• Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Supergolden Bakes

Sweet, savoury and everything in between

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About me
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Recipes
  • PRIVACY POLICY
×

Gin Bramble Cocktail

June 23, 2019 by Lucy Parissi 229 Comments

12206 shares
Jump to Recipe

The Bramble is a classic that must be part of your repertoire. A refreshing gin cocktail with lemon juice, sugar syrup, Crème de Mûre and crushed ice. If you don’t happen to have blackberry liqueur I have provided an instant homemade version!

You will also love… my Blueberry Gin Sour

Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure

Blackberry liqueur being poured over a Bramble Cocktail in a rocks glass

Ahhh the days before kids when I was able to go out for cocktails in London on a weeknight and perfectly capable of rising early the next day for work… The Bramble used to be among my favourite cocktails to order in those bygone days.

Nowadays I tend to mix my own cocktails at home, but I still love gin cocktails and this British drink, invented by the late, great, bartender Dick Bradsell deserves to be a modern classic.

What’s in a Bramble cocktail?

The Bramble is basically a variation on The Sour, one of the most useful cocktail recipes you should know. Because it’s much more than a recipe, it’s actually a formula that’s the backbone of many beloved cocktails like the Margarita and the Pisco Sour.

A Sour Cocktail is made up of 50ml (scant 2 fl oz or just shy of ¼ cup) of your favourite spirit (gin, bourbon, tequila etc), one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (or lime juice) and a scant tablespoon of sugar syrup.

The only spin the Bramble offers on this winning formula is the addition of Crème de Mûre (blackberry liqueur) and crushed ice. The Crème de Mûre is poured over a gin sour where it sinks into the drink creating a pretty effect. Take a look at this post which contains a round up of gins you could use in this recipe.

Ingredients in a Bramble cocktail: sugar syrup, gin, creme de mure and lemon juice

How to make a Bramble Cocktail

STEP 1. Put the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake hard for 30 seconds.

STEP 2. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

A gin sour being poured into an old fashioned glass

STEP 3. Pour the blackberry liqueur over the top without mixing to create a bleeding effect.

STEP 4. Decorate with a lemon twist or fresh blackberries if in season.

What if I don’t have Crème de Mûre?

I have to admit that not many people do! You can substitute with Cassis which is a little more common. But it’s just as easy to create your own instant version if it’s blackberry season.

Simply muddle a handful of fresh blackberries with sugar (or sugar syrup) and gin or vodka, and voila! A few summers ago I made a bottle of flavoured vodka just for mixing Bramble cocktails.

Put 1/2 cup fresh blueberries in a large clean jar and add 2 tbsp sugar syrup (or sugar). Mix together then fill the jar with vodka. Put in the fridge, turning the jar over every day. After a week, strain the vodka and keep for mixing into cocktails.

How to make crushed ice for cocktails

These days it’s fairly easy to buy bags of crushed ice for cocktails. But it’s just as easy to make your own crushed ice. Blitzing ice in a blender is an option, but this tends to crush the ice too much. If the ice is crushed too small it will melt quickly and your cocktail will be watered down in no time!

A better way is to put plenty of ice cubes in the middle of a clean lint-free tea towel. Close up the towel around the ice and use a rolling pin to crush it. You want the ice to be in smallish but irregular pieces.

Slimming World Cocktail?

Ever since I started on the Slimming World plan I became hyper-aware of how many SYNS are hiding in my beloved cocktails.

A Bramble contains 50ml of gin which is 6 syns. The blackberry liqueur is probably an extra syn (it’s only 10 ml). If you make your own sugar syrup with sweetener you can avoid any additional syns. Call it 7 syns? Not ideal, but not as bad as some sweeter cocktails.

See the recipe notes below for how to make homemade sugar-free simple syrup. It takes less than five minutes to throw together and will keep for a week in the fridge.

Love gin cocktails? Here’s some to try

  • The Botanist
  • The Red Queen
  • Blackberry Lavender Gin and Tonic
Blackberry liqueur being poured over a Bramble Cocktail in a rocks glass

Bramble Cocktail

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
The Bramble is a classic cocktail that must be part of your repertoire! A refreshing gin cocktail with lemon juice, sugar syrup, Crème de Mûre and crushed ice. If you don’t happen to have blackberry liqueur I have provided an instant homemade version!
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Rate
Course: Cocktail
Cuisine: English
Keyword: Blueberry gin sour cocktail, Bramble Cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 162kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment & Tools

Rocks (old fashioned) glasses
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail Strainer

Ingredients

  • 100 ml | 3 ½ fl oz (scant 1/2 cup) gin
  • 50 ml | 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp sugar syrup or more, to taste
  • 2 ½ tsp Creme de Mure (or Cassis)
  • fresh blackberries or lemon peel to garnish
  • crushed ice

Instructions

  • Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
  • Put all the ingredients except for the Creme de Mure in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice.
  • Shake hard for about ten seconds then strain into the glass.
  • Drizzle the Creme de Mure over the drink – it will stain your cocktail a beautiful colour – and garnish with fresh blackberries or some lemon peel.

Notes

Homemade Crushed Ice: If you can’t buy crushed ice, place ice cubes inside ziplog bag and cover with a dish towel. Smash with a rolling pin.
Homemade Crème de Mûre: Simply muddle a handful of blackberries with sugar (or sugar syrup) and gin or vodka. 
Slimming World Syns: A Bramble contains 50ml of gin which is 6 syns. The blackberry liqueur is probably an extra syn (it’s only 10 ml). If you make your own sugar syrup with sweetener you can avoid any additional syns. Call it 7 syns? Not ideal, but not as bad as some sweeter cocktails.
Homemade sugar-free simple syrup: Put 200ml water and 200g granulated sweetener in a saucepan and stir over medium heat to dissolve. Turn the heat off as soon as it comes to a simmer and strain into a clean jar. Keep in the fridge for up to a week. NOTE: You must use a sweetener that can be used at the same ratio as sugar (Sukrin, or Canderel Sugarly).
Bramble Variation: To make a Bramble de Casita, add 1/2 tbsp Chambord the above recipe.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 26mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
SaveSaved!
Tried this recipe?Mention @supergolden88 or tag #supergoldenbakes!
« Marinated BBQ Boneless Leg Of Lamb
Slimming Friendly Spag Bol! »
Subscribe to get the all the latest tasty goodness delivered to your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

Comments

  1. Pat says

    August 12, 2022 at 10:33 pm

    4 stars
    Great, but better with another 1/2 oz cassis.

    Reply
  2. Robert Campbell says

    April 08, 2021 at 12:21 am

    5 stars
    The perfect summer drink!

    Reply
  3. KathleenF says

    February 15, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    I’m wondering if Chambord would work in this recipe.

    Reply
    • Lucy Parissi says

      February 15, 2021 at 8:03 pm

      You can try it but it has a totally different flavour to Creme De Mure. Chambord has a raspberry/vanilla flavour that I think would clash with gin. Might work with vodka tho

      Reply
      • KathleenF says

        March 09, 2021 at 11:47 pm

        I finally found some locally produced blackberry liqueur. Now I find out that my guest does not like gin. Can vodka be used? Sorry for the questions. I’m a newbie home bartender. Appreciate your help.

        Reply
        • Lucy Parissi says

          March 10, 2021 at 11:42 am

          Yes you can use vodka, the flavour will not be as intense but certainly will taste good!

          Reply
  4. Natalie Crossan says

    October 31, 2015 at 11:38 pm

    Fantastic prize x

    Reply
  5. AnnaH says

    October 31, 2015 at 10:52 pm

    Great prize – would love to try it!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU!

Picture of Lucy ParissiHi, I am Lucy Parissi, the recipe developer, food  photographer and author behind Supergolden Bakes. If you are looking for easy sweet and savoury recipes that are packed with flavour you have come to the right place!  READ MORE

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Air Fryer Recipes

whole roast chicken in chefree
Air fryer chicken sharwama served with flatbreads, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles
Air Fryer Rolls topped with sesame seeds
Bowl of air fryer pulled pork in barbecue sauce with buns on the side
Air Fryer Pavlova filled with cream and fresh berries on a stand
Air fryer sourdough bread sliced in half on cutting board

More Posts from this Category

As Seen In…

Collage of brand logos, including Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, Chowhound, MSN, Elle, and Redbook