Friday Cocktail: Blackberry & Apple Crumble Bramble

It's coming to the end of the summer and the fruit is calling out to be picked on these last sunny days. Yesterday, I picked apples from the garden, and today I popped to the park to pick some blackberries. There were MILLIONS.

I got a bit carried away and as soon as I got home I wanted to start eating them. I was too impatient for a crumble, so I thought I'd make a cocktail version instead. This recipe is sweet and tart all at once, with refreshing fruitiness from the blackberries and apples and lots of warming luxury from the cinnamon sugar and vanilla. The creme de cassis may be blackcurrant as opposed to blackberry, but its sharpness works well with the brambly blackberries.

I've got to be honest, it's my favourite cocktail to date.

Blackberry and Apple Crumble Bramble cocktail recipe (serves one)

Ingredients:

• 8-12 blackberries (depending on the size: wild ones may be smaller than supermarket ones)
• 1.5 shots gin
• 3 shots cloudy apple juice
• 0.5 shot lemon juice
• 2 dashes vanilla syrup
• 1 tsp creme de cassis

For the cinnamon sugar:

• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon

Shake it!

1. Muddle the blackberries in a jug (or use a pestle and mortar) until they are a fine pulp with plenty of juice
2. Put the gin, apple juice, lemon juice and vanilla syrup in a cocktail shaker along with a couple of ice cubes.
3. Sieve the blackberries (or spoon them in if you don't mind the bits!) into the shaker too.
4. Give it all a good hard shake.
5. Blend the sugar and cinnamon together on a plate (taste-test to check it's cinnamon-y enough for you). Coat the rim of the glass with lemon juice to moisten it and then roll it in the sugar so it coats the rim.
6. Pour the cocktail into the glass, and top up with a teaspoon of creme de cassis.

Will you be pouring yourself one of these tonight? Let us know your weekend drinking plans in the comments, or on our fabulous Twitter and Facebook pages.