Cocktails: A Gin Bramble & A Mississippi Mule

We Remember the Dead!

In New Orleans, we love to celebrate our Dead!  We have gigantic Mausoleums, Memorial Masses, and even Jazz Funeral Parades that march down the streets with large brass bands remembering our Dead!  Why?  Not to wallow in their death but to celebrate in their life.

So thus we were inspired by LSU's race to the BCS championship & their unfortunate demise!  However, in honor of their Purple & Gold colors, we searched for a proper cocktail cocktail that would remind us their great season and exciting run to the top!

In that search, we came accross another great legend called THE FIX.  The Fix Cocktail, as it was listed in Jerry Thomas' bartenders guide (1862),  was a wonderful blend of  Raspberry Syrup, Powdered Sugar, Gin, and the Juice of  several Gold Lemons.  Now this Gin Fix is regarded as being dead, however it would seem that it in fact lives on, as the Bramble & the Mississippi Mule.  

Now if you search for either of these drinks, we came accross an adaptation of the Bramble at Bar Tonique under their Sours menu & have had one at Bar Uncommon made by Mr. Chris McMillan.  However, we have been making the recipe that was created by Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in Soho, London, in the mid-80s and find that this recipe is an easy and great one to introduce people who claim they "Hate Gin" because the flavors of the berry Liquer will mellow out any gin prejudices!

So to honor our Boys in Purple & Gold and the great 2011 season they had, we remember you with these 2 tasty cocktails that have a Purple color with a Gold base:

The Gin Bramble

•  1.5 oz of Dry Gin
• .75 oz of Lime or Lemon Juice
• .5 oz of Simple Syrup
• .75 oz Creme' de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur)***
• 3 blackberries

Mix Gin, Lime or Lemon Juice (we prefer Lime), and Simple Syrup in a shaker filled with ice for about 15 seconds.  Strain Mix into a Rocks glass filled with Crushed Ice**.  Drizzle Creme' De Mure on top and Garnish with Blackberries!

**Note: The reason we use Crushed Ice is that the berry-flavoured liqueur should cascade down through the crushed ice, as it is served. When done right it is very pleasing, visually.

 the Mississipi Mule

  ~ 2 oz of Dry Gin

  ~ 0.5 oz of Lemon Juice

  ~ 0.5 oz of Creme de Cassis (black currant Liqueur)***

  ~ Lemon Peel or 3 Raspberries

Shake over ice and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with Lemon peel or 3 Raspberries!

***NOTE: Most Recipes out there say that if you cant find your Berry Liqueur you can substitue it with Chambord if you cant find your Liqueur.  Chambord is a Raspberry Brandy Based Liqueur with honey.  SOO you can definately replace any of the above if you so feel lazy, however, we have had no problem finding Creme de Cassis or Creme de Mure.  In New Orleans, you can find almost anything at Dorignacs in their immense yet beautiful wine & liqueur section!!

So we hope you enjoy these two recipes.  We Salute you LSU Tiger Season of 2011 for a great run!!

Did you like our cocktail suggestions or did you make any of these? Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment below.