Bramble Cocktail

Before I even start this post I’m going to fly straight in with a disclaimer. I was given this gin to try with no prerequisites. This blog post is going to read like a woman in love, because I am. I haven’t been paid to be, I wasn’t asked to post about it, I just had to.

It’s the holy grain of gins. The first ever super premium. The one that’s won more awards than any other in the world. It is of course Martin Millers and if ever there was an award for romantic backstories to spirits, Martin Miller’s would win one for that too.

When I first read about how it came to be the story captivated me. Martin Millers is the gin born of a love affair and near limitless money. There are few people that could offer endless funds to create their own perfect spirit but hotelier Martin Miller could- surely that’s a sign you’ve made it in the world.

It’s brewed in a very traditional way, that is until Martin decides the gin needs to meet with the purest water in the world to finish it off. This water comes from a spring in a remote part of Iceland- a 10 day journey. Why go all that way? Like no other gin, the water that the alcohol is married with is live. What this means is that the water isn’t distilled, whatever is in the water when it’s drawn from the spring makes it in to the bottle. The minerals help with the gin’s soft mouth feel. I must say, the journey is worth it.

This is far from your normal gin. It’s easily drinkable neat. It tastes amazing warm,  mulled with spices and apple. It’s being paired alongside courses in restaurants, slipped in to sabayons, sorbets, preserves. I’d read all the hype, was it worthy?

The true test for me was to make my favourite cocktail with it and see how it matched up. My favourite is the classic Bramble cocktail, created by ‘cocktail King’ Dick Bradsell in a Soho club back in 1984.

To make a Bramble cocktail you simply build the following in a glass with crushed ice:

50ml Martin Miller’s Gin

15ml Simple sugar syrup

15ml Crème de Mure

Squeeze of lemon juice 

 

The ritual of making a cocktail makes the drinking even more enjoyable, especially when you know the work that’s gone in to making a gin this perfect. I’ve never enjoyed a bramble as much.

If you’re keen on gin and are yet to try it, I strongly recommend you pick some up. Even if you’re not keen on gin, if there was ever a gin to convert non gin drinkers, this is it.

Martin Millers may be the most expensive gin to produce, yet you’ll see it on the shelves for less than Hendrick’s.  It was never about the money you see, it was only ever about the gin.