Brandy Sour
A sour and balanced brandy cocktail ∙ Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 14.1% ABV ∙
The Brandy Sour is a classic sour built from cognac, fresh lemon juice, and sugar syrup, shaken with egg white and served over ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Cognac 50 mlLemon juice 25 mlSugar syrup 15 mlEgg white 15 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 3 dashes (opt.)
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Tips
- Strain the cold mix back into the shaker and shake it again without ice for 10-15 seconds; whipping it cold gives a tight, silky head.
History
The Brandy Sour belongs to the Sour family of drinks built from a spirit, citrus, and sweetener. The Brandy Sour and Gin Sour already appear by name on an 1856 drinks menu from Mart Ackerman's Saloon in Toronto. The first known printed recipe for a Brandy Sour followed in Jerry Thomas's 1862 guide How to Mix Drinks, alongside sibling drinks such as the Gin Sour and Santa Cruz (rum) Sour. Egg white was only later added to sour recipes for texture, treated as an optional refinement rather than part of the original formula.
A separate, distinct Brandy Sour tradition developed in Cyprus, where it is regarded as the island's unofficial national cocktail. That style is said to have been created by a barman named Sourmelis at the Forest Park Hotel in the mountain resort of Platres for Egypt's King Farouk, disguised to look like iced tea so he could drink alcohol discreetly. Accounts differ on whether this happened in the early 1930s or in the early 1950s, shortly before Farouk's abdication. The Cypriot version is also linked to the emergence of the island's first blended brandy, produced by the Haggipavlou family in the early 1930s, and shares only brandy and lemon with the older American-style Brandy Sour.
FAQ
What is in a Brandy Sour?
50 ml cognac, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup and 15 ml egg white, plus three dashes of Angostura bitters if you like.
How do you make a Brandy Sour?
Shake all the ingredients with ice, strain the liquid back into the empty shaker, and shake again without ice to build the foam. Fine strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
What does a Brandy Sour taste like?
It is tart before sweet, with the cognac's dried-fruit warmth showing mostly on the finish once the lemon fades. At roughly 14% ABV it drinks lighter than a spirit-forward cocktail, with a soft, foamy texture from the egg white.
Is a Brandy Sour a thing?
Yes. It appears by name on an 1856 Toronto saloon menu, and Jerry Thomas printed a recipe in 1862. It is a classic sour: a base spirit shaken with citrus and sugar, here cognac.
What glass is a Brandy Sour served in?
An old-fashioned glass, over ice, with a lemon twist.
Is a Brandy Sour shaken or stirred?
Shaken twice: first with ice to chill and dilute, then again without ice to whip the egg white into a stable foam.
