Name: Fog Cutter
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Light white rum; 15 ml Gin; 12.5 ml Cognac (brandy); 10 ml Pisco; 45 ml Orange juice; 15 ml Orgeat syrup; 15 ml Lemon juice; 15 ml Oloroso sherry

Fog Cutter
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Photographed in a Libbey Collins 12.5oz

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
¹⁄₂ oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
0.42 oz	Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
¹⁄₃ oz	BarSol Mosto Verde Italia Pisco
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Monin Almond (Orgeat) Syrup
¹⁄₂ oz	Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Lustau Oloroso Don Nuño Sherry

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COLLINS GLASS.
Prepare garnish of mint sprigs.

How to make:

SHAKE first 7 ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into glass filled with crushed ice.
FLOAT sherry.

Garnish:

Garnish with mint sprigs bouquet.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Orgeat (almond) sugar syrup (2:1) - Nuts
Oloroso sherry - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Cocktail of the day:

27th December 2025 is Anniversary of London's Great Fog

Review:

Don't be fooled by this seemingly innocuous orange-yellow long, fruity cocktail. It packs a serious punch with sweet almond notes masking its rum, gin and brandy.

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Variant:

Fog Cutter (Bramble-style)

History:

A Tiki classic credited to Victor Bergeron. It first appears in his 1946 Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink accompanied by his "TV" logo signifying that this is a Trader Vic signature cocktail. Above the recipe, he remarks, "This is delicious but a triple threat. You can get pretty stinking on these, no fooling."

FOG CUTTER
This is delicious but a triple threat. You can get pretty stinking on these, no fooling.
2 ounces Puerto Rican rum (Ron Merito, Boco Chica, or Brugal)
1 ounce brandy
½ ounce gin
1 ounce orange juice
2 ounces lemon juice
½ ounce orgeat syrup
Sherry wine float
Build this in a 14-ounce glass. Shake with cracked ice, pour into tall glass with ice, and add sherry wine float. Serve with straws.
Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink, 1946

The Fog Cutter also appears in his 1972 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (revised edition). This time, above the recipe, he says, "Fog Cutter, hell. After two of these, you won't even see the stuff."

FOG CUTTER
2 ounces light Puerto Rican rum
1 ounce brandy
½ ounce gin
2 ounces lemon juice
1 ounce orange juice
½ ounce orgeat syrup
Sweet sherry
Shake all ingredients except sherry with ice cubes. Pour into 14-ounce glass. Add more ice cubes. Add a sherry float. Serve with straws.
Victor Bergeron, 1972

More cocktails by Victor Bergeron A.K.A Trader Vic

Nutrition:

One serving of Fog Cutter contains 258 calories

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
15.5% alc./vol. (15.5° proof)
26.7 grams of pure alcohol

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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 7 comments for Fog Cutter.
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Chris Brislawn

21 hours ago

The Fog Cutter appeared earlier in Vic's 1946 "Book of Food & Drink." Same recipe as quoted above, with NO pisco. Smuggler's Cove replaces all of the cognac with a full ounce of pisco; this is kinda like replacing the rum with arrack, and I wrote off the Fog Cutter as a shipwreck the first time I made it. Not sure replacing just half the cognac with pisco is all that much better. Tonight I followed Vic more closely (NO pisco), cutting Vic's 2 oz rum to a less keel-hauling 1.5 oz and balancing the orange and lemon juice at 1.5 oz each (I might even go to 2 oz orange : 1 oz lemon). A much more deserving concoction to serve in an appropriate (or inappropriate) tiki mug!

Simon Difford

19 hours ago

Thanks, Chris. I've added the 1946 recipe above.

Avery Garnett

25th August 2023 at 20:37

It's complex and it's quite nice, but...not nice enough to be worth the drizzle of sherry and 4 (!) different base spirits and everything else on top.

Miguel Perales

30th April 2023 at 21:24

Went with a 3 yr old white rum and Amontillado Sherry. For my taste ( and with all due respect to Mr. Bergeron), there is way too much going on here. But you are right Simon, it does pack a punch.

Benjamin Boon

28th January 2023 at 18:13

One of my favorites, just made one with fresh blood oranges and a cherry heering float, good stuff!

John Hinojos

16th June 2021 at 01:48

Loved this, but not a fan of Pisco or Sherry. So did use overproof Navy Rum for the float and (per the internet) used Glenfiddich Caribbean Reserve Whisky. It was great. Not sure how it is to the original recipe, but this mixture was outstanding. Was perfect on a warm June evening.
Thanks all.

Anonymous

7th September 2020 at 21:30

For the home bar, Madeira is nearly always a good substitute for sherry — unless you finish the sherry bottle in a couple of weeks.
To simulate Oloroso, go for a fine rich or a sercial madeira.

Emiel Donckels

2nd April 2020 at 18:26

If you don't have the sherry, can confirm that Appleton 12yo also goes great as a float

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