Brandy is a classy beverage that many people associate with sniffing, sipping slowly, and enjoying with a cigar like an old-time movie gangster or gentleman. However, there’s a lot more you can do with brandy than simply enjoying it this way (although you can certainly do that, too!). In this article, we’ll show you several brandy cocktails that can help you learn to love this drink from a different angle than you may have considered before. These cocktails will allow you to put a fresh new twist on your brandy experience and keep things interesting for you every time you go to make yourself a drink.
American Beauty
This is a classic cocktail with a lot of class. Give it a try when you want to jazz up your dinner parties.
Ingredients
• 1/2oz dry vermouth
• 1/2oz brandy
• ¼ tsp grenadine
• 1/2oz fresh orange juice
• ¼ tsp white crème de menthe
• ¼ oz ruby port
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add vermouth, brandy, grenadine, orange juice, and crème de menthe.
• Strain into the cocktail glass.
• Float the port on top.
• Optionally, if you want something a little lighter, substitute ¾ of the brandy and port with pineapple juice and add a dash of grenadine and triple sec. Otherwise, the process is the same.
Alabama
This cocktail is like a Sidecar, but it utilizes lime juice instead and makes a couple of other small changes to give it a unique flair.
Ingredients
• 1oz Cointreau
• 1oz brandy
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp fresh lime juice
• Orange twist
Directions
• In a shaker, combine brandy, Cointreau, and lime juice.
• Add sugar and shake vigorously.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Twist the orange over the drink and then drop the twist into the glass.
• Serve immediately.
Apple Swizzle
Love the taste of apple in your cocktails? If so, you can’t go wrong with this sweet and sour favorite.
Ingredients
• 1oz light rum
• ½ oz apple brandy
• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 dashes bitters
• Lime slice
Directions
• Fill a highball glass with ice.
• Pour in the brandy, rum, lime juice, and bitters.
• Add sugar and stir gently to combine well.
• Garnish with lime slice.
Between the Sheets
This is a classy 1920s cocktail that’s sure to improve the formality of almost any gathering in no time.
Ingredients
• 1oz light rum
• 1oz brandy
• 1oz Cointreau
• 1oz fresh lemon or lime juice
• Dash simple syrup
• Lemon twist
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add rum, brandy, Cointreau, and lemon or lime juice.
• Add simple syrup and shake vigorously to combine well.
• Strain into the cocktail glass.
• Twist the lemon peel over the drink and then drop it into the glass.
• Serve immediately before the ice has a chance to melt and water down the drink.
Brandy Sour
Another classic go-to cocktail, the Brandy Sour is enjoyed by all sorts of people from all around the world.
Ingredients
• 3/4oz fresh orange juice
• 2oz brandy
• 1/2oz simple syrup
• Orange slice
• Maraschino cherry
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add orange juice, brandy, and simple syrup, and shake vigorously to combine well.
• Strain into the chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the orange slice and Maraschino cherry.
• Optionally, use half lemon and half lime juice in place of the orange juice for a zestier version.
• Optionally, use applejack and a dash of grenadine instead of the brandy for an apple variant.
• Add an ounce of grenadine to the base recipe for a Fireman’s Sour.
Metropolitan
Similar to the Cosmopolitan and the Manhattan, this drink is nevertheless its own exciting variation with a unique flavor profile you’ll want to experience again and again.
Ingredients
• 1-1/2oz sweet vermouth
• 1-1/2oz brandy
• ½ tsp simple syrup
• 2 dashes bitters
• Maraschino cherry
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass.
• In a tall mixing glass filled with ice, add vermouth, brandy, and simple syrup.
• Add bitters and stir gently but thoroughly to combine.
• Strain into the cocktail glass and garnish with the Maraschino cherry.
• Serve cold or at room temperature, depending on preferences.
Metaxa Sidecar
This twist on the Sidecar uses Metaxa and has a citrusy flavor you’re sure to love.
Ingredients
• 1-1/2oz Metaxa
• 1oz orange juice
• 1/2oz limoncello
• 1/2oz lime juice
• Lime wedge
• Sugar
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass for a little while, then rub the rim with the lime wedge and dip the glass in the sugar to coat the rim.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add the Metaxa, orange juice, limoncello, and lime juice.
• Shake to combine vigorously, then strain into the glass you have just prepared.
• Garnish, if desired, with another lime wedge.
Pear Dream
This cocktail is the drink the Hotel Belle Rive is known for, and was frequently enjoyed by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Sip it if you want to hearken back to days gone by and feel a little bit more upscale even if you’re sitting in your own kitchen or on your back porch at the time.
Ingredients
• 2oz fresh pink grapefruit juice
• 1-1/2 oz pear brandy
• 2oz apricot nectar
• Splash of grenadine
• Lime slice
Directions
• Chill a cocktail glass.
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Add the grapefruit juice, brandy, nectar, and grenadine and shake well to combine.
• Strain into the chilled glass and garnish with the lime slice.
Did you find some brandy cocktails you want to try out? It may be a bit of an acquired taste to use brandy in a cocktail, but if you’re interested in giving it a try, these recipes are a great place to get started. Choose one or two that sound appetizing to you and sample them first. Don’t skimp on the brandy, however; you don’t have to buy a top-shelf bottle for a cocktail, but it’s best not to buy something extra cheap if you’re just getting started with it, either. A nice middle of the road brandy is a good option for the drinks listed above.