Name: Brandy Cocktail
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Cognac (brandy); 7.5 ml Orange Curaçao; 2.5 ml Gomme syrup; 2 dash Boker's bitters

Brandy Cocktail
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Photographed in a Bespoke Nick & Nora

Ingredients:
2 oz	Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
¹⁄₄ oz	Orange Curaçao liqueur
¹⁄₁₂ oz	Gomme syrup
2 dash	Boker's bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Nick & Nora glass.
Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Subtle mint and citrus lightly flavour the cognac.

View readers' comments

History:

One of the earliest cocktails, the Brandy Cocktail first appears in Jerry "The Professor" Thomas' 1862 The Bar-Tender's Guide & Bon Vivant's Companion.

Brandy Cocktail.
(Use small bar glass)
3 or 4 dashes of gum syrup.
2 do. Bitters (Bogart's)
1 wine-glass of brandy.
1 0r 2 dashes Curaçao.
Squeeze lemon peel; fill one-third full of ice, and stir with a spoon.
Jerry Thomas, 1862

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
30.4% alc./vol. (30.4° proof)
21.5 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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John CARR

26th September 2024 at 14:32

A cognac to your tastes and a judicious touch with the syrup and bitters and this can be a truly stellar cocktail. Brandy enriched by the liqueur and sugar and intensified by the bitters. Top stuff.

William Smith

22nd November 2023 at 01:55

I see why this drink has been around so long. Next time I think I'll up the curaçao just a little. I took John's advice and subbed some Peychaud for the simple. Will make again.

John Hinojos

24th September 2023 at 03:33

Loved this. Did made an adjustment as (being autistic) I do not like the texture of gomme syrup so I added a few dashes of Peychaund bitters. Turned out very nicely. Great as an evening sipper.

G. M. Genovese

16th June 2023 at 11:01

I'd have to compare side-to-side, but I found this and the Improved Brandy Cocktail to both be excellent. And the Boker's Bitters stands out just enough in both. This is inspiring me to try more cocktails (even making up my own) that are mostly a base spirit with little flair additives. Great stuff. (16 Jun 2023, 7:01a)

Chris Brislawn

17th March 2023 at 04:30

The Brandy Cocktail is one of Professor Jerry Thomas' classics, so what's it doing here with mint leaves?? I made it to try out my new bottle of Bitter Truth Bogart's Bitters, and a recipe is right on the box. Since it only has 3 ingredients (no sugar syrup necessary) and one of them is the bitters, spare no expense on the other 2. I used 2 oz of Braastadt XO cognac, which has a nice woody/ spicy character that goes well with Bogart's, and 3/4 oz of Ferrand Dry Curacao. Simple but good!

Simon Difford

20th March 2023 at 21:00

Agreed, Chris. I've amended the recipe to be more in line with the Professor's original. I also tried 60ml (2oz) cognac to 22.5ml (3/4oz) dry curacao with 2 dashes of Bogarts which is delicious.