Brandy Crusta

A pre-phylloxera New Orleans classic: cognac, maraschino and lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass.

• Cognac50 ml
• Maraschino liqueur10 ml
• Lemon juice10 ml
• Angostura bitters1 dash
• Sugar rim and lemon peelto serve

Sugar the rim of a chilled wine glass and line it with a long lemon peel. Shake the cognac, maraschino, lemon and bitters with ice, then strain into the prepared glass.

CREATED

1850s

CREATOR

Joseph Santini

STATE

United States

LOCATION

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Brandy Crusta was created in the 1850s by Joseph Santini, an Italian from Trieste, in New Orleans — either at the City Exchange in the French Quarter or at his Jewel of the South saloon on Gravier Street, which he opened in 1855. Its name comes from the thick sugar crust on the rim. Widely regarded as the forerunner of the Sidecar and Margarita, it was illustrated in Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Bar-Tender’s Guide.