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Cocktail History
The Brandywine Sour is a dessert cocktail that was created by bar manager and author Nick Mautone and was first published in his book The Artisanal Kitchen: Holiday Cocktails. The recipe mixes a tart citrus sour mix with brandy, homemade red wine syrup, and dessert wine, which is what makes it truly unique. It can taste drastically different depending on the type of wine used.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Cognac: This is a type of brandy made in the Cognac region of France with grapes and yeast, which are distilled and then aged in oak barrels to develop a smooth, complex flavor.
Sweet & Sour Mix: This is a sweetener made with lemon juice, lime juice, white sugar, and water, which are blended and heated into a syrup with a balanced sweet-tart flavor.
Dessert Wine: This is a type of wine made with grapes and yeast, which are fermented through late harvesting, fortification, or stopping fermentation to develop a richer, sweet flavor.
Red Wine Syrup: This is a sweetener made with red wine and white sugar, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a deep, grape flavor.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Bright red-pink color
• Aroma: Sweet white wine with a hint of pineapple
• Taste: Sweet dessert flavor with grape-alcohol notes and light-bodied ice wine
• Finish: Brandy, oak tannin, and tart lemon
Kendall’s Take: “I don’t think this was meant to be a Valentine’s Day recipe given it came from a Christmas cocktail book, but wow, does it taste like sweeTART candy in a glass. The fruity ice wine dances across the palate and is interwoven between notes of brandy and dark red wine, and the frothiness from the sweet and sour mix is a fun addition. All in all, the Brandywine Sour one heck of a delicious wine cocktail that is worth indulging in come time for dessert any time of the year.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Artisanal Kitchen: Holiday Cocktails by Nick Mautone.
Brandywine Sour
Description
The Brandywine Sour is a dessert cocktail that was created by bar manager and author Nick Mautone and was first published in his book The Artisanal Kitchen: Holiday Cocktails. The recipe mixes a tart citrus sour mix with brandy, homemade red wine syrup, and dessert wine, which is what makes it truly unique. It can taste drastically different depending on the type of wine used.
Ingredients
Method
Add brandy, sweet & sour mix, wine, and red wine syrup to a shaker.
Fill shaker with cubed ice.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Add fresh cracked ice to a lowball glass.
Using a Hawthorne strainer, strain into lowball glass.
