Brandy Crusta

Recipe from Jewel of the South

Adapted by Robert Simonson

Brandy Crusta
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Rating
4(65)
Comments
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More than most cocktails, a properly made brandy crusta requires a little effort. Achieving an even sugar rim on a glass and paring a long lemon twist (known as a horse's neck) may take a few tries before you get it right. This recipe, to be used at the new New Orleans bar Jewel of the South, is not very far removed from the one first printed by the bartender Jerry Thomas in his seminal 1862 cocktail manual. Thomas credited the drink’s inventor, the New Orleans bartender Joseph Santini, who had his own bar named Jewel of the South. The resulting cocktail may look too beautiful to drink. But that’s what iPhones are for. Take a picture and get to drinking. —Robert Simonson

Featured in: Resurrecting a New Orleans Bar and Its Dramatic Drink

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • Lemon juice, for the sugared rim
  • Sugar, for the rim
  • Peel of 1 lemon, for garnish
  • 2ounces Cognac, preferably Pierre Ferrand 1840
  • ½ounce lemon juice
  • ½ounce Curaçao, preferably Pierre Ferrand
  • ¼ounce maraschino liqueur
  • 2dashes Angostura bitters
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Take a small wine glass, wet the rim with lemon juice, then dip in sugar to create an even sugar rim on the glass.

  2. Step 2

    Using a Y-peeler. begin at the top of the lemon and peel a long, continuous twist, using as much of the skin as possible. Carefully position this twist inside the prepared glass, creating an internal spiral of lemon peel that reaches the top of the glass.

  3. Step 3

    Combine all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until cold, about 15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
65 user ratings
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Comments

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BrookeCookie

Lucky to have sipped one in the Jewel of the South courtyard of a warm evening. Superb. Somehow the horse's neck makes a big difference.

ningxia

Used Ningxia instead of Maraschino syrup. Left out the bitters

Jennifer

There is no maraschino syrup in this recipe and adding something like that would completely change the drink. The ingredient called for is maraschino liqueur - commonly found from the brand Luxardo - a clear liquor made from cherries and their pits, then distilled to become clear. It's sweet with a distinctive flavor and dry finish and is central to the final flavor of this drink.

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Credits

Adapted from Jewel of the South, New Orleans

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