how to make a brandy cocktail martini

Posted on by barkeep

A Cocktail in its strictest sense is any drink made with any of Brandy, Gin, Vodka or an other base spirit as its main ingredient and then mixed with sugar, bitters and very little water. Over the years, it has come to be used as a general term which referred to a lot of different alcoholic drinks which were made with two or more than two ingredients in it.

The Brandy Cocktail is a cocktail in its purest sense, in that it contains just Brandy with sugar and bitters. You can serve it in a martini glass, just as any other martini. This drink primarily shows off the flavor and taste of the brandy, enhanced by the bitters. So, unless you are Brandy fan you may not like it very much.

As Brandy is the major ingredient in the drink, be sure to use a good quality smooth brandy. You could use any kind of sugar, as long as it gets dissolved in the drink and impart a slight sweetness. Using the superfine sugar allows it to be dissolved faster. You could also use some simple syrup in lieu of the sugar.

Ingredients

  • 3 shots of Premium Brandy
  • 1/2 teaspoon of superfine sugar
  • 3 dashes of bitters
  • One lemon peel for garnish

Preparation

  1. Take a tall mixing glass or a highball glass, preferably chilled
  2. Add 3 shots of the Brandy into it
  3. Add half a teaspoon of fine sugar into it
  4. Stir till the sugar is completely dissolved in the Brandy
  5. Add ice cubes into a cocktail shaker
  6. Pour the mixture into the shaker from the mixing glass
  7. Add 3 dashes of bitter into the shaker
  8. Shake well to mix
  9. Strain into a chilled martini glass
  10. Garnish with a lemon peel
Brandy Cocktail in a martini glass

Tips and Notes

  • As Brandy is the major and pretty much the only ingredient, using a Premium brand of Brandy of good quality is desirable.
  • Instead of shaking with the bitters, you can also strain the mixture directly into the martini glass with the bitters. First put bitters into the martini glass and swirl it around to get a thin even coat in the glass.
  • You can experiment with different bitters. Each type of bitters will impart a different flavor and enhance the Brandy in different ways.