Brandy Sour
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 16.2% 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. Silky and citrus-bright, with the cognac's warm fruit sitting under a tart lemon edge and a soft, cloud-like egg-white finish.
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
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Tips
- Shake the cognac, lemon juice, syrup and egg white with ice first, then strain the liquid back into the empty shaker.
- Dry shake that chilled mix hard for 10-15 seconds without ice — whipping it cold is what sets the tight, silky head.
- Fine-strain over a single large cube in the old-fashioned glass so the foam sits clean on top rather than diluting too fast.
- Dash the Angostura bitters onto the settled foam right after pouring, then draw a toothpick through them for a marbled pattern before adding the lemon twist.
History
The Brandy Sour belongs to the broader family of Sour cocktails, mixed drinks built from a spirit, citrus, and sweetener that emerged from British naval and colonial punches of the 1700s. The earliest documented American Sour recipes appear in an 1856 handwritten drinks list from Mart Ackermann's Saloon in Toronto, followed by the first known printed recipe for a Brandy Sour in Jerry Thomas's 1862 The Bartender's Guide, 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 barman Stelios 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, though 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?
Cognac, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg white, double-shaken and served over ice in an old-fashioned glass with a lemon twist. This build also finishes with a few dashes of Angostura bitters on top.
How do you make a Brandy Sour?
Shake cognac, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white with ice to chill, then strain the liquid back into the empty shaker and shake again without ice to build the foam. Strain over fresh ice into an old-fashioned glass, finish with a few dashes of Angostura bitters on the foam 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 16% ABV it drinks lighter than a spirit-forward cocktail, with a soft, foamy texture from the egg white and a faint bitters aromatic on top.
Is a Brandy Sour a thing?
Yes, it is a well-established member of the sour family, made by shaking a base spirit with citrus and sugar. The Brandy Sour specifically swaps the classic sour's gin, whiskey, or pisco for cognac.
What glass is a Brandy Sour served in?
An old-fashioned glass, served over ice with a lemon twist. The double shake chills it fully before it goes over fresh ice, so the drink stays cold without over-diluting.
Is a Brandy Sour shaken or stirred?
Shaken, and specifically double-shaken. It goes with ice first to chill and dilute, then back into the empty shaker for a second, ice-free shake that whips the egg white into a stable foam.
