The Cognac Sour Cocktail is a classy and user-friendly way to serve cognac in a cocktail. This drink is refined and features a pleasant blend of sweet and sour notes.
This simple recipe allows for a rich and refreshing cocktail while keeping the flavor of the cognac front and center. The addition of Angostura bitters on the top of the cocktail adds earthy and botanical notes that pair well with the fruity and floral notes from the cognac.
Bar Tools
- JIGGER or MEASURING CUP
- SHAKER
- STRAINER
- CITRUS JUICER
- CITRUS PEELER
To Serve: Coupe or Rocks Glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz COGNAC
- 1 oz LEMON JUICE
- 3/4 oz SIMPLE SYRUP
- 1 EGG WHITE (optional)
To Garnish: Lemon Twist and Angostura bitters
How to Make
To make the Cognac Sour cocktail, add cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white (if using) to your shaker. If using an egg white, shake vigorously without ice to froth the egg. Add ice to your shaker and shake until chilled—strain into your glass. Serve in a coupe glass with no ice or in a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist and a couple of drops of Angostura bitters on top.
Nutrition Facts & ABV
- ABV (alcohol by volume): 13%
- Calories: 192 calories
- Total carbohydrates: 12.8 grams
- Total sugar: 11.5 grams
Some spirit recipes aren’t available. As such, some nutrition content may be estimated.
History
The Cognac Sour cocktail has a history that intertwines with the Brandy Sour. While these cocktails feature different classifications of spirits, they are very similar in their composition as cognac is a type of brandy, much the same way as champagne is a type of sparkling wine. The Brandy Sour is a long-appreciated European cocktail that is the unofficial national cocktail of Cyprus.
As brandy itself rose in popularity in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so too did the popularity of brandy cocktails. Sour cocktails began to gain traction in the 1910s and 1920s, featuring a number of different spirits, brandy (and by extension cognac) was one of the most popular choices.
Cognac Sour FAQs
What kind of cognac should I use?
You can use whichever cognac you prefer for your cognac sour. It should be noted that cognacs tend to vary wildly in quality, from the more affordable Remy Martin V.S.O.P. to the extravagant Louis XIII. The complex flavors that make an expensive cognac worth the price of admission will be lost in this cocktail, so it is recommended to stick to a low to mid-range cognac to get the most return on your investment.
Can I use brandy instead of cognac?
Cognac is simply a type of brandy that is made in the Cognac region of France. Cognacs tend to have a more complex and uniform taste profile while brandy can vary wildly in flavor from brand to brand. For this reason, it is recommended to stick to cognac if possible, though substituting for brandy will still produce a similar cocktail.