Bramble After Dark
Blackberries give you the colour for free. Muddled with a couple of sage leaves and shaken with gin, lemon and honey, they make a sour that looks dramatic and tastes fresh, with just enough of the herb to make people ask what is in it.
What you'll need
- 6 blackberries
- 2 fresh sage leaves
- 2 oz gin (60 ml)
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice (22 ml)
- 0.75 oz honey syrup (22 ml)
- 0.5 cup honey (120 ml)
- 0.5 cup hot water (120 ml)
- 2 cups blackberries (about 280 g)
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 2 cups gin (480 ml)
- 0.75 cup fresh lemon juice (180 ml)
- 0.75 cup honey syrup (180 ml)
- 0.75 cup cold water (180 ml)
How to make it
Stir the honey into the hot water until it dissolves. Cool. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks.
In a shaker, crush the blackberries and sage leaves with the honey syrup until the berries are pulp.
Add the gin, lemon juice and a good handful of ice. Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds.
Strain through a fine sieve into a chilled coupe, pressing lightly on the pulp. Float a sage leaf on top.
Crush the berries and sage with the syrup in the bottom of a pitcher, add everything else, stir, chill for an hour, and strain into glasses over ice.
Glass: Coupe, or a rocks glass over ice for the pitcher version. Garnish: One sage leaf and a blackberry on a pick.
Chef's secrets
Frozen blackberries work well; thaw them first so they give up their juice.
Taste your berries. Very tart ones want another teaspoon of syrup.
Good to know
The honey syrup and the pitcher version can both be made the day before. Strain the pitcher before guests arrive so the sage does not turn bitter.