Cognac & Other Brandy Cocktails

Before bourbon and rye became American’s brown booze go-tos, brandy was the spirit of choice. The grape-based spirit is the backbone to the most iconic cocktails in the world, including the Sidecar, Pisco Sour and Vieux Carré. Check out some of the best brandy drinks and start mixing.

Claret Cup cocktail in an ornate retro wine glass with grapefruit slice garnish

Adapted from a 1910 Recipe by Bertha L. Turner, this take on the classic Claret Cup from Toni Tipton-Martin combines infused red wine and Champagne for an effervescent fruit-forward drink guaranteed to convert Sangria lovers.

Apple Press cocktail garnished with fresh apple, star anise, and cinnamon in coupe glass, shot on gray marble

The 20 Best Apple Brandy Cocktails for Fall

Find great recipes for applejack and Calvados like the classic Jack Rose and Appletini, plus newer bartender creations.

Champs-Elysees cocktail in ornate, gold-rimmed cocktail glass with lemon twist, on dark marble background

Champs-Élysées

A riff on the Sidecar, the Champs-Élysées is an early 20th-century drink that was popularized in Europe while the United States was still reckoning with Prohibition. Its use of cognac and Chartreuse, an herbal French liqueur, creates an aromatic and refreshing nod to the past.

Pan American Clipper

Pan American Clipper

Fog Cutter cocktail

Hawskmoor Apple Martini

Hawksmoor Apple Martini

Longines cocktail

Baltimore Eggnog

Baltimore Eggnog

Porto Flip

Spiced Apple Cider

Spiced Apple Cider

All the Way Up cocktail

Love Potion

Kanar Sazerac

6 Sazerac Twists to Try Right Now

The Maxwell cocktail

6 French 75 Twists to Try Right Now

Woodson & Ford cocktail

Flint cocktail

Jamboree cocktail

Pusherman cocktail

Pumpkin Sazerac

Pumpkin Sazerac

Pumpkin Buck cocktail

Stone Fence cocktail

8 Apple Brandy Cocktails to Try Right Now

Great Pumpkin cocktail

3 Great Cocktails Made with the Boozy Fortified Wine Pineau de Charentes

Rebirth cocktail in a textured rocks glass, served over crushed ice and garnished with purple, pink and white flowers and a metal straw

A bright orange-red cocktail served in a coupe glass with a sugared rim and a single sage leaf as its garnish; the glass is shot from above on a white marble surface

A wide, shallow coupe with etchings on the glass sits in a dark bar on a gray counter. The drink within is dark and crimson.

A tall rocks glass with a red drink over a single cube rests on a shiny stone surface with geometric symbols.

Nino cocktail

A Collins glass with diamond etchings along its base sits on a wooden table. It’s filled with ice and apple brandies, and a bottle of cider pours in from the side.

Saison Highball

Hey, Gourdgeous cocktail

Hey, Gourdgeous

Brandy Sangaree

Brandy Sangaree

bright-red picon punch cocktail in an Irish Coffee glass over ice, garnished with a lemon peel and served on a round silver tray

Sidecar cocktail

Sazerac, reddish brown, in rocks glass without ice, garnished with lemon twist, on a dark marble background

The History and Secrets of the Tom & Jerry

Brandy Alexander

8 Brandy Cocktails to Make in 5 Minutes or Less

hands express lemon peel oils over the Applejack Rabbit cocktail, served in a coupe glass

Applejack Rabbit

sea breeze cooler cocktail with straw and mint garnish

Sea Breeze Cooler

vieux carre cocktail in gold-laced glass with lemon peel garnish

Brandy Old Fashioned

Brandy Old Fashioned

Tom & Jerry cocktail in clear coffee mug with metal spoon and dusting of ground clove, nutmeg, and allspice on top

Creamy Brandy Alexander cocktail in a coupe glass with angular etching, and a dusting of nutmeg

Brandy Alexander

Red Sangria in wine glass with ice and orange slice on white marble, with pitcher of Sangria in background

Classic Sangria

Between the Sheets cocktail in crystal coupe on marble surface

Between the Sheets

Horse's Neck cocktail

Vieux Carre cocktail

8 Can’t-Miss Cognac Classics to Try Now

Stinger cocktail in a rocks glass against a white background

French Connection cocktail served over ice in a crystal-cut rocks glass

French Connection

A rocks glass with a diamond pattern is set against a jet black background. The glass is partially rimmed with salt and holds a small, dark crimson drink.

A Martini glass with a knobbed stem sits on burlap cloth. Behind it are a wicker basket and a human skull. The glass holds a light brown-orange drink.

Corpse Reviver No. 1

jack rose cocktail served on a silver tray

Calvados Sidecar

Calvados Sidecar

A rocks glass rests on a wooden board on a marble table. The glass is filled with an orange drink over a large ice cube with an orange peel.

Taylor Precedent

Taylor Precedent

orange-hued Brandy Crusta in a coupe glass with a sugared rim and lemon twist

Two little glass mugs with small handles sit on burlap next to a lemon wedge. Both glasses are filled with a dark punch and garnished with a lemon slice.

USS Richmond Punch

Last-Minute Mulled Wine

Mata Hari Cocktail in a coupe, garnished with two dried rosebuds and served on a white bar napkin

Original Sazerac cocktail in a crystal-cut glass with a lemon twist garnish

The Original Sazerac

New Orleans Rad cocktail

New Orleans: #RAD

More in By Spirit:

Bourbon Cocktails

bourbon cocktail illustration

Vodka Cocktails

vodka cocktail illustration

rum cocktail ullustration

Scotch Cocktails

scotch cocktail illustration

Rye Whiskey Cocktails

rye whiskey cocktail illustration

Other Whiskey Cocktails

other whiskey cocktails illustration

Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

tequila cocktail illustration

Other Cocktails

other spirits illustration

gin cocktail illustration