Cognac cocktails
11 classic recipes from our canon that use cognac — Cognac sits in our spirits shelf.
Sidecar
Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon — a sharp, elegant brandy sour from the Jazz Age.
Ingredients
- ◆50 ml cognac
- ◆20 ml triple sec
- ◆20 ml lemon juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe, sugar rim optional.
PRO TIP
Cointreau is the classic orange liqueur here.
Garnish — Orange twist
Brandy Alexander
Cognac, crème de cacao and cream — a velvety, chocolate-laced nightcap.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml cognac
- ◆30 ml creme de cacao
- ◆30 ml heavy cream
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients hard with ice.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Grate fresh nutmeg over the top just before serving.
Garnish — Grated nutmeg
Vieux Carré
Rye, cognac, vermouth and Bénédictine, double-bittered — a layered New Orleans sipper.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml rye whiskey
- ◆30 ml cognac
- ◆30 ml sweet vermouth
- ◆1 bar spoon benedictine
- ◆2 dashes peychaud's bitters
Method
- 1Stir all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
The Bénédictine is the secret — a teaspoon ties the whole thing together.
Garnish — Lemon twist
Between the Sheets
A Sidecar split between rum and cognac — boozy, citrusy and dangerously smooth.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml cognac
- ◆30 ml triple sec
- ◆20 ml lemon juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Cointreau is the classic choice for the triple sec.
Garnish — Lemon twist
Champagne Cocktail
A bitters-soaked sugar cube drowned in Champagne with a cognac lift — old-world celebration.
Ingredients
- ◆5 ml simple syrup
- ◆2 dashes angostura bitters
- ◆10 ml cognac
- ◆to top champagne
Method
- 1Add syrup and bitters to a chilled flute, then the cognac.
- 2Top slowly with cold Champagne.
PRO TIP
Traditionally a sugar cube soaked in bitters — syrup keeps it simpler.
Garnish — Lemon twist
French Connection
Cognac and amaretto, over ice — two ingredients, deep almond warmth.
Ingredients
- ◆35 ml cognac
- ◆35 ml amaretto
Method
- 1Build both over ice in a rocks glass.
- 2Stir gently to combine.
PRO TIP
All about the ratio — keep the amaretto from taking over.
Garnish — Orange twist
Suffering Bastard
Gin and brandy over lime and bitters, lengthened with ginger beer — a wartime Cairo cure.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml gin
- ◆30 ml brandy
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆2 dashes angostura bitters
- ◆to top ginger beer
Method
- 1Shake gin, brandy, lime and bitters with ice.
- 2Pour unstrained into a Collins glass.
- 3Top with ginger beer.
PRO TIP
A hangover 'cure' invented in 1942 Cairo — the ginger does the heavy lifting.
Garnish — Mint sprig and orange
Horse's Neck
Cognac and ginger ale under a long spiral of lemon — an easy, old-fashioned highball.
Ingredients
- ◆40 ml cognac
- ◆120 ml ginger ale
- ◆1 dash angostura bitters
Method
- 1Hang a long lemon-peel spiral over the rim of an ice-filled highball.
- 2Build cognac and ginger ale over the ice.
- 3Add a dash of bitters if you like.
PRO TIP
The dramatic lemon 'neck' draped over the glass is what names it.
Garnish — Long lemon spiral
Stinger
Cognac and white crème de menthe, stirred cold — a brisk, minty after-dinner classic.
Ingredients
- ◆50 ml cognac
- ◆20 ml creme de menthe
Method
- 1Stir both with ice until very cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled martini glass.
PRO TIP
Use white crème de menthe so it stays crystal clear.
Garnish — Mint leaf
Brandy Crusta
A sugar-crusted brandy sour with maraschino and curaçao — the ancestor of the Sidecar.
Ingredients
- ◆52 ml brandy
- ◆7 ml maraschino liqueur
- ◆1 bar spoon triple sec
- ◆15 ml lemon juice
- ◆1 bar spoon simple syrup
- ◆2 dashes aromatic bitters
Method
- 1Sugar-crust the rim of a slim glass and line it with a curl of citrus peel.
- 2Stir all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 3Strain into the prepared glass.
PRO TIP
The wide sugar crust is the signature — take your time rimming it.
Garnish — Sugar rim and citrus peel
Porto Flip
Tawny port and brandy bound with egg yolk — a rich, nutmeg-dusted dessert in a glass.
Ingredients
- ◆15 ml brandy
- ◆45 ml port
- ◆1 egg yolk
Method
- 1Dry-shake without ice to emulsify the yolk.
- 2Add ice and shake again until cold.
- 3Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
A 'flip' is any drink built around a whole egg or yolk — shake it hard.
Garnish — Grated nutmeg
You can also use
Common substitutions that interchange with cognac in these drinks.
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