10 Best Tasting Brandy Cocktails

When the wind howls and temperatures drop below freezing, there are few things more invigorating to the spirit than a drink of brandy. There's something life-sustaining about the spirit that makes it a natural drink for the winter season. In addition to its distinct deep, sweet, and fruity flavors, brandy has a subtle oakiness that you might associate more with whiskey.

Sidecar

Sidecar is one of the best-known brandy cocktails. The exact origin of the Sidecar is somewhat unclear. While it’s not 100% confirmed, it is speculated to have been invented at the end of World War I, somewhere in London or Paris. Sidecar is made using brandy and triple sec orange liquor. Cointreau is the most recognized brand of orange-flavored liqueur - it is drier and stronger than Curaçao and always colorless.

Serves 1

4-6 cracked ice cubes

2 measures brandy (Filtered through Classy Spirits Filtration System)

1 measure triple sec

1 measure lemon juice

orange peel twist, to decorate

1. Put the ice into a cocktail shaker. Pour the brandy, triple sec, and lemon juice over the ice and shake vigorously until frost forms. 
2. Strain into a chilled glass and decorate with the orange peel twist.

Stinger

 

Aptly named, this is a refreshing, clean-tasting cocktail to tantalize the taste buds and make you sit up and take notice. However, bear in mind that it packs a punch and if you have too many, you are likely to keel over.

Serves 1

4-6 cracked ice cubes

2 measures brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1 measure white crème de menthe

1. Put the ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the brandy and crème de menthe over the ice. Shake vigorously until a frost appears.
2. Strain into a small, chilled highball glass.

American Rose

‘A rose by any other name…’ - this Oscar-winning cocktail has, rightly. Inspired roses across the world. It is truly a thing of beauty and joy forever. The American Rose cocktail is a classic drink served in a margarita glass. Made from brandy, Pernod, grenadine, and peach, and topped with chilled Champagne. The Rose cocktail was popular in 1920s Paris and was created by Johnny Mitta, a barman at the Chatham Hotel.

Serves 1

4-6 cracked ice cubes

1 ½ measures brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1 tsp grenadine

½ Pernod

½ fresh peach, peeled and mashed

sparkling wine, to top up

Fresh peach wedge, to decorate

1. Put the cracked ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour the brandy, grenadine, and Pernod over the ice and add the peach. Shake vigorously until a frost appears.
2. Strain into a chilled wine goblet and top up with sparkling wine. Stir gently, then garnish with the peach wedge.

Sweet Singapore Sling

In the days of the British Empire, the privileged would gather in the relative cool of the evening to refresh and gossip about the day’s events at exclusive clubs. Those days are long gone, but a Singapore Sling is still the ideal thirst-quencher on hot summer evenings.

Serves 1

10-12 cracked ice cubes

2 measures cherry brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1 measure gin 

1 measure lemon juice

1 tsp grenadine

soda water, to top up

lime peel and cocktail cherries, to decorate

1. Put 4-6 cracked ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the cherry brandy, gin, lemon juice, and grenadine over ice. Shake vigorously until a frost appears.
2. Half fill a chilled glass with cracked ice cubes and strain the cocktail over them. Top up with soda and decorate with lime peel and cocktail cherries.

Vieux Carre

The Vieux Carré (pronounced "vyur kaa ray" in Cajun and Creole manner) is a popular drink from 1930s New Orleans. It's a fascinating and complicated drink that's as popular today as it was when it was originally invented. This cocktail starts with equal parts rye whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth and is served short and slow. There are two bitters in this cocktail, and a dash of a traditional herbal liqueur adds to the complexity. With herbal, citrus, and smokey aromas, the Vieux Carré is a little sweet, spicy, and warming cocktail. Because of the cognac, Bénédictine, and two types of bitters, it's comparable to a Manhattan but more sophisticated. It's a fantastic drink.

