This easy bramble cocktail recipe is the perfect balance of refreshing and sweet. Just add blackberry brandy, gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup, and get ready for perfect happy hours on the patio.

Vertical view of two glasses filled with the bramble cocktail with lemon as garnish

This bramble recipe is the perfect sipping cocktail! It is refreshing and the lemon and crushed ice make you want to smack your lips after every sip. And once you do take a sip, that’s when the gin and blackberry liqueur say hello to your taste buds.

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The history of the bramble

When the legendary bartender Dick Bradsell, worked in Soho, London’s infamous bar Fred’s Club in the 1980s, he developed this classic bramble cocktail. What everyone loved about it is the blackberry liqueur balanced the taste of gin and lemon, making this a favorite to everyone who imbibed.

Helpful tips

Because this cocktail is served with crushed ice, I prefer to mix the ingredients in a shaker and pour them over the ice, rather than mixing them in the glass with the ice. Even though this berry recipe takes less than 5 minutes, if you build it in the glass, it will melt the ice quickly.
Since the blackberry brandy is added after the main pour, it’s fun to serve it to your guests in a side car (a separate shot glass), so they can pour it over the crushed ice themselves, satisfying their inner mixologist.
If you can’t find blackberry brandy, you can use crème de mûre, which is a liqueur made with blackberries. Or even cassis – which is a dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.
Another option instead of the brandy is using a black raspberry liqueur, like Chambord. It will change the taste somewhat.
If you haven’t had blackberry brandy, you’re in for a treat. It is made from black raspberries and is a little sweet.
Although I typically advocate using the best liquor you can afford in your cocktails, especially in cocktails that are basically alcohol like the martini or Manhattan, when mixing the bramble, it’s fine to use a mid-level gin, like Bombay Sapphire.
Start with a sour to sweet ratio of 2:1 and if that’s not sweet enough for you, add simple syrup to get closer to a ratio of 1:1.

How to make simple syrup

Place 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar in a sauce pan.
Turn heat on medium and bring to a boil.
Lower to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until all the sugar granules have melted.
Cool and pour into a storage jar or bottle. Many years ago I bought a bottle of pre-made simple syrup and I reuse it over and over.

How to make the bramble cocktail recipe

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker, fill it halfway with ice and take out a measuring glass and your glassware.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour them into the shaker.

Cut two thin lemon wheels for garnish. I chose not to use fresh blackberries in this cocktail because they weren’t in season and didn’t want to pay $6.00 for less than a pint of the fruit. But fresh blackberries are an awesome garnish in this cocktail.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – gin, blackberry brandy, lemon, and simple syrup.

Gin, Blackberry liqueur, simple syrup and lemons on the black table

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of gin.

Gin measured out with the bottle and shaker in the background

Step three

Measure 2 ounces of fresh lemon juice (almost a whole lemon, which yields about 2 ounces of juice).

Lemon juice measured with the lemon, shaker and glassware in the background

I always make my own simple syrup and you should too. It’s easy and less expensive than buying premade.

Step four

Measure 1 ounce simple syrup.

Simple syrup measured with the bottle, shaker and glasses

Step five

Heap the glasses with crushed ice. Cap the shaker and shake for 15 seconds. Strain, divide, and pour the bramble cocktail recipe into the glasses.

Measure 3/4 ounce of blackberry brandy PER cocktail.

Blackberry liqueur measured with the bottle and filled glasses in the background

Step six

Pour the blackberry brandy over the ice and place a lemon wheel in each glass.

Short glass filled with ice, a red cocktail and lemon slice

Let’s see how different the bramble looks in the thinner, taller rocks glass.

Taller glass filled with ice, bramble and lemon slices

I hope you enjoyed this bramble cocktail recipe.

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!