Brandy Sour

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (104 ratings)

Photographed in a Modern America Rocks

Ingredients:
1 23 oz Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. cognac
34 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
12 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
12 oz Egg white (pasteurised) or 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam cocktail foamer or Aquafaba or Vegan egg white alternative
3 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
× 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 lemon zest twist (discarded) and garnish with a skewered lemon slice wheel and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry sail.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN back into shaker.
  5. DRY SHAKE (without ice).
  6. FINE STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

  • Egg white (pasteurised) - Eggs

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Review:

After the Whisky Sour, this is the most requested sour. Try it and you'll see why - but don't omit the egg white.

View readers' comments

Nutrition:

One serving of Brandy Sour contains 172 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.1 standard drinks
  • 14.51% alc./vol. (14.51° proof)
  • 15 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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G. M. Genovese’s Avatar G. M. Genovese
2nd June 2024 at 17:13
I was about to criticize this drink until I realized I used 3x the amount of egg white called for... My thoughts on Take 2. Cognac Leyrat VS is good in this, but I'm leaning toward a VSOP instead... The Ango seems key, but don't overdo it. I used a split of Boker's/Bogart's first time and it didn't register... Some subtle adjustments are still in order.
Fady Yousif’s Avatar Fady Yousif
31st May 2024 at 03:06
Used a Serbian Rakia for this and made a cane sugar simple syrup infused with mountain tea (popular in the Balkans) and garnished with Peychaud bitters, lovely
Peter Barth’s Avatar Peter Barth
6th May 2024 at 13:18
A nice sour with added gravitas by the cognac.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
22nd August 2023 at 00:14
Wonderful balance The cognac comes through with the wonderful hints of spices and lemon. Would agree, that you use the best cognac or brandy you can afford. You will be rewarded with a delightful cocktail
Miguel Perales’ Avatar Miguel Perales
28th March 2023 at 00:22
This was very nice. An easy drinker and wonderfully balanced. This ranks as one of my favorite cocktails so far, with Pisco Sour and Old Fashioned being at the top.
Chris Dimal’s Avatar Chris Dimal
17th March 2023 at 19:24
I made it with a French Grape Brandy. It was only okay.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
19th April 2023 at 12:50
Your choice of brandy/cognac will very much affect the finished cocktail. I'm using Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal which is a little above VSOP.
Chris Dimal’s Avatar Chris Dimal
19th April 2023 at 08:44
@Simon Difford I remade this just now with proper Cognac (my Camus VS), and it was better in a subtle way. I was getting a tiny bit more evolution than just slight grape and sweet citrus. So maybe the Cognac does have an effect after all? I am still not sure in regards to Cognac VS grape brandy.
Aidan Spurrill’s Avatar Aidan Spurrill
10th February 2023 at 08:41
With an egg white in the mix, shouldn't there be a dry shake?
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
10th February 2023 at 11:08
Yes better with a dry shake. I prefer a reverse dry shake and I have added this above. Many thanks for bringing to my attention.
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Anonymous

3rd February 2021 at 22:53
As there are so, so many cognac cocktails, would a VSOP be the most versatile cognac to buy if just buying one bottle? I've seen some bartenders use Martell VS and others using Remy Martin VSOP but I'm looking for something that will work across the broadest range of drinks.
John McTague’s Avatar John McTague
4th February 2021 at 22:01
Thanks - I might get a bottle of that for when the cognac is the main event in a drink.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
4th February 2021 at 08:05
A VS cognac will work but VSOP assures a touch more maturity and complexity. Remy Martin 1738 is a step up from their VSOP.