradsell, who works at Freds club in Soho.

What is a Kentucky Bramble?

We use Bourbon Bramble cocktails and blend it with fresh raspberries, lemon infused vodka and basil infused liqueur with our famous Basil Hayden® brand.

How many calories in blackberry bramble cocktail?

There are some calories in a bramble.

You’ve Got to Make a Bramble Today

The Bramble is a refreshing cocktail that’s perfect for spring. It’s light, tart and fruity with just enough sweetness to balance it out. And not only can you enjoy this delicious drink at home, but I’m happy to report that the Bramble has found its way into some of Philly’s best bars too. If you make your own version of this fantastic cocktail or know someone who does, please let me know!

The Blackberry Bramble is a modern classic cocktail with good reason. It is delicious. And refreshing. This is your basic Blackberry Bramble cocktail recipe. This recipe will work just fine as it is, but it is also a great starting point for experimentation.

You could try adding some herbs, Thai basil maybe. Perhaps a little spice. Substitute simple syrup for ginger syrup?

One of the things I really like about the bramble is that for a drink that was first developed in the 1980’s by Dick Bradsell it has all the structure and elegance of a classic cocktail recipe. It is a well balanced blend of sweet and tart flavors. It is relatively easy to make a bunch of these on a Saturday night.

The drink is basically a gin sour drizzled with blackberry liqueur. The original Blackberry Bramble recipe specifies creme de mure, a french blackberry liqueur. Creme de cassis and Chambord are both suitable substitutes that may be a little easier to track down depending on where you are. If you can find it Dolin (of vermouth fame) makes a very nice wild blackberry creme de mure.

Blackberry Bramble – Cocktail Recipe

  • 1 1/2 oz Good London Dry Gin (Bombay Sapphire)
  • 1/2 oz Chambord (Creme de Mure, Creme de Cassis)
  • 3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
  • 3 Fresh Blackberries
  • Lemon twist
  • Crushed Ice
  1. Muddle 2 blackberries in the bottom of a large rocks glass.
  2. Fill large shaker with ice, gin, simple syrup and lemon juice.
  3. Shake vigorously until swell chilled.
  4. Strain into prepared glass.
  5. Pour Chambord or other berry liqueur over cocktail and garnish with a blackberry and lemon twist.

The Bramble is one of our absolute favorite drinks, but sometimes you’re looking to try something new. Keep exploring. Try this list of gin cocktails.

For more like this check out our Guide to Classic Cocktails.

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