The first Brandy cocktail I ever had was a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, and I quickly learned NOT to try to order one in Minnesota – they don’t take kindly to regional generalizations. The Brandy Old Fashioned is pretty classic, but as Brandy’s popularity has risen with the bourbon boom and craft distilling boom mixologists have gotten pretty creative with this once obscure spirit. Take a look at some of these great Brandy cocktails I found:
Simple Brandy Old Fashioned 2 oz. Brandy ¼ oz. simple syrup or a sugar cube 2 dashes Angostura bitters Orange peel and a cocktail cherry Combine brandy, syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass, Flame orange peel over top. Drop in a cocktail cherry.
Copper & Kings Butchertown Swizzle (source) .75 oz. Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy .75 oz. Copper & Kings American Brandy .75 oz. lime juice .75 oz. orgeat Angostura Mint In a Collins glass, add mint, stir in glass. Remove mint and add rest of ingredients. Swizzle with crushed ice and top with bitters and mint garnish.
Carver Apple Brandy Mule (source) 2 oz. J. Carver Apple Brandy ½ oz. lemon juice ½ oz. ginger simple syrup 4 oz. ginger beer Shake brandy, lemon juice, and syrup over ice. Strain into copper mug with ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lemon.
Laird’s The Seaside (source) 1 oz. Laird’s Jersey Lightning 3/4 oz. Fresh Lime juice 3/4 oz. Simple syrup 1 tsp Green Chartreuse Club soda 2 Mint sprigs Lightly muddle 1 mint sprig in a shaker tin. Add balance of ingredients except club soda. Add ice and lightly shake. Stain into a collins glass with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with mint sprig.
Catoctin Creek Brandy Rebellion (source) The proportions for this cocktail are that for a punch. Feel free to scale it down for personal consumption. 25 oz Apple Brandy 15 oz Roundstone Rye 15 oz Lime juice 7½ oz Grenadine 7½ oz Rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water) 30 dashes Angostura Bitters 15 dashes Orange Bitters Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl and garnish with apple wedges.
New Deal Distillery Starry Night (source) 1 oz New Deal Pear Brandy 1 oz Cascadia American Bitter Liqueur 1/2 oz Bee Local Honey Water Sparkling wine 1 rosemary sprig for garnish Stir brandy, liqueur, and honey water in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and top with bubbles. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Brennan’s New Orleans Brandy Milk Punch (source) 2 oz brandy 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon powdered sugar 3 ice cubes cracked ice freshly grated nutmeg In a cocktail shaker, combine the brandy, milk, and sugar with 3 ice cubes and shake until frothy, about one minutes. Strain into a double-old fashioned glass with cracked ice. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.
Stone Barn Brandyworks Pear Rosemary Twister (source) 1 1/2 ounces vodka 1/2 ounce rosemary simple syrup 1/2 ounce pear brandy twist of lemon Shake over ice and pour into cocktail glass.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl and Upsplash
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