Mixology Monday: The Bramble

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Greetings, and happy Mixology Monday! Paul over at Cocktail Chronicles is hosting this month’s get-together, and the theme is Blog Love. Yikes, what a name, huh?

But it’s a great idea: we’re all going to try out recipes that we’ve seen on each other’s sites, and report on our findings.

Because we’re bloggers.
And we have love.
Blog love.

Got it?

Originally, I wanted to pick up my very own iSi whipper and make Jimmy Patrick’s cassis foam as Jimmy’s skills have been a great source of envy for me for a long time, but I settled on something I’ve been keeping quiet about for a long time, the Bramble.

I learned about the Bramble from my friend George Sinclair’s website a few months ago, and I’ve been making them for a select few customers at the bar ever since. I like to call it “the best-kept secret in town”.

Here’s a little history from George:

The Bramble is a cocktail that has seen its way onto almost every UK cocktail bars menu, And although a correct recipe is not always used, it is still a testament to its excellence, of both flavour, and memorable naming, that others are continually trying to improve its simple formula.

Created in the mid-1980s by Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in Soho, London

So, in short, the Bramble exemplifies everything I strive to do with my cocktail menus. Time to rip it off! (See my rip off below)

I didn’t have a bottle of Plymouth gin on hand when I started exploring this drink, so I substituted Portland, Oregon’s own Aviation gin. It’s similar to Plymouth in its herbaceous nose and creamy mouthfeel, and since blackberries grow wild in Oregon, this seemed like a natural choice.

This post wouldn’t be complete with a fair amount of gushing on my part, so if you’re not already in-the-know, let me be the first to introduce you to George Sinclair, the Thinking Bartender. Now, I consider myself to be a cocktail history buff. I have a good-sized library of books (original editions of The Gentleman’s Companion and the South American Gentleman’s Companion, anyone?) and I consult them every time I’m looking to explore a new cocktail. But George puts my knowledge and adherence to classic methodologies to shame. His relentless quest for perfection stands, to me, as an ultimate goal and a reminder that while the cocktail renaissance here in the United States is just getting underway, it has been in full swing on the other side of the pond for a good long time.

So, thanks, George, and here’s to many more brilliant posts.

Oh, and check out Phil at Lamb Martini, who has a new-found love for the Richmond Gimlet, and Chris at Nonjatta who, through a trial-and-error process, discovered that a Tomato Daiquiri beats all other fruit daiquiris!

Thanks for hosting this one, Paul.

The Bridgeport Bramble Print Me

  • 1.5 oz Aviation gin
  • .75 oz lemon juice
  • .5 oz simple syrup
  • .75 oz creme de mure (blackberry liqueur)
  1. Shake the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with cracked ice and strain into a double rocks glass. Top with crushed ice and gently float creme de mure on top. Garnish with a skewer of four wild, organic Oregon blackberries.

Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com

4 Replies to “Mixology Monday: The Bramble”

  • Nick says:

    Do you have a preferred blackberry liquor or a preferred recipe to make your own?

  • Craig says:

    Hey Jeffrey,

    Having only read through half this post I ran out to make a bramble with a foam float, upon my return I see that wasn’t where you were going with your drink.
    Anyway both are great drinks!

    Cheers!

  • Sean Boudreau says:

    Jeffrey,

    I used Plymouth GIN instead of Aviation and it was great! I could not find Aviation Gin around here… The drink is a new favorite though! Thanks!

    Cheers

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