First mixed by Italian bartender Joseph Santini in the 1850s, the Brandy Crusta is even older than the Sazerac, Vieux Carré, and Ramos Gin Fizz. It's not clear if he invented the drink at City Exchange in the French Quarter of New Orleans or at his Saloon called Jewel of the South, located on Gravier Street.
The recipe even made it into one of the most famous cocktail books of all time: Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide from 1862.
The Crusta cocktail is also considered a forerunner of classic recipes like the Sidecar and Margarita; Mainly due to its iconic way of garnishing. After the drink was absent from menus of many cocktail bars, David Wondrich brought it back when he included it in his famous cocktail book "Imbibe!" back in 2007.
You can make Crusta cocktails with different kinds of spirits, yet the Brandy Crusta is the most popular version of this category. Here's what you need to make this tasty brandy-based cocktail:
Making a Brandy Crusta is easy, let's see how you can make the classic recipe:
Classic cocktail garnishes, like citrus peels, cherries, or flower garnishes, are usually not that hard to master. But there are a few exceptions, and the Brandy Crusta cocktail is one of them.
To get this garnish right, you need quite some steps and time. So I want to guide you through the process of making the two main pieces.
If you want to have a decent crust. To achieve that, you need to start a few hours before the drink is mixed. So you want to think ahead and prep all your glasses in advance.
For this, take a slice of orange or lemon and rub it around the rim of your glass. Then dip the glass in white sugar to make it stick to your glass. Then put the glasses aside and let them dry to get a beautiful sugar crust.
Most of the time, to make a barkeeper's life a bit easier, a long citrus peel (orange or lemon) is carefully curled around the inside of the glass rim. Before drinking this kind of Crusta, you push the peel down in the glass. Otherwise, it won't be possible to sip from it.
However, the correct way to do it is to pick a lemon with a size just small enough to fit the inner diameter of your glass. Cut the lower and upper end of the lemon off so that it leaves you with a lemon barrel of 3-4 cm in height. Remove the pulp and put this lemon wheel inside your glass.
It should act as a watertight extension of your glass. Ideally, you want to use a small wine or sparkling wine glass for this. Get your garnish ready, grab your favorite Cocktail Shaker, and make one of the most influential brandy cocktails.
I believe we can all agree that the Adios Motherfucker Cocktail has a bit of a vulgar name. That is also why it often is toned down to AMF or Adios, Mother F’er, and the list goes on. -There are plenty more alternative names for the drink.
Quick Facts Adios Motherf*cker Cocktail
The recipe is quite similar to the one for Long Island Ice Tea. It includes five different types of spirits, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and just a splash of lemon-lime soda.
With five alcoholic components, the Adios Motherfucker is a boozy brew. In some recipes, you can find sweet and sour mix to reduce the number of ingredients required. However, we prefer a freshly made combination of lemon, lime juice, and syrup.
The most important thing to get the color right: Use only clear spirits. Aged ones will spoil the bright blue look of the AMF.
So, here is what you need to make the drink:
With this many elements, it is tempting to just throw them all together and maybe stir a little, and that's it. - After all, measuring all these components is already a piece of work, right? Well, don't do that because it will be a waste of all the measuring.
Instead, shake all (except for the soda) well with plenty of ice to get the blue color right. Then pour your drink into a glass. Only then top it up with fizzy lemon and lime soda.
In fact, the difference to a LIIT is marginal, as the AMF uses Blue Curaçao instead of Triple Sec (both are orange liqueurs and pretty similar except for the color) and lemon-lime soda instead of Coke.
The result is a slightly more sour cocktail compared to the Long Island Iced Tea. The main distinction is, as mentioned, the bright blue color and, of course, the name.
The Adios Motherfucker goes by many names and spelling variations, like Adios Mother Fucker, AMF, Blue Motorcycle, Blue Long Island Ice Tea, Blue Motherfucker, Walk Me Down, and AMF drink or cocktail.
