Dick Bradsell
A page dedicated to the late cocktail genius that was Dick Bradsell (R.I.P.):
Richard "Dick" Bradsell: 4th May 1959 -27th February 2016.
Bramble, The.
35ml Gin
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup
Build over crushed ice, in a whisky glass. Stir, then pour 15ml Blackberry Liqueur over the top of the drink, in a circular fashion. Garnish with a lemon slice, and two Raspberries.
Wibble, The.
"I too [says Dick Bradsell] have recently invented a gin based cocktail, heavily inspired by one of the reps from Plymouth coming into my bar and asking me to invent him a drink utilising his product. I surprised myself with how nice the end result was. We called it the Wibble (it makes you wobble but you won't fall down). Now [year 2000] Match, the bar that I work in, calls itself "the home of the Wibble", which is nice."
25ml Plymouth Gin,
25ml Sloe Gin,
25ml Grapefruit Juice,
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice,
10ml Blackberry Liqueur,
5ml Sugar Syrup.
Shake with ice, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist.
Russian Spring Punch.
25ml Vodka
25ml Fresh Lemon Juice
15ml Cassis
10ml Sugar Syrup
"Stir (or shake) the ingredients and top with decent dry Champagne - it can be flat. Quell any excess fizzing by pouring 25mls vodka over drink. Garnish with a lemon slice and a blackberry."
Snood Murdekin.
The name is a corruption of "Snusmumriken", which is a character from the Mumin Troll books written by Tove Jansson.
1/3 Vodka
1/3 Kahlua
1/3 Chambord
Shake with ice, and strain into shot glasses. Float a thin layer of cream on top of each shot glass.
Cowboy Hoof/ Cowboy Martini.
Apparently Cowboys liked their Martinis shaken with fresh mint.
75ml Gin
5ml sugar syrup
2 dashes of orange bitters
4-5 mint leaves
Shake with Ice, then strain into a Cocktail glass; Garnish with an Orange Twist.
Vodka Espresso.
"when working at the infamous Fred's Bar, in Soho in the eighties. According to Dick, a rather well known model came into the bar, and asked to mix her a drink that would "wake me up, and then fuck me up".
50ml Vodka
5ml Sugar syrup
10ml Kahlua
10ml Tia Maria
1 short strong Espresso
Pour all ingredients into a shaker, and then add the ice. Shake hard, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans, placed into the centre of the drinks surface, and arranged into a flower petal formation.
Treacle, The.
Into a Rocks Glass, add 10ml of Sugar Syrup.
Add 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.
Half-fill glass with Ice.
Add 25ml of Dark Rum, and Stir thoroughly.
Fill Glass with Ice.
Add another 25ml of Dark Rum, and Stir thoroughly.
Top Glass with Apple Juice.
Squeeze Orange Twist over surface of the drink.
Serve.
Pink Chihuahua.
(El Camion, 2010)
50ml Altos Blanco Tequila,
25ml Fresh Lime Juice,
20ml Orgeat Syrup,
25ml Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice,
10ml Eggwhite,
Shake with Ice, then strain into a Cocktail glass; Garnish with a lime wedge.
Summer Breeze.
50ml Vodka,
15ml Elderflower Cordial,
35ml Cranberry Juice,
35ml Apple Juice.
Shake with ice, and then strain into ice-filled tall glass; garnish with a slice of apple.
Polish Martini
20ml Wyborowa, Polish Vodka,
20ml Zubrówka, Polish Bisongrass Vodka,
15ml Krupnik honey liqueur,
30ml Fresh Apple juice,
Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with a lemon twist.
Comment: this drink was created by Dick Bradsell for his father-in-law, Victor
Sarge, who was Polish.
Esquire Cocktail
35ml Stolichnaya Vodka (Blue Label),
35ml Stolichnaya Raspberry Vodka,
15ml Parfait Amour,
Stir with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a blackberry.
Dillitini.
50ml Vodka,
25ml Aquavit,
Handful of Fresh Dill.
Shake with Ice, and then strain into a Cocktail glass; Garnish with a sprig of dill.
Carol Channing.
Named after the American actress who starred in the 1967 film "Thoroughly Modest Milly"; Carol Channing is seen running around shouting "Raspberries!", hence the use of raspberry eau de vie, and raspberry liqueur.
12.5ml Framboise Eau de Vie,
15ml Framboise Liqueur,
5ml Gomme Syrup.
Pour ingredients into a champagne glass, and then stir; Top with Champagne; Garnish with a raspberry.
Rumshack Punch.
25ml Woods 100 Navy Rum,
25ml Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum,
15ml Peach Puree,
10ml Peach Liqueur,
25ml Fresh Lime Juice,
35ml Pineapple Juice.
