Cherry Brandy Sour

Drinks

Spirited

Cherry brandy shaken with lemon and simple syrup, served up in a coupe with a cherry.

Time

5 min

Makes

1 serving

Difficulty

Easy

Glass

Coupe

Crowd

Ingredients

1½ oz Cherry brandy or cherry liqueur (Luxardo is the reference. Kirsch works but leans drier.) ¾ oz Lemon juice (Fresh.) ¼ oz Simple syrup (Start here; taste and add up to ½ oz if your cherry brandy is on the dry side.) ½ oz Cognac or bourbon (Optional. Adds depth; skip for a brighter drink.) ½ Egg white (Optional. One small egg white, about 15g.) Maraschino cherry or lemon twist (To garnish.)

Dry-shake the egg white

If you are using egg white, shake the drink hard without ice for 15 seconds first to whip the white, then add ice and shake again to chill. Skipping the dry shake leaves you with a watery sour instead of a silken one.

Method

If using egg white, add all liquid ingredients to a shaker without ice. Dry-shake hard for 15 seconds.

Add ice and shake again for 12 seconds, until very cold.

Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry or a lemon twist.

From the kitchen

A dessert drink that respects the dessert.

— Oysterdrive

Story so far

The send-off

The dumpling is sweet enough on its own; this drink does not need to compete with it. The cherry brandy brings a deep, almost-cordial fruit note, the lemon keeps it from cloying, and the optional egg white gives the surface that soft foam you only get from a properly dry-shaken sour. Cognac or bourbon at the bottom is the move that turns it from a sweet drink into a serious one.