But no matter what you call this cocktail, you will get a bold and potent drink with plenty of alcohol.
The AMF is a typical drink of the 1980s. -A time when cocktails often gained attention because of their vulgar or bizarre names. Cocktails like the Fuzzy Naval, Blowjob Shot, Slippery Nipple, Sex on the Beach Cocktail, and Sex In The Driveway are all creations from that era.
If you want to mix some other cocktails with your open bottle of Blue Curaçao, here are some ideas:
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The Bourbon Sour is a specification of the classic Whiskey Sour, which is usually based on either Rye Whiskey or Bourbon. So the name basically only serves as a definition of the base spirit.
That may sound petty, but the distinction is very precise, thus, convenient for a bartender. After all, Bourbon tastes quite different from Rye and other types.
Depending on the choice of whiskey, taste and aroma of your sour cocktail change slightly but notably. A classic Bourbon Sour is definitely a sweeter version of the cocktail.
We have some excellent options of Bourbon Whiskey for a Bourbon Sour in our selection of best Whiskies for a Whiskey Sour. Our favorite Bourbon picks include the following three options.
Yes, we like a foamy egg white top for our Bourbon Sour. Yet, raw egg white in drinks is a bit of a controversial topic. Some love it. Others hate it.
The advantages, apart from that the frothy top improves the visual of your drink, are a richer mouthfeel, a pleasant texture, and a more refined result. The downside is mainly the longer mixing time and the fact that it does not fit every diet.
Thus, if you're not convinced yet, consider using a vegan alternative called aquafaba. That may sound fancy, but then it is just chickpea water.
The water from preserved chickpeas creates a beautiful foamy top, very similar to what you get when using raw egg white.
If you want to try it out or learn more about this topic, check out our guide about egg white vs. aquafaba.
There are some famous riffs on the Bourbon Sour recipe, and here are our favorites, all made with whiskey as a base:
The template of Sour Cocktails is extremely versatile, and you can basically make it with all spirits and many liqueurs, as well. Here are some rarer interpretations:
The Andean Dusk Cocktail is a combination of pisco, grapes, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and rosé champagne. It was invented by bartender Meaghan Dorman in 2012 in New York City.
With pisco and sparkling wine both being grape-based, this recipe has a beautiful way of highlighting this base ingredient without making it too one-dimensional.
Quick Facts Andean Dusk Cocktail
The drink is a sophisticated mix of grapes, a sweet component, and obligatory lemon juice. It's a nice sip, complex enough to make it stand out.
The Andean Dusk Cocktail is not an overly complicated drink to make. Still, there are some details that you should pay attention to:
Expert Tips for Preparing the Drink:
This cocktail is served straight up - chilled but without ice. To keep the temperature of your drink low for as long as possible, all ingredients and the glass must be chilled properly.
Also, don't stir once you have poured the bubbly because it will quickly lose its carbonation, and your drink will fall flat.
Last, but not least, I recommend to double-strain your grape-syrup-lime mix, to ensure all grape pieces are filtered out.
Advice for Selecting Your Bubbly:
Champagne is a premium sparkling wine with a premium price tag. The reason so many cocktails call for champagne instead of other, more affordable sparkling wine is that, for a long time, there was nothing comparable readily available.
Today, however, things are very different. Thus, it is no problem at all to go for a prosecco or a cava. Just make sure to buy an extra dry or brut bottle. Semi-dry and dry are too sweet - despite their names.
In case you opt for prosecco, go for spumante, though, as you need a good dose of fizz in mixed drinks. Read more about prosecco and its different types.
A Tip for the Grapes:
As mentioned above, buy seedless grapes. You don't want tiny pieces of grape seeds in your drink. Plus, grape seeds release an unpleasant, bitter taste when crushed.
Since you muddle the fruit, it's likely you will crush some seeds during the process, which could spoil your drink.
