Bushes for the Ghost, or Bramble vs. Bloody Mary

A bramble, by any other name, would be bush, boscage, dingle, undergrowth, etc.  Bloody Mary, well....do you remember hearing, when you were a kid, that if you starred into a mirror in a dark room and uttered a name over and over and over and over, that you'd see a ghost?  Remember what that name was?  Bloody Mary?  Well maybe for you it was, but for me, it was actually Lois Klinderbërgen.  If you'd say her name over and over and over and over, she would appear in the mirror holding a half eaten pear tart...but!   Get ready for it...she had eaten all of the ice cream!!!  I know, horrifying, right?!?!?  Especially for a wee child of 11 or 12 years of age with a voracious appetite for dairy.

Hmm...maybe I'm putting too much energy into the titles...

Okay...the bramble - why haven't I heard of this before?  It's basically a gin sour with a little bit of crème de mure in it.  It's fantastic!  I'm surprised that I haven't seen it on more restaurant menus.  Do yourself a favor and try this!

Bramble ingredients (simple syrup in an old Elmer T. Lee bottle)

Bramble

1.4 oz. Gin

0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

0.3 oz. Simple Syrup

0.5 oz. Crème de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)

Build over crushed ice, in a rock glass.
Stir, then pour the blackberry liqueur over the top of the drink in a circular fashion.
Garnish with a lemon slice, and two blackberries.

Bloody Mary and the Bramble

And now onto the Bloody Mary.  I'm not sure what it is about tomato juice based drinks, but I just don't like them...nothing personal against tomatoes...I like them...just not with alcohol.  So we have an easy winner with the Bramble in this match (my apologies to vegetables everywhere).

Bloody Mary ingredients

Bloody Mary

1.5 oz. Vodka

3 oz. Tomato Juice

0.5 oz. Lemon Juice

2 to 3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco

Celery salt

Pepper

Stir gently, pour all ingredients into highball glass. Garnish with celery and lemon wedge (optional). 

 Again, the clear winner is the Bramble - an excellent cocktail - if you have a chance, give it a try!

Bramble - the winner!

The Ingredients

For the Bramble:

Gin - Citadelle

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Homemade Simple Syrup

Blackberry Liqueur - Drillaud

For the Bloody Mary:

Vodka - Prairie Organic Vodka

Tomato Juice - Campbell's

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Worcestershire Sauce - Store Brand

Tabasco Sauce - starring as itself

Celery Salt - McCormick

Pepper

Up Next - Side Trip #4 - Gin & Tonic vs. Cuba Libra