This Cognac Sour cocktail is not for the faint of heart. Bold taste and timeless flavour!
Looking to use This is an affiliate link.cognac in cooking? Take a look at our Creamy Cognac Mushroom Sauce.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
It’s Friday afternoon…time to unwind and although I spent the last 3 days at home I don’t feel completely relaxed. Not yet.
This past Monday I returned from a work trip and although it was by all accounts a great trip I came home knackered. But do you know what helps?
Putting my feet up, seeing people I love, and enjoying a cocktail like this Cognac Sour!
Cognac Sour
This cocktail is a perfect balance of sweet and sour infused with woodsy scent of fresh rosemary. It’s actually a take on a cocktail classic.
The sour is one of the standards of cocktail making. It’s based on the formula you see in this recipe.
And that formula is 4:2:1. Which looks complicated but really just means that you need 4 parts liquor, 2 parts lemon juice and 1 part sugar syrup.
The liquor can change, and does often. Whiskey is most famous, but there are lots of options you can choose from. I just happen to love the taste of Cognac, which makes this my personal favourite.
Homemade sugar syrup
If you don’t mind spending a few minutes behind the stove do make your own sugar syrup instead of buying it.
And when you do make it use unrefined Demerara/Turbinado sugar which adds incredibly delicious caramel notes to otherwise flat and plain sugar syrup.
Just boil the water with sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. It’s easy to do, and the recipe I’ve given will give you lots of leftovers that can be bottled and used for future recipes.
I’ve suggested using demerara sugar as it adds a richness to the flavour, but white sugar will do fine as well.
Recipe tips and notes
- Shaking with egg whites is a classic way to elevate a sour cocktail. Dry shake (which means without ice) with an egg white until it is nice and frothy. Just be careful to keep the top of the shaker good and sealed as air pressure can cause it to burst open (guess how I found out?). Then add ice and shake again, pour and enjoy.
- A good cocktail has to be cold, with very few exceptions. Use plenty of ice and keep your glasses in the freezer while the cocktail is being prepared so they are good and cold when it’s time to pour.
- I’ve chosen cognac but it can sometimes be a bit on the pricey side. Other versions of brandy can be used.
- And other types of liquor can be used as well. Whiskey is a standard, but pisco is incredible if you can find it.
- When you have this basic sour cocktail mastered, try variations like I did with Maple Cider Whiskey Sour!
More recipes using cognac/brandy
- Brandy Alexander Cocktail
- Pork Loin Steaks in Creamy Mushroom and Shallot Sauce
- French Chicken Casserole
Cognac Sour
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cocktail shaker
- This is an affiliate link.Lemon squeezer
Ingredients
For the Demerara sugar syrup
- 200g/1 cup Demerara/Turbinado sugar
- 250ml/1 cup water
For Cognac Sour
- 2 oz This is an affiliate link.cognac
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ oz sugar syrup
- lemon wedges
- rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Make sugar syrup by combining Demerara/Turbinado sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing to a boil stirring continuously until sugar dissolves. Cool and bottle.
- Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
- Add 5-6 ice cubes. Shake vigorously and strain into a short glass.
- Add 1-2 ice cubes to the glass and garnish with a lemon wedge and a rosemary sprig.
Nutrition
Cheers and have a lovely weekend, friends!
John Lee says
Hi Vikalinka,
Pardon my ignorance here.
what does this mean:
“1 shot- freshly squeezed lemon juice”
does it mean 1 shot of traditional shot glass of lemon juice – typically 1 ounce?
Or
does it mean just squeeze one shot of juice from a lemon wedge (unmeasured) until there is no more juice?
Thanks.
vikalinka says
One shot as a measure, same one you measure cognac in. 🙂
Rocky says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I think this is a perfect alternative to my standard whisky sour drink! And as i have a bottle of VSOP cognac still in shelf I will offer this to my guests on christmas too…
vikalinka says
Rocky, I hope you make it soon…it tastes infinitely tastier with cognac but I suppose I am not a huge whisky fan. 🙂 Cheers!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Gorgeous, I love that touch of rosemary! Hope you have a great weekend :).
vikalinka says
Thank you, same to you, Laura!