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Vanderbilt

Classic/vintage · Dessert cocktails · Fruity (e.g. Pornstar Martini)

4.0 71 ratings

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Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Cognac (brandy)
1/2 oz Cherry brandy
1/12 oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2:1)
2 dash Aromatic bitters

How to make

Serve in a nick & nora glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist and skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and discard.
  2. 6 Garnish with skewered maraschino cherry.

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Flavour profile

27.3% alc./vol. · 1.2 standard drinks · 163 calories

History

Tangy, rich cherry and hints of vanilla fortified with brandy. Previously, this cocktail was served in a coupe glass and called for 67.5ml (2¼oz) cognac, 22.5ml (¾oz) cherry brandy, 5ml (1 bar spoon) sugar syrup, and aromatic bitters. In July 2022, the volume of this potent late-night drink was reduced by a third, to better suit a Nick & Nora glass.

This recipe is adapted from one found in Robert Vermeire's 1922 book, Cocktails: How to Mix Them. Vermeire traces the drink's genesis to "the Kursaal" in Ostend, Belgium, where it was reportedly crafted for a member of the affluent Vanderbilt family, as its name implies. However, Colonel Cornelius Vanderbilt, the American railroad magnate cited by Vermeire, passed away in 1877, making it more probable that the cocktail was prepared for his great-grandson, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877–1915), who perished as a passenger aboard the RMS Lusitania ocean liner when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat during WWI. Vermeire's instructions for the VANDERBILT COCKTAIL. are: Fill the large bar glass full of broken ice and add : 3 dashes of Gum Syrup. 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters. ¼ gill of Old Brandy. ¼ gill of Cherry Brandy Rocher. Stir up well and strain into a cocktail glass, add a cherry and a lemon-peel squeezed on top. This drink was first made at the Kursaal in Ostend during a visit of Colonel Cornelius Vanderbilt, the American millionaire, who was drowned on the Lusitania during the war. The Vanderbilt cocktail also notably features in Harry Craddock's 1930 publication, The Savoy Cocktail Book. Craddock's rendition for the VANDERBILT COCKTAIL. includes: 3 Dashes Syrup. 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters. ¼ Cherry Brandy. ¾ Brandy. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.