The Brandy Crusta is a bootlegger cocktail from New Orleans, 1850s. Built on cognac, served in a coupe with sugar rim, around 30% ABV. The first sour. The cocktail that taught everyone else how to balance citrus, spirit, sweet. Joseph Santina built it at the City Exchange Hotel in New Orleans around 1852.
What goes in a Brandy Crusta?
- ·2 oz cognac
- ·1/2 oz Cointreau
- ·1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- ·1 tsp simple syrup
- ·2 dashes Angostura bitters
- ·Maraschino liqueur for the rim
- ·Sugar for the rim
- ·Lemon peel coiled inside the glass
How do you make a Brandy Crusta?
- Rub the rim of a coupe with maraschino liqueur, dip in sugar.
- Coil a long lemon peel inside the glass so it touches the rim and the bottom.
- Add cognac, Cointreau, lemon, syrup, and bitters to a shaker with ice.
- Shake until very cold.
- Double-strain into the prepared glass.
What should you know before making a Brandy Crusta?
- The lemon-peel coil inside the glass is the signature. Cut a single long ribbon, no breaks.
- Sugar rim should cover only half the rim, so the drinker can choose to taste sugar or skip it.
- Use a VS or VSOP cognac. The drink is a teaching drink, not a flex on bottle prestige.
Where did the Brandy Crusta come from?
The first sour. The cocktail that taught everyone else how to balance citrus, spirit, sweet. Joseph Santina built it at the City Exchange Hotel in New Orleans around 1852. Jerry Thomas published the recipe in his 1862 Bar-Tender's Guide. Modern bartenders still use the Crusta as a teaching drink because if you can build it, you can build anything.
According to Joseph Santina, City Exchange Hotel, New Orleans, c. 1852; printed in Jerry Thomas, How to Mix Drinks (1862).
What cocktails are similar to a Brandy Crusta?
Common questions.
What is a Brandy Crusta?
An 1850s New Orleans cocktail of cognac, orange liqueur, lemon juice, sugar, and bitters, served in a sugar-rimmed coupe with a lemon peel coiled inside the glass.
Why is the Brandy Crusta important?
It is the first published sour. Every modern citrus-spirit-sweet cocktail (Sidecar, Margarita, Daiquiri) descends from the Crusta's grammar.
How do you cut the lemon peel for a Brandy Crusta?
Use a Y-peeler or paring knife to cut a single long ribbon from one end of the lemon to the other, with as little white pith as possible. Coil it inside the chilled glass before pouring.
Who invented the Brandy Crusta?
Joseph Santina at the City Exchange Hotel in New Orleans, around 1852. Jerry Thomas published Santina's recipe in his 1862 Bar-Tender's Guide, the first cocktail manual in American history.