Brandy Crusta

The Brandy Crusta belongs to that category of sweet--almost dessert--drinks that put a little sugar texture on the rim of the glass. They are usually cocktail glass servings but are sometimes on the rocks.

This cocktail calls for brandy, but I opted for all European ingredients, and better quality at the same time. Courvoisier VO, Luxardo maraschino and Triplum, triple sec. This was a good move. 3/4 oz. of triple sec can add so much sweetness that a drink's mouthfeel goes off the mark. Triplum is 40 proof, so it balances sweetness and thickness with firm alcoholic presence.

This is definitely a cocktail for people who love sweet and showy drinks. The sugar on the rim is the only added sugar to the drink and it pairs well with the lemon sourness. Then the orange and cherry liqueurs create a lot of interest and complexity. It's still very sweet, but most people who don't drink cocktails all the time won't mind.

• 2 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. triple sec
• 2 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 2 tbsp sugar
• lemon slice

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Brandy Cassis

This is a sweet brandy cocktail that finds an interesting use for creme de cassis, that black currant liqueur. A good creme de cassis is key to making this taste at all elegant. Otherwise it will be syrupy and sort of cheap tasting.

When it comes to choice of brandy, use cognac please. You need a dry but also somewhat complex brandy to stand up to the sweetness of the cassis.

For glassware, the recommendation is a cocktail glass, but I don't find the proportions sufficient to warrant such a big glass. A sour glass will do well, and is much closer to the glass recommendation of the Kir and Byrrh Cassis cocktails, which are the major creme de cassis drinks.

• 2 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. creme de cassis (G. E. Massenez used)
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass (sour glass pictured) and garnish with twist.

Brandy Buck

So I would expect any Buck made with brandy to adhere to the ingredients specified for all Buck class drinks: spirit, lime juice, ginger ale. This is completely off the mark. For one, there's soda rather than ginger ale, then creme de menthe, and finally there's the grapes.

For some reason I imagined that the recipe calls for white grapes. And it might. But its not so specific. The grapes themselves add sweetness to a pretty dry fizz drink, if you eat them while sipping. Then the grape skin has tannin bitterness that goes with the crispness of the mint liqueur.

Look, I don't recommend making this cocktail to impress anyone. There's a time and place for it, or maybe it's the confluence of having the ingredients on hand and the willpower to drink this down. Certainly it doesn't rank using a good brandy, and any base spirit, it would seem, will suffice.

• 2 oz. brandy (E & J XO used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. creme de menthe
• sparkling water
• seedless grapes (white used)

Combine all ingredients except soda and grapes in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a highball glass. Top with soda and garnish with grapes. 

Mulled Cider

I love a good mulled cider in winter, but I've never made one before. When you get a store brand, you never know what ingredients go into them, but there's almost never a decent rum in the mix.

Making your own mulled cider is easier than it looks and requires little prep time. This recipe is for a single serving. If you scale it up, you might want to put the spices in a sachet to prevent them from filling up the last glass you pour with a spicy mud.

• 2 oz. gold rum
• 6 oz. apple cider
• 1 tsp. honey
• cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• lemon twist
• grated nutmeg

Combine all ingredients except cinnamon stick in a saucepan and warm it on low heat while stirring. Bring it almost to boiling and pour into a warm mug. Garnish with the cinnamon stick. 

Cider Cup (Punch)

This is an apple cider punch cocktail that is pretty easy to make on the fly. I put it in a pitcher and had a lot of apple and mint garnishes around to fill each glass.

You can make the Cider Cup with non-alcoholic cloudy cider (the brandy still makes it mildly alcoholic, though not much, or do it with hard cider, but then you get some of that fizz from fermentation. I used North Gate Vineyards cider wine, which is stronger than hard cider, clear and not overly sweet.

Preparation for this cocktail includes dicing apples and having mint picked into leaves, with the tops of stems saved for sprig garnishes.

• 4 oz. brandy (cognac is appropriate)
• 2 oz. Cointreau or triple sec
• 16 oz. apple cider
• 8 oz. sparkling water
• 4 tsp. sugar
• apple pieces
• mint leaves and sprigs

Stir all ingredients except apple pieces and mint in a large pitcher full of ice. Pour into wine goblets and garnish with apple pieces and mint.

Brandy Sangaree

The Brandy Sangaree is not a wine and brandy punch. In fact it is a lot like an Old Fashioned but it uses fresh grated nutmeg for bitters. This is my first drink made with E & J XO brandy and from the outset this brandy is very rich and dessert-like. It is perfect for these holiday-style warmers and eggnogs. I'm looking forward to doing more milk and egg punch cocktails with it.

• 2 oz. brandy (E & J XO used)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• splash of water
• fresh ground nutmeg

Build in an Old Fashioned glass beginning by muddling sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Fill with ice and brandy and stir thoroughly. Top with grated nutmeg.

Brandy Old Fashioned

This is yet another rendition of the most popular cocktail of 2016. The Old Fashioned has taken bars by storm. What's next? A Slivovitz Old Fashioned? Maybe!

I got these Angostura bitters from my sister on Christmas. These are very spicy and add a lot of character to the brandy. Catoctin Creek 1757 Reserve brandy is a very whiskey-like brandy already. The recipe calls for several dashes of the bitters. I recommend three or more, because you can have a brandy that really goes soft on you if you don't. I also recommend using an American brandy, not Cognac. You don't need a velvety smooth brandy here. Something with character stands up better.

• 3 oz.  brandy (Catoctin Creek 1757 Reserve used)
• sugar cube
• splash water
• several dashes Angostura bitters
• lemon twist

Add sugar, bitters and water to an Old Fashioned glass and muddle until the sugar dissolves. Add brandy and stir. Squeeze lemon twist over the glass and drop it in.