Ramble

 

What do you get when you make a Bramble with raspberries instead of blackberries? The answer is, a Ramble! This is a super conventional recipe: raspberries, gin, sugar syrup, ice. That's it; I added the rosemary because it is suggestive of one of the botanicals in MurLarkey's ImaGination gin. I've gone too long without it on my bar, and I'm super pleased how well it improves a simple recipe like this. 

The funny thing is that the Ramble has a kind of backwards preparation designed to get the muddled raspberries on top of the ice and not stuck at the bottom of the glass. It uses a shaker to chill and combine a gin sour that sits underneath the ice then re-shakes raspberries and simple syrup to add extra sweet raspberry syrup and hunks as a float of sorts. The effect is that the pink syrup drizzles down through the crushed ice and creates a two-tone look that's extra pretty.

• 2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 1/4 oz. simple syrup
• 3 raspberries 
• (Optional rosemary sprig garnish)

Combine gin, lemon juice and 3/4 oz. of the simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass full of crushed ice. Empty the shaker and add the raspberries with the remaining simple syrup (3/4 oz.). Muddle the berries gently in the syrup and pour over the ice. Garnish with berries or optional rosemary.

Prohibition Bramble

We all know what to do when you have lemons, right? Well, when you have blackberries and lemons and gin, you make Brambles.

It's been a while since I've used my muddler.  But blackberries alone don't make the flavor of this cocktail. It is the combination of the berry and lemon juice, sugar and herbaceous gin that do the trick. I used my Prohibition-style bathtub gin, that simulates how people would flavor raw spirit back when buying gin was illegal. Despite the steeped, less refined gin, the Bramble is more interesting for it. 

You have to start with muddled berries for this drink. Fresh lemon juice and simple syrup are the ingredients that help you taste the berry juice. Have a fine mesh strainer in addition to the strainer you use for your shaker when you make this. You don't want the mess of all those seeds showing up in the drink.

• 2 oz. gin (homemade steeped gin used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 5 blackberries

Muddle four blackberries in a shaker with lemon juice and simple syrup. Add the gin and cracked ice and shake. Double strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh crushed ice and garnish with the remaining berry.

 

 

Bristow Brandy Bramble (Original Recipe for MurLarkey Distillery)

The Bramble has been a reliable summer sour drink for decades. Blackberry liqueur floated on gin and lemon juice in crushed ice is a refreshing combination. But it was rare that bars had blackberries back in the 80s when the Bramble was invented. Creme de Mure was the blackberry ingredient until the cocktail revolution occurred.

This a small break from tradition by using muddled blackberries and sugar for the natural blackberry flavor. The sherry is best when floated on top of the ice to add richness and oak.

• 2 oz. MurLarkey ImaGination gin
• 1 oz. E&J VSOP
• 1 oz. cream sherry
• 7 blackberries
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• mint sprig

Combine 5 blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a shaker and muddle to break up the berries. Add brandy, gin and ice and shake. Double strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of crushed ice. Float cream sherry on top and garnish with mint sprig and three blackberries.