Brandy Cocktail – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

There are at least six or eight different cocktails put out by different bars under the name of the Brandy Cocktail. Some consist of nothing but brandy and bitters, others contain a spot of sugar, still others contain vermouth, or some liqueur, or even absinthe. Here is one that is merely the Curacao (see page 126) with brandy substituted for the whisky, plus a dash of bitters: 

BRANDY COCKTAIL 

2 parts Curacao

1 part Lemon Juice 

8 parts Brandy

1 dash Angostura to each drink 

Shake or stir with cracked ice. A twist of lemon over each glass. For an aromatic-type brandy cocktail, see page 155.

So this is basically a sidecar, only with the proportions of lemon and curacao swapped over, and a dash of bitters. I would expect a Brandy Cocktail to be more in line with an Old Fashioned, than for a citrus number like this. I also think that this would be a good vehicle to try other types of bitters in, especially some of the more fruity options, like plum or rhubarb.

That being said it’s a nice little drink, a little sweeter than a Sidecar obviously, but because of this much more in line with Mz Poppins, which makes it a perfect little afternoon dram, and easy to just keep on drinking.