Brandy Crusta
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Brandy Crusta
Photographed in an Urban Bar Classic Flute (6oz/17cl)
| 1 2⁄3 oz | Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac |
| 1⁄4 oz | Cointreau triple sec liqueur |
| 1⁄4 oz | Luxardo Maraschino liqueur |
| 1⁄2 oz | Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) |
| 1⁄3 oz | Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup) |
| 1⁄6 oz | Chilled water omit if using wet ice |
| 2 dash | Angostura Aromatic Bitters |
How to make:
- Select and pre-chill a Flute glass.
- Prepare the glass with citrus peel and sugar CRUSTA by first finding a whole lemon that fits snugly inside the top of your glass with its equator in contact with the rim of the glass.
- Cut off both ends of the fruit to leave a central slice a little more than 25ml (1 inch) thick.
- Carefully remove the pulp from this central slice to leave a ring of skin and push this into the top of the glass.
- Moisten the outside rim of the glass and exposed fruit with citrus juice and dip in white caster sugar to heavily frost the edge of both peel and glass.
- Leave for a couple of hours to form a hard crust that helps secure the peel. (The ring of citrus peel should become a waterproof extension to the top of the glass.) Place in a freezer to chill the glass ready for the cocktail.
- SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
- FINE STRAIN into pre-prepared glass.
Strength & taste guide:
No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Review:
This old classic zings with fresh lemon and is beautifully balanced by the brandy base.
History:
Created in the 1850s by Joseph Santini, an Italian from Trieste, in New Orleans, USA, either at the City Exchange in the French Quarter, or at his Jewel of the South saloon on Gravier Street in the American Quarter which he opened in 1855. The name refers to the crust of sugar around the rim.
Regarded by many as the forerunner to the Sidecar and, by extension, the Margarita, crusted sugar rim and all. The Brandy Crusta is a veritable member of cocktail royalty, so much so that it proudly takes its place as the fourth drink to be illustrated in the world's first cocktail book, Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bar-Tender's Guide where Santini is wrongly credited as being of Spanish origins and spelt Santana.
116. Brandy Crusta.
Jerry Thomas, The Bart-enders' Guide, 1862
(Use small bar glass.)
Crusta is made the same as a fancy cocktail, with a little lemon juice and a small lump of ice added. First, mix the ingredients in a small tumbler, then take a fancy red wine-glass, rub a sliced lemon around the rim of the same, and dip it in pulverized white sugar, so that the sugar will adhere to the edge of the glass. Pare half a lemon the same as you would an apple (all in one piece) so that the paring will fit in the wine-glass, as shown in the cut, and strain the crusta from the tumbler into it. Then smile.
See: Crusta cocktails
Nutrition:
One serving of Brandy Crusta contains 182 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.3 standard drinks
- 19.75% alc./vol. (19.75° proof)
- 18.9 grams of pure alcohol
- More Citrusy cocktails
- More Classic/vintage cocktails
- More Hall of Fame & must know/try cocktails
- More Nightcap/sipping cocktails
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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