Directions
Brandy Crusta is one of the great cocktails of the past, one of the first to become immortal classics in 1850, so much so that it is considered the spiritual father of two other classics, such as the Sidecar and the Margarita. And if you look closely at the ingredients and the crust on the glass, it’s not like there’s much to invent.
So let’s see what the ingredients of Brandy Crusta are: cognac or brandy, lemon juice, triple sec, angostura, and a drop of maraschino to sweeten. The sugar crust on the edge of the glass must never be missing.
The history of the Brandy Crusta cocktail: who invented it?
The original recipe for Brandy Crusta was born in 1850 at the hands of a legendary bartender, one of the nineteenth-century protagonists of New Orleans mixology, Joseph Santini. From Trieste, he immigrated to New Orleans, where he opened one of the most renowned saloons in the city: the Jewel of the South.
And it is here that Mr. Santini invented what is considered one of the most stylish and important cocktails in the entire history of mixing. The first to write down the Brandy Crusta recipe was Jerry Thomas, who included it in his masterpiece, How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion.
Ingredients and doses for making Brandy Crusta cocktails
- 5 cl of cognac or brandy
- 1 cl of triple sec
- 2 cl of lemon juice
- 1 cl of sugar syrup
- 1 tablespoon of maraschino
- 2 drops of bitter or angostura, whatever you like
How to make brandy crusta
Let’s prepare the sugar crust right away. Wet the rim of the glass with a lemon wedge.
Put the sugar in a saucer, place the rim of the glass on it, and rotate it so that the sugar adheres.
If you have difficulty, you can wet the edge of the glass with sugar syrup, which is much more sticky; however, this way the sweet sensation increases and is not exactly professional.
It doesn’t have to be a sugar avalanche, just a veil.
Cool the glass with ice.
Put all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake for 12 seconds, and then pour into the glass with the crust.
As a glass, you can use a cup, a moscato glass, a martini glass, or a classic wine tasting glass.
The medium-small ones that they give you in the sommelier course are perfect.
