Nadia George
April 30, 2024
The Brandy Crusta was invented in the 1850s, by an Italian bartender named Joseph Santini.. At that time, the cocktail could not be found in local cocktail menus but today, it's as popular as other New Orleans classics like the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz.
A big part of its popularity is being published in David Wondrich’s James Beard Award winning book Imbibe! In 2007. Before that, the cocktail was served at a handful of bars across the country, but the book brought it into the mainstream and took it to the masses.
Neal Bodenheimer, founder of the New Orleans bar Cure and author of Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em, writes about the drink: “What is notable about this drink is the introduction of lemon juice. This was not common practice at the time.
Ingredients: 52,5 ml Brandy, 7.5 ml Maraschino Luxardo, 1 Bar Spoon Curacao, 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice, 1 Bar Spoon Simple Syrup, 2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
Mix together all the ingredients with ice cubes in a mixing glass. Strain it into a prepared slim cocktail glass. For the garnish, rub a slice of orange (or lemon) around the rim of the glass and dip it in pulverized white sugar. Carefully curl it, and place the peel on the inside of the glass.