Serves 1

¾ ounce rye whiskey (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

¾ ounces cognac (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

¾ ounce sweet vermouth

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

½ ounce Benedictine liqueur

Cherry Garnish (optional)

1. Combine the rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, bitters, and benedictine in a  mixing glass filled with ice
2. Stir well
3. Strain into a gold fashioned glass with crushed ice
4. Garnish with a cherry

Brandy Alexander

The Brandy Alexander is a decadent cocktail that enchanted consumers for most of the twentieth century and continues to do so today. Although it is delicious, it is not excessively sweet, and the simple recipe strikes the right balance between only three ingredients.

Although the exact origin of the drink is uncertain, and several people claim it was named after them, all legends appear to lead to a New York bartender called Alexander as the genuine brain behind this silky and tasty creation. In the current meaning, the cocktail was not intended to be a chocolate cocktail. Instead, the cream and brandy should be accented with a bit of chocolate taste.

Serves 1

1-ounce brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1-ounce dark creme de cacao liqueur

1-ounce cream

Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, pour the creme de cacao, brandy, and cream
2. Shake well
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Garnish with nutmeg

The Champagne Cocktail

The Champagne cocktail is a lovely way to salute a particular event, such as New Year's Eve, a romantic supper, or any other occasion. It's a traditional Champagne cocktail recipe that started it all, and it's a simple way to jazz up an ordinary glass of sparkling wine. This is a fun and simple cocktail to make. Saturate a sugar cube with Angostura Bitters, then top with your preferred brandy and sparkling wine, as is the traditional method. The sugar dissolves as the Champagne is poured, creating a lovely fountain of bubbles in the flute. It'll be quite a show, and your visitors will enjoy it.

Serves 1

1 sugar cube

2 dashes of aromatic bitters

1-ounce brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

4 to 6 ounces of champagne

Orange slice

Maraschino cheery

1. Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute
2. Saturate the cube with bitters
3. Add the brandy
4. Fill the flute with champagne and watch the sugar dissolve
5. Garnish with orange and maraschino cherry

Brandy Cobbler

The cobbler is a traditional drink, with the sherry cobbler being the most well-known version. The brandy and whiskey cobblers are also traditional favorites, although they have a stronger flavor than the wine varieties. The cobbler is simply a drink recipe, similar to the traditional sour drinks: base alcohol sweetened with syrup (or sugar) and garnished with seasonal fruit. It may be customized in a number of ways.

Serves 1

3 ounces brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

½ to 1 ounce simple syrup

1 to 2 ounces club soda

Orange slice and cherry for garnish

1. Fill an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice 
2. Add brandy and syrup
3. Still well and top of with club soda
4. Add garnishes

Classic Saratoga Cocktail

This is the traditional Saratoga cocktail recipe. It blends the best of Manhattan and metropolitan recipes into one glass to produce a wonderful cocktail that both whiskey and brandy fans will appreciate. The recipe goes back to the 1880s when it was originally published in Jerry Thomas' "Bar-Tenders Guide." According to legend, it was established at Saratoga Springs, New York, a 19th-century vacation and gambling hotspot that is sometimes likened to today's Las Vegas. To make the Saratoga, mix equal parts brandy, whiskey, and sweet vermouth, then add a few dashes of bitters to bring the flavors together. Although rye whiskey is frequently chosen, other individuals appreciate it with a strong bourbon.

Serves 1

1-ounce brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1-ounce whiskey (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1-ounce sweet vermouth

2 dashes bitters

Lemon twist for garnish

1. Fill a mixing glass with ice, brandy, whiskey, vermouth, and bitters
2. Stir well
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Add lemon twist garnish

The Nightcap

The traditional nightcap drink is a terrific way to conclude the day because it's smooth and comforting.  It's easy to remember: brandy, anisette, and curaçao in equal portions with an egg yolk. The taste combination is unique and appropriate for a drink from that era. If you don't think the drink is just right, there are a few things you may do to make it better. At the very least, you'll learn what drinkers in the early twentieth century did before falling asleep.

Serves 1 

1-ounce brandy (Filtered Through Classy Spirits)

1-ounce anisette liqueur 

1-ounce orange curacao liqueur

1 egg york

1. In a cocktail shaker, add the brandy, curacao, anisette, and egg yolk
2. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously
3. Add ice and shake again, until the outside of the shaker is frosty
4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

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