10ml Grenadine Syrup.
Shake with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled tall glass; Garnish with a lime wedge.
Hong Kong Phooey
10ml Vodka
10ml Gin
10ml Tequila
10ml Triple Sec (40% abv),
10ml White Rum
20ml Midori
25ml Fresh Lime Juice,
15ml Roses Lime,
5ml Green Chartreuse
20ml lemonade
lemonade
Shake with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled tall glass; Garnish with a lemon slice, lime wedge and a cherry.
Elderflower Fizz.
10ml Elderflower Syrup/ Cordial,
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice.
Shake with Ice, and then strain into a champagne glass; Top with Champagne.
Rose Petal Martini.
25ml Gin (Bombay Sapphire),
25ml Lanique Rose Petal Liqueur,
25ml Lychee Juice (not puree),
2 dashes of Peychauds Bitters.
Shake with Ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Golden Retriever. (Alfred's Bar, 2002)
25ml White Rum,
25ml Green Chartreuse,
25ml Licor 43.
Shake with Ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass; Garnish with an Orange Twist.
Earl Grey Fizz.
Vodka, Earl Grey, Champagne.
Green Fairy Sour.
Origin: 1990s recipe by Dick Bradsell, London, England.
1 ounce La Fee Parisienne (68%) absinthe,
1 ounce lemon juice,
1 ounce chilled mineral water,
3/4 ounce sugar syrup (2 sugar to 1 water),
1 dash Angostura bitters,
1/2 fresh egg white,
Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon zest twist.
Quotes, by Dick Bradsell:
"IT'S BECOME a style thing, but style with no content," said bartender- supreme Dick Bradsell, aphoristically dismissing the proliferation of cocktail bars. --- The Independent, Sunday November 07 1999.
"A good margarita should send you howling into the night" --- Dick Bradsell
"There does seem to be an eternal search for better pay, conditions and probably more fun and kudos. The problem is there is a cap on the amount of money a bartender can actually earn serving drinks and running bars. It is not an occupation which is going to make you rich. " --- Dick Bradsell, July 2003.
"You always have to try and achieve perfection in bartending, it doesn't just happen; you have to make the effort." --- Dick Bradsell, 2003.
"The secret in making a drink like this [the Russian Spring Punch] that has, in some ways, stood the test of time, is to trust the original recipe." --- Dick Bradsell, 2003.
"I don't know where that idea about girly drinks came from. I mean, look at Dorothy Parker. She wasn't ordering Piña Coladas." --- Dick Bradsell, The Guardian, 10th May 2002.
""I think I would drink juleps all summer if bartenders were better at making them," confesses Dick Bradsell" --- The Independent, Saturday, 1 July 2000.
'A good bartender is trained to introduce you to others.' --- Dick Bradsell, Evening Standard, 11th August 2000.
Quotes about Dick Bradsell:
"I'm lucky that when I was in London I got a chance to work with Dick Bradsell, who is the godfather of modern cocktails in the UK. Really, he is an amazing, outstanding individual." --- Benjamin Shih.
“He’s a genius,” said Claire Smith, one of the successful young mixologists he has trained. “So many cocktails that we think of as classics in London were actually Dick’s inventions.” --- The New York Times, February 7, 2007.
"...Dick Bradsell is a man who lives up to his reputation. He's quirky, strange, lovable and a bit of a curmudgeon, too. After sipping his Treacle, though, I'm going to add "genius" to that list. " --- Gary Regan, San Francisco Chronicle, August 15, 2010.
Dick Bradsell's Wikipedia Entry.
Scribd [dot] com articles, originally published in Theme Magazine (now defunct):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199772/October-03-Grumpy-Old-Fashioned-Men
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199778/September-03-Creativity-Versus-Authenticity
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199854/August-03-Dick-Goes-on-the-Defensive
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199855/December-03-Beware-Wreckless-Abandonment
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199863/July-03-Careering-Through-the-Industry
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41199871/November-03-Credit-Where-It-s-Due
http://www.scribd.com/doc/41198060/Russian-Spring-Punch-October-2003
Videos:
Interview with bartenders guru Dick Bradsell
Interview, and Demonstration of the Bramble.
Facebook:
The Dick Bradsell Appreciation Society
Whisky Sour, Manhattan, Daiquiri Naturale, Old Fashioned, Mojito, Mint Julep, Bloody Mary, Brandy Alexander, Godfather, Hemingway Daiquiri, Bourbon Milk Punch.
"The Bramble is living proof that not every cocktail from the 1980s sucked." --- Jason Wilson, The Washington Post, 4th April 2011.