A Sweet 🥃Sipper From 🍋The Big Easy
Maybe one of the original “Craft Cocktails”, The Crusta” was first “conjured” by Joseph Santini in 1850’s New Orleans at a bar on Gravier Street, if you’re familiar with New Orleans. The name “Crusta” is derived from the fancy sugar crusted rim. The garnish, which is a wide cut of orange or lemon peel, is circled around the inner top of the glass, is another signature element of this drink. It’s a beautiful cocktail and made with all the stuff I really love, so I had to give it a go. It’s delicious! Try a Almond Crusta Cocktail!
I do love cognac, but if you don’t you can use almost anything in its place. Brandy and gin are both popular choices. What makes this Almond Crusta Cocktail so distinctive is the orgeat which is a almond flavored syrup. You can buy this in almost any grocery store. It won’t go to waste either, especially if you’re a fan of tiki cocktails, like Mai Tais. Orgeat is what gives the always delightful Mai Tai it’s distinctive but still subtle almond flavor. What I also love about this Almond Crusta Cocktail is that its just really pretty. This is a cocktail that would be fun to serve as a signature drink at a party. Signature drinks are fun and that’s especially true when it’s one that’s this delicious and certainly extraordinary!
The Almond Crusta Cocktail
Prepare your cocktail glass and garnish. Cut a wide strip of lemon peel. As wide as you can get it. Mine is about 2 1/2 inches. I’m not the greatest when it comes to cutting garnish, so it was a little tricky for me. You may need a little practice.
Wet the rim and outer 1/3 of the glass with lemon juice, then roll in a shallow dish filled with superfine sugar. Let the sugar rim dry whilst you mix your cocktail.
Into a shaker filled 1/2 with ice, add 1 ounce cognac, 1/2 ounce gin, 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 ounce of orgeat syrup. Shake vigorously then strain into the prepared cocktