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Cognac, orange and lemon in a sugar-rimmed coupe – Jazz Age polish

Cognac, orange liqueur and fresh lemon, shaken and served up, often with a sugared rim. The brandy's dried-fruit richness meets bright citrus in a drink that is tart, warming and elegant. An after-dinner sour, or a stylish start to the evening.

Make this in 3D
Glass
Coupe
Ice
Up (no ice)
Technique
Shaken · Double-strained
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
4 min
Strength
≈ 25% ABV

Ingredients

Coupe
  • 50 mlCognac1¾ oz
  • 20 mlTriple sec (orange liqueur)¾ oz
  • 20 mlFresh lemon juice¾ oz
  • GarnishSugar rim + Orange peel

≈ 113 ml served · 2.2 standard drinks

Substitutes: Dry orange curaçao can stand in for Triple sec (orange liqueur). Fresh lime juice can stand in for Fresh lemon juice.

Method

  1. 1

    Chill a coupe and coat the outside of half the rim with fine sugar.

  2. 2

    Add the cognac, triple sec and lemon juice to a shaker.

  3. 3

    Fill with ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds.

  4. 4

    Double strain into the chilled coupe.

  5. 5

    Express an orange peel over the drink and rest it on the rim.

Learn it step by step

History

It appears in two books published in 1922: Harry MacElhone's “ABC of Mixing Cocktails” and Robert Vermeire's “Cocktails: How to Mix Them”, the latter crediting MacGarry, the bartender at Buck's Club in London. The popular tale of an American army captain who arrived at a Paris bar in a motorcycle sidecar is colourful but unproven.

First recorded
1922

Bartender's notes

  • Keep the sugar on the outside of the rim so it doesn't fall in and over-sweeten the drink.
  • A VSOP cognac gives more depth than a young VS; a good Armagnac also works.
  • Dry orange curaçao in place of triple sec makes it rounder and slightly more bittersweet.
CitrusSourStrongFruity

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