CLASSIC · BRANDY

Brandy Crusta

Name: Brandy Crusta
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 drink
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 52.5 ml Brandy; 7.5 ml Maraschino Liqueur; 5 barspoons Orange Curaçao; 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice; 5 barspoons Simple Syrup; 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters; Ice Cubes; 5g Pulverized White Sugar; Lemon or Orange Peel Spiral; Citrus Slice

One of the oldest known cocktails, the Brandy Crusta is a gilded pre-Prohibition classic: a sugar-rimmed, citrus-perfumed brandy sour dressed with a dramatic spiral of lemon peel lining the inside of the glass.

Ingredients

Brandy52.5 ml

Maraschino Liqueur7.5 ml

Orange Curaçao5 barspoons

Fresh Lemon Juice15 ml

Simple Syrup5 barspoons

Aromatic Bitters2 dashes

Ice Cubes

Pulverized White Sugar5g

Lemon or Orange Peel Spiral

Citrus Slice

Glassware

slim cocktail glass

Chilled.

Flavor

Caramel · Lemon · Oak · Orange peel · Vanilla

Estimated profile

A cigar alongside More like this

Method

1
Prepare your glass: run a lemon wedge around the rim of a small cocktail glass, then dip it into pulverized white sugar to create an even sugar crust.
2
Cut a long spiral of lemon or orange peel and line the inside of the sugar-rimmed glass, draping it over the edge. Set aside.
3
Combine the brandy, maraschino liqueur, curaçao, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and aromatic bitters in a mixing glass.
4
Add ice cubes and stir well until thoroughly chilled, approximately 20–25 seconds.
5
Strain carefully into the prepared sugar-rimmed glass.
6
Garnish with a citrus slice on the rim if desired. Serve immediately.

From the Bartender

The Brandy Crusta is credited to New Orleans bartender Joseph Santini circa 1850 and is considered a direct ancestor of the Sidecar and the entire sour family. The defining hallmarks are the sugar-crusted rim and the continuous spiral of citrus peel lining the glass - do not skip this preparation, as it is the soul of the drink.

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