Recipes
Cognac and brandy cocktails
Cognac and brandy cocktail recipes: Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Stinger, Sazerac. Ratios and notes on what to use instead.
BrandBar Editorial Team
Content prepared and tested by BrandBar's professional bartending team.
Cognac and brandy are grape distillates, so in a cocktail they bring fruit and oak at the same time. That makes them the base for evening drinks: a Sidecar with lemon and orange liqueur, a creamy Brandy Alexander, a minty Stinger.
For mixing, VS or VSOP is enough — older XO expressions are better neat, since their nuance is lost in a mix anyway. Ukrainian brandy plays exactly the same role in these recipes: the difference is the region of production, not the part the spirit plays in the build.
Buy cognac & brandy5 recipes with cognac & brandy
Frequently asked questions
Which cognac should I use for cocktails?
VS or VSOP: expressive enough for a mix and not painful to pour. Keep XO for sipping — its age simply does not read once it is mixed.
What can replace cognac in a recipe?
Any brandy, including Ukrainian — the role in the build is identical. In drinks with lemon and sugar, aged rum also works: sweeter, but structurally the same.
What is a Sidecar and how do I make one?
A classic sour: 50 ml cognac, 20 ml orange liqueur, 20 ml fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled glass, sugar rim optional.
Other bases
GinRumWhiskeyVodkaTequilaLiqueursBitters & infusionsAbsinthe & sambucaAperitifsSparkling & wineCoffeeLemonadesAlcohol-free
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