Brainstorm

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (104 ratings)
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    Brainstorm

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Brainstorm image

Photographed in an UB Koto Old Fashioned 30cl

Ingredients:
2 oz Irish whiskey
1⁄4 oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
1⁄4 oz Strucchi Dry Vermouth
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).
  5. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile
Cocktail of the day:

11th April 2025 is World Parkinson's Day

Review:

Dry vermouth balances the sweet notes of Bénédictine over a spirituous Irish whiskey base.

View readers' comments

Variant:

Brainstorm (straight-up)

History:

Adapted from a recipe in Hugo R. Ensslin's 1917 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (2nd Edition).

BRAIN STORM COCKTAIL.
Cube of Ice
2 dashes Benedictine
1 piece Orange peel
2 dashes French Vermouth
1 drink of Irish Whiskey
Use an Old Fashioned glass and serve with a small bar spoon in glass.

Hugo R. Ensslin, 1917

Like so many of the cocktails in Ensslin's book, the Brainstorm also appears in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

BRAINSTORM COCKTAIL.
½ Wineglass Irish Whisky.
2 Dashes Bénédictine.
2 Dashes French Vermouth.
Squeeze orange peel on top.
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Nutrition:

One serving of Brainstorm contains 167 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.6 standard drinks
  • 29.76% alc./vol. (29.76° proof)
  • 22.3 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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Showing 10 of 11 comments for Brainstorm.
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Olga María Gómez Henderson’s Avatar Olga María Gómez Henderson
18th January at 20:59
Really nice cocktail. Orange gives it, along with the bénédictine, a bit of a sweet entrance that goes perfectly with the strenght of the irish whiskey. A good nightcap for people that likes strong drinks with just the exact amount of sweetness.
1
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Gabriel Di Mauro’s Avatar Gabriel Di Mauro
6th September 2024 at 20:43
Works well with Green Spot! Very nice if you have a dry palette.
1
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Peter McCarthy’s Avatar Peter McCarthy
1st May 2024 at 23:21
Could probably add a link to Brainstorm (straight-up) as a Variation (and vice versa): https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/21510/brainstorm-straight-up
1
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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
2nd May 2024 at 06:54
Thanks, Peter. I've added a link to the straight-up version above. (That version already linked back to this page.)
1
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Chris Brislawn’s Avatar Chris Brislawn
14th March 2024 at 03:45
An extra-dry Irish Poet's Dream. The Irish dominates so use something good. Was particularly tasty with Cocchi Extra Dry and Dunville's Three Crowns (I know, Belfast....) Somewhat surprisingly, it is just sweet enough at 8:1:1. Lemon zest seems like a more natural garnish than orange. Highly recommended.
1
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Beth Hagberg’s Avatar Beth Hagberg
3rd February 2023 at 04:12
Very nice. I believe the orange twist is key, so much so that I also added a couple dashes Reagan’s orange bitters!
3
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Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
13th March 2022 at 20:40
Accidentally used green chartreuse instead of bene (was thinking of a tipperary). Quick taste revealed need for a sweetener and then that I'd messed up recipe. Adding the missing bene helped but omg it's strong. One is enough!
1
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John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
15th November 2021 at 01:34
Great aperitif. We used Bushmills Irish Whiskey. Everything here plays well together. Nothing overpowers the others. Would recommend.
1
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Nathalie O'Flynn’s Avatar Nathalie O'Flynn
15th May 2021 at 18:37
I was perusing the Irish cocktail list just published and didn’t know about many of them found there. With a name like O’Flynn in the household, Irish whiskey cocktails are a must. Jameson is always present of course and Brainstorm was very enjoyable
1
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Avatar

Anonymous

17th March 2021 at 20:44
Lovely balance. I used Green Spot Irish whiskey instead of Jameson which worked beautifully. Not sure if the orange garnish lessens the drink as I prefer without garnish.
1
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Owen Richards’ Avatar Owen Richards
14th March 2021 at 17:46
No Jameson’s, so used Jack Daniels - worked well!
0
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