BRANDY CRUSTA
The Brandy Crusta: The 1850s New Orleans Cocktail That Invented the Sour
The cocktail, named for the crust of sugar on the rim, was invented by Joseph Santini, a bartender in New Orleans at his bar, Jewel of the South Wikipedia. Around 1850 Joseph Santini took over the bar at New Orleans' City Exchange, located in the heart of the French Quarter, where he invented the Crusta The Drunkard's Almanac.
Prior to the crusta, the beverage world was clearly divided into two categories: punches (long drinks with citrus) and cocktails (short drinks with bitters). Santini's recipe was revolutionary because it cross-pollinated them by introducing lemon juice to the cocktail The Local Palate. New Orleans bartender Chris Hannah says "the crusta was the first sour," leading to the daisy, which led to the margarita, then the sidecar and eventually the cosmopolitan The Local Palate.
Jerry Thomas was the first to publish the recipe in his 1862 cocktail manual Wikipedia. The drink features brandy, orange curaçao, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters, served in a sugar-rimmed glass with a long spiral lemon peel.
Though it all but disappeared in the early 20th century, the Crusta is experiencing a revival thanks to bartenders like Chris Hannah, who in 2004 was the first to bring the drink back to its home city PUNCH. The Brandy Crusta remains significant as a foundational cocktail that established the sour category.
RECIPE:
2 oz brandy or cognac
½ oz orange curaçao
¼ oz maraschino liqueur
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¼ oz simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Sugar for rim
Long lemon peel spiral for garnish
Method:
Rim coupe glass with sugar
Add brandy, curaçao, maraschino, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters to shaker with ice
Shake well until chilled
Strain into prepared glass
Garnish with long spiral lemon peel