Well alas, winter is finally here in Calgary. Our fair city is blanketed in snow and truth be told, I think it’s just beautiful! There is nothing like the first snowfall! Unless you have to be on the roads, in which case it can be frustrating, please be safe.
If you’ve made it through the week and the first snowfall safe and sound, I’ve got the perfect way to celebrate. This Blackberry Bramble is divine. The warm and spicy flavours from cinnamon and cloves, makes it the perfect drink for a cool fall night. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Berries:
- 2 cups blackberries/blueberries/raspberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
For the Bramble:
- 6 ounces gin
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 ounces simple syrup (from the berries or regular)
- club soda or Prosecco, to top it all off
Directions
- Place your berries in a small pot and add in the sugar, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer for 8 minutes, until the berries have softened (but not disintegrated) and the sugar has dissolved. You will have extra if you’re not making drinks for a crowd, so these will keep well in their syrup for up to a week.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine your gin, lemon juice, and syrup. You can use some of the syrup from the berries, if you want a really fruity drink, or you can just use regular simple syrup. To make plain simple syrup, just boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water until the sugar dissolves. Easy!
- Add ice to the top and shake well, for at least 10 seconds. Use a strainer (so you don’t have any lemon pulp) to pour the cocktail into two ice filled glasses. Drop a spoonful or two of berries into the drink, drop with club soda, and add a straw. Allow your guests to stir the drink themselves; the pink looks really pretty when you serve it, almost ombre, and then it magically combines in your guests’ hands!
Recipe from thecrepesofwrath.com
