The Bramble Cocktail

The Bramble is easily one of my favorite cocktails. It’s sour, refreshing, and fruity—which are all the things I love in a cocktail during the warmer months. The Bramble is a blackberry-based cocktail that’s rather simple to make and is nicely balanced in flavor. It was invented in the 1980s by Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Soho Club in London, but is actually a spin on a more classic cocktail called a Fix.

A Fix is a sour served down on crushed ice and was first recorded in How to Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas in 1862. Crushed ice drinks are perfect for summer because they’re like boozy snow cones, am I right? The other great thing about a Fix-style cocktail is that any fruit in season can be muddled in the glass before adding the ice and undiluted cocktail. In addition, this drink also works great with any spirit. That is how The Bramble was born, so let’s get mixing, shall we?

The Bramble, serves 1

This drink is so simple to make that I think it will amaze you! Add gin, lemon, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice) to incorporate ingredients. In a serving glass, preferably a double rocks glass (I used these), muddle the blackberries.

Fill the glass with crushed ice and then top with the bramble mixture. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a blackberry.

Not only is The Bramble so delicious and refreshing, but it’s easy to make and visually stunning. I love how the fruit is layered and the color of the drink changes as you drink it. The other great part about this drink is you can tailor it to your particular taste. You can change the spirit or even the fruit depending on the season, which makes it great to have in your repertoire all year long. I hope you’ll make The Bramble at home this summer. If you do, don’t forget to chime in on the comments below and use the #ABMhappyhour hashtag. Cheers! xo Natalie

The Bramble Cocktail