Brandy Fruit Cup
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 12.9% ABV ∙
The Brandy Fruit Cup is a built, low-proof Collins-glass punch of cognac, orange curaçao, and sweet vermouth topped with ginger ale and cola. Light and fizzy, with orange and dried-fruit sweetness riding over a gentle cognac warmth and a cola-dark finish, best sipped slowly on a warm afternoon.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the glass: Cognac 25 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 25 mlRosso vermouth 25 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashesGinger ale 50 mlCola 50 ml
- Half fill the glass with ice
- Add a citrus slice and a couple of mint leaves from garnish
- Fill to the brim with ice
- Garnish with lemon slices, orange slices, strawberries and mint sprigs
- Note: Can be scaled up and served from a punch bowl or a large pitcher
Tips
- Pour the spirits and mixers in first, then half-fill with ice, tuck the citrus and mint in against the glass, and top up with ice — that order is what keeps the fruit visible.
- Add the ginger ale and cola last, pouring gently down the side of the glass to preserve carbonation and keep the top layer lively rather than flat.
- Add the 2 dashes of Angostura directly onto the spirit layer before topping with soda so the bitters integrate evenly instead of floating on the fizz.
History
The Brandy Fruit Cup is a brandy-based variation on the English fruit cup, a category of gin-based summer punches that trace to the drink created by James Pimm, who ran an oyster bar in London and began serving spirit-based mixed drinks there sometime after 1823. These punches were served in small tankards known as "No. 1 cups," which gave rise to the name "cup" for the style, and to the Pimm's numbering system once the recipes were bottled commercially. While the original and best-known version, Pimm's No. 1, was built on gin, the company later introduced numbered variants on other base spirits, including a brandy-based Pimm's No. 3, reflecting the broader practice of adapting the fruit cup formula to different spirits. The Brandy Fruit Cup follows this same pattern, swapping in brandy as the base spirit in place of the traditional gin while keeping the diluted, lightly bittered, fruit-and-soda character that defines the fruit cup style.