If you want to try other drinks made with pisco or champagne, here is a list of cocktails we recommend to try:
For more Pisco drinks, check out this overview of the best Pisco Cocktails, and for more inspiration on festive champagne drinks, head over to our list of Champagne Cocktails for New Year's Eve.
Pisco is a grape spirit of Peruvian or Chilean origin. Both countries claim the invention of the spirit for themselves. However, so far, there is no conclusive answer to the debate.
Even today, Peru and Chile apply different production procedures that lead to notably different results. You can read the whole story in our guide to Pisco.
The Pisco Punch is one of the few classic Pisco Cocktails with a long history. Not many cocktails are made with the popular brandy from South America.Â
The original recipe dates back to the 19th century but was never written down and unfortunately died with its creator. However, the ingredients and the approximate ratios were passed down. So, the cocktail continues to be one of the most popular pisco drinks today.
Quick Facts Pisco Punch
Depending on where you look, the ingredients of the Pisco Punch will be different. Yet, pisco, citrus juice, and pineapple are a fixture. In our favorite recipe, we add Gum Arabic and an optional splash of water:
In our Pisco Punch, we add gum arabic to our simple syrup to create a thicker and smoother mouthfeel. The velvety syrup also takes off the alcoholic edge of the pisco, and the sugar counteracts the tanginess from the lime. That is why this Pisco Punch is so easy to drink.
 Gomme Syrup isn't always easy to get. Therefore, you also can replace it with simple syrup or other sweet components. If you want to make your own, check out our recipe for homemade gomme syrup.Â
The origin of the Pisco Punch goes back to the late 19th century and the Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon. The renowned Saloon in San Francisco opened its doors in 1854, and the bartender was a creative guy named Duncan Nichols.Â
Nichols was the one who brought the Pisco Punch to life and made it the most-served drink at the Saloon from sometime in the 1870s through to the beginning of Prohibition in 1920.
In 1920, the Bank Exchange Saloon had to close its doors. Only shortly after, Duncan Nichols died without disclosing its recipe to anyone. Thus, the Pisco Punch fell into oblivion. Nevertheless, pre-prohibition, the drink was a true crowd-pleaser and even a literary inspiration.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, writer Rudyard Kipling felt so overwhelmed that he poetically wrote about the drink:
I have a theory it is compounded of cherub’s wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset, and fragments of lost epics by dead masters.
Other accounts made clear that the Pisco Punch must have been tremendously potent: the most lethal alcoholic bomb ever conceived by man.
Despite everything, the drink tasted practically like lemonade. That led to belief about a secret ingredient. Some say that, perhaps, Nichols had mixed cocaine into his concoction. It was never more than speculation, though. No evidence actually indicates that cocaine was part of the mix.
Either way, the Pisco Punch is back and now served without any potentially mysterious ingredients. So grab your shaker and mix a delicious Pisco Punch.
If you are looking for ways to use up the bottle of pisco you have bought, how about trying some of these recipes:
Collins cocktails have a long history that dates back to the 1800s. It's a sour-style drink, originally made with gin as the base spirit. The Scotch or Sandy Collins is one of many riffs on the classic John Collins recipe.
Quick Facts Scotch Collins
Scotch Whisky is known for its peated smoke flavor. Yet, for this drink, you'll want to use a Scotch with a restrained smoky taste.
Collins cocktails are known for being super refreshing. The reason is the combination of fresh lemon juice and chilled soda water. These two ingredients bring in citric acidity as well as some bubbles.
But there are more ingredients that make or break a great Scotch or Sandy Collins. Here's what you need:
Peychaud's bitters and Angostura bitters are the most popular aromatic cocktail bitters. In most classic cocktails, Angostura bitters are used to add aromatic flavors and depth to a drink. But not in the Scotch Collins.
Now, while a Whiskey Collins based on Bourbon usually requires Angostura bitters, a Scotch Collins is better flavored with Peychaud's bitters.
