Chambord Bramble Cocktail

Writing about cocktails after what has happened in Orlando this past weekend seems a little obtuse. A little too celebratory in a time of great sadness. 

I could, for instance, be writing about how abhorrent a crime like that is, how America’s gun laws need a serious overhaul, how influential figures like Donald Trump are stirring up a whole lot of hate in this small world of ours. But I’m not going to. Because you can read those kinds of stories elsewhere. And one of the reasons that you come here, to my little corner of the internet, is, I hope, for a little light relief. A little distraction from the doom and gloom of everyday life.

And that’s exactly what this cocktail is: a distraction. There’s nothing gloomy at all about this refreshing, summery Chambord Bramble cocktail – a drink best enjoyed outside.

It’s a wonderful mix of dry gin (we used Dutch Courage), freshly-squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup and Chambord raspberry liqueur. I’m not usually a big gin drinker, but we were gifted a wonderful bottle by our old landlords as we left Amsterdam, and it mixes perfectly in this drink.

And don’t be tempted to buy simple syrup – it’s ridiculously easy to make yourself and once you’ve made a batch, you can keep using it for future cocktails. Check out this simple syrup recipe for details on how to make it.

Technically, this cocktail is a muddle between a traditional bramble cocktail (which uses creme de mure and fresh blackberries) and a ramble cocktail (which uses Chambord and fresh raspberries). We opted for a combination of the two and it was divine!

Full disclosure: Scott is the mixologist of the two of us. He whipped up this delicious concoction; I’m just here to share the recipe. Enjoy.

Chambord Bramble Cocktail

Recipe by Julia

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• Crushed ice – see notes

• 2 shots (50ml) dry gin

• 1 shot (25ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 shot simple syrup

• 1/2 shot Chambord liqueur

Directions

• Pour the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker, half-fill with crushed ice, and shake well.
• Strain into a tall glass or tumbler filled with more crushed ice.
• Drizzle the Chambord over the top so it trickles down through the drink.
• Garnish with fresh blackberries and a slice of lemon.

Notes

• To easily crush your ice, place the ice cubes in a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin.