Nick Tesar’s signature drink recipe: The Bramble cocktail

While THE Drink was a source of inspiration, a signature cocktail is something a bartender can make with their eyes closed. It's a drink they’ve honed to such a degree, they've become known for it.

For Nick Tesar, that drink emerged during his years at renowned Melbourne institution Gin Palace. “When I first moved to Melbourne I worked at Gin Palace and that was the most influential bar for my development,” Nick says. “I was there for two and a half years, but I learnt more in that time than I have anywhere else.” These days he’s running the bar at Fitzroy’s iconic Bar Liberty – and having recently been crowned Australia’s Best Bartender at the World Class Cocktail Competition, Nick’s hard work is clearly paying off.

If you’ve never been to the iconic Gin Palace before, do yourself a favour and pay it a visit soon. Established in 1997, this lush, velvety basement bar has seen many of Melbourne’s most prolific bartenders through its doors. As the name suggests, it’s hopelessly devoted to gin – which is what forms the base of Nick’s signature drink, The Bramble. “The Bramble was the everybody cocktail. Everyone loved it,” says Nick. “It is a great example of how to use gin. It’s fresh, zesty and a little bit sweet – and it looks delightful.”

A wonderfully light drink made of gin, lemon and creme de mure (a deliciously jammy blackberry liqueur), The Bramble was invented by Dick Bradsell in Fred’s Club Soho, London, and is perhaps the most famous cocktail to come out of the 1980s. 

“The Bramble has to be over-shaken with ice and then served over crushed ice,” says Nick. When served, it should have a beautiful dome of crushed ice built on top of the glass. 

Ready to have a crack at Nick’s signature drink at home?

45mL gin

In lieu of convincing Nick to be your personal at-home bartender (unlikely), he has a few tips to help you make a Bramble cocktail that's impress-your-friends good.

“A little home hack is to just shake and dump all the ingredients into a glass,” says Nick. “Because you’ve essentially just crushed all the ice you need for the drink from shaking it.” However, this does mean you need to shake it well and for longer than you normally would. Shake it till those arms are sore.

We mentioned that The Bramble is a light, slightly sweet drink. So, what does Nick recommend eating alongside this cocktail? “Crudites. Because they’re fresh snacks and are more suited to aperitivo.”

And there we have it. A beautifully bright and fresh cocktail to drink during aperitivo hour, or any hour you want really.