Scotch and Peychaud's are just a much better fit than Scotch and Angostura bitters. Give it a try, and you will know what we talk about.
To make a Scotch Collins, you shake part of the ingredients first. Then strain the contents from your shaker into your Collins glass and top it up with the bubbly soda.
Take a Collins glass and fill it up with large, clear ice cubes. If you have a so-called Collins stick - a long, rectangular ice block that fits the glass- that's even better.
Since you don't shake the soda water with ice, it should best come straight out of the fridge to ensure your cocktail is ice cold when it reaches the table.
Also, stir very gently once you have added the soda into the glass for it to maintain its fizz.
As mentioned, the Scotch Collins Collins is a member of an entire family of drinks. Besides the original - the John Collins- there are, for instance:
If you prefer to mix up some more Scotch drinks, how about these:
The Scotch Sour is one of many Whiskey Sour variations and definitely a rarer choice. -Oddly enough, because the flavors in a Scotch Sour are beautiful and perfectly balanced.
Some recipes omit the sweetener in this recipe. However, we don't recommend that. Making a Scotch Sour without syrup will potentially be quite overwhelming - especially, if you expect a typical Sour Drink.
Quick Facts Scotch Sour Cocktail
To make this subtly smoky and well-balanced drink, you need Scotch, fresh lemon juice, Peychaud's bitters, and simple syrup. Adding an egg white for a frothy top and a better mouthfeel is optional. Here are some more details on what we like to use for our Scotch Sour recipe:
David Embury, a legendary mixologist and cocktail book author, found that Peychaud's bitters do a fantastic job in drinks made with Scotch. -Even better than Angostura bitters would.
If you're interested in the details regarding the differences, read our article about Peychaud's vs. Angostura bitters.
Generally, a Scotch Sour doesn't need an egg white. However, as in many other Whiskey Sour drinks - like the New York Sour or Continental Sour - I find the mouthfeel very pleasant. The silky texture of the egg white poses a beautiful contrast to the peaty flavors of the Scotch.
I use half an oz or one oz to get that beautiful frothy top. If you don't feel like adding raw egg white to your cocktail, you can use aquafaba instead.
We like our Scotch Sour best with some egg white for a frothy top and a better mouthfeel. In order to achieve a perfect foamy egg white top on your drink, you have to dry-shake the cocktail.
First, add Scotch, lemon juice, egg white, syrup, and Peychaud's bitters into a cocktail shaker without ice. Vigorously shake the mix for approximately 10 seconds to build up a beautiful foam.
Then, open the shaker and add ice. Close it and shake again for 5 to 8 seconds. Now, your drink is well-chilled, and the shaker should feel frosty on the outside.
Finally, strain the drink into a Rocks glass over one large, clear chunk of ice. Don't use the small, hollow cubes. These will water down this beautiful drink way too quickly.
One variation of this drink is to omit the syrup. If you plan to make a Scotch Sour with only lemon and whisky, we recommend using aged lemon juice: squeeze the juice a couple of hours before mixing and let it sit for a while. That takes away the harsh, acidic bite.
You can read more about the reasons behind this in our guide on lemon juice.
Should you be a fan of intensely smoky Scotch Whisky and want to bring that into your drink, opt for a Laphroaig 10 years or even a Lagavulin 16 years instead of a blended Scotch.
The only difference between a Whiskey Sour and a Scotch Sour is the type of spirit that's used for making the cocktail. A regular Wishkey Sour usually includes Bourbon or Rye and a Scotch Sour - yes, right - Scotch.
The obvious distinction between these whiskey types is the fact that Scotch is always from Scotland. The area of production has a great influence on the final taste of a product.
The characteristic peat-dried malt used to make the Scottish spirit is responsible for its iconic smoky taste that also is pronounced in the recipe. - However, how much of a difference there is to the standard version depends on the type of Scotch you opt for.
The Scotch Sour falls in line with a long list of Sour Cocktails - and we frankly love all of them. Apart from the various options with whiskey, you can also get creative and try one of these:
For more inspiration, check out this overview of our favorite Sour Cocktails.
The template for sour cocktails is always following the same principle, and the Pink Gin Sour also plays by those rules. A spirit base is mixed with citrus juice and balanced with a sweetener, but adds a little extra and asks for a particular brand of Gin as well.
Carson Quinn, brand ambassador of Iron Balls Gin, thought up the colorful twist. So, it's no surprise that Iron Balls makes the base of this Pink Gin Sour.
You need Gin, syrup, and lemon for this drink, plus extra egg white and some bitters to create the iconic look of this delightful cocktail:
Iron Balls Gin is a beautifully crafted Gin from Bangkok. The small-batch distillery is located inside the Iron Balls distillery & bar. It's perfect for this Pink Gin Sour but also works beautifully in a Gin and Tonic with Fevertree Mediterranean garnished with fresh pineapple and basil.
Peychaud's are aromatic bitters, just like Angostura's. The latter is more popular, and also part of this recipe. If you want to know more about those two brands, check out this comparison of Peychaud's vs. Angostura bitters.
In case you're still not convinced but want that froth, try aquafaba instead. The chickpea liquid is vegan and creates a nice foam, as well. You can read how the two compare in our comparison of Aquafaba and eggwhite.
The preparation of this drink is similar to other sour cocktails. However, incorporating egg white requires an extra step: dry shake or reverse dry shake to get the perfect foam.
For a dry shake, put all ingredients into your cocktail shaker without ice and start shaking for 15 seconds. This step gives the egg white its beautiful frothy texture.
In a second step, open the cocktail shaker and add ice. Then shake the drink again to chill it.
Strain the Pink Gin Sour into a Coupe or Martini glass and garnish it with Angostura bitters and candied orange or a slice of dried orange.
As the recipe particularly asks for fruity Iron Balls Gin, it's pretty hard to find an equivalent substitute. Thus, our recommendation would be to opt for another Asia-inspired Gin.
For instance, Bobby's Gin brings in beautiful notes of lemongrass and cinnamon. Alternatively, you can also try Roku Gin. This one brings in a Japanese touch of cherry blossoms and yuzu fruit.
These two would create a slightly different drink but are great options if you can't get your hands on Iron Balls.
The Mt Fuji Cocktail is a creative riff on the Martini. The elegant, shochu-based drink classifies somewhere between a classic interpretation and the more contemporary versions. -With a tendency towards the latter.
Quick Facts Mt. Fuji Cocktail
In the classic recipe, we only need two ingredients, but the list for this Mt Fuji Cocktail variation is a bit longer:
Making this refreshing Martini twist is pretty straightforward. The drink is served straight up. Hence, we recommend chilling all components - that includes the glass. For this, put it in the freezer for 10 minutes or add ice cubes while mixing and remove them before pouring.
Once you have taken care of that, add Shochu, syrup, lemon juice, and basil leaves into a cocktail shaker and muddle gently.
Then add plenty of ice cubes and shake until the drink is chilled. Typically this means about 8 to 12 seconds of vigorous shaking. -Shaking, not stirring, because this Martini includes non-alcoholic ingredients.
After that, strain the cocktail into your chilled Martini glass and add just a splash of pomegranate juice.
Finally, garnish the cocktail if you like. You could use a basil leaf or a thin slice of Fuji apple. -Or you don't. After all, the Japanese are masters of minimalism.
Japan's most loved alcoholic spirit is neither Sake nor Japanese Whisky. No, Shochu is the most popular alcoholic drink. Mostly unknown outside the country, it is the star of many Japanese cocktails.
Shochu is a distilled spirit that usually contains between 25% and 35% ABV. It can be made from all sorts of base ingredients and is produced either in a single-step distillation process (Honkaku) or multiple-step distillation (Korui).
Depending on its base (there are over 50 options to choose from), Shochu can be classified into different types. The most common types of Shochu are Imo (sweet potato), Mugi (barley), and Kome (rice). But there are many more.
Typically, it is consumed neat or on the rocks. Yet, there are also many other ways to drink Shochu.
The Martini is a truly sophisticated mixed drink. -Not only James Bond favors sipping this elegant two-ingredient cocktail.
Besides the Dry Martini, Vesper, and other classic riffs, there are also modern Martini twists and recipes, mostly sharing not more than the glass with the original but still delightful. Try
If you want to make some more drinks with the Japanese spirit, check out our favorite Shochu Cocktails.
The Death in the Afternoon cocktail is a simple but intriguing combination of champagne with the most mysterious of spirits: absinthe. It's easy to make, has a truly unique taste, and has an even more distinctive color.
The name Ernest Hemingway often comes up in connection to alcoholic drinks. Some cocktails are named after him, like the Hemingway Daiquiri others are popular favorites of the author, like the Mojito or the Americano. But the recipe for the Death in the Afternoon cocktail, he actually created himself.
The unexpected blend of sparkling wine and absinthe, also known as the Green Fairy, creates an interesting drink with a mystic, slightly murky look.
The Death in Afternoon is a three-component cocktail consisting of absinthe, simple syrup, and champagne. It has an opaque, green appearance and is certainly an eye-catcher at every party.
The Death in the Afternoon Cocktail is easy to make, and you can build it directly in your champagne glass. Since you don't need ice for mixing the drink, make sure all ingredients are well chilled. I also advise putting the glass into the freezer for a few minutes or filling it with ice cubes before prepping the cocktail.
For the sparkling wine part, we prefer to use a bottle with more carbonation. However, some people don't like or cannot tolerate overly fizzy beverages. In this case, consider opting for a sparkling wine with lower carbonation, like a Prosecco frizzante. - That's not always a good alternative in bubbly drinks, but it works for the Death in the Afternoon recipe.
Since neither champagne nor absinthe are usually cloudy, you might wonder how it comes that the resulting cocktail is.
The reason why the cocktail turns cloudy is chemistry. As soon as the absinthe mixes with champagne, the so-called Louche effect occurs. -It always does when watery elements hit anise-flavored liquors.
The Louche effect, or Ouzo effect, describes the chemical reaction called emulsion: Two normally immiscible liquids mixed without visible segregation.
The original version of this drink was an invention of the writer Ernest Hemingway, who probably created it in the early 1930s. Initially, the recipe was without simple syrup. Hardly surprising, considering that Hemingway was a diabetic and known to like his drinks high-proof and dry.
The green spirit of Swiss origin was banned in most Western countries until the early 2000s, and people believed it would cause hallucinations.
Yet, Hemingway surely couldn't care less. He might even have been disappointed had he lived to learn that absinthe does not make you hallucinate after all.
Either way, the spirit never lost its fascination, and it seems a suitable choice for someone as eccentric as Ernest Hemingway.
The Death in the Afternoon recipe also shares its name with one of Hemingway's books, published in 1932, about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting.
In 1935, he contributed his creation to a cocktail book (So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon) featuring celebrity recipes. He wrote:
"Pour one jigger absinthe into a champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."
Ernest Hemingway
You see, no sugar involved. Instead, he provided precise instructions regarding the appropriate intake of this drink.
However, because not everyone is as seasoned a drinker as Mr. Hemingways was, we now have a splash of simple syrup but dropped the instructions on the intake. -If you want the original, skip the syrup in our recipe.
The Death in the Afternoon drink is a fantastic cocktail if you haven't had absinthe before. You can taste the anise and the edge of this overproof spirit, but the combination with champagne makes for a smooth introduction.
Other drinks with a hint of absinthe are:
Or, if you want something heavier on the Green Fairy, try
For more, check out our list of the 10 best Absinthe Cocktails.
More popular cocktails made with sparkling wine that we recommend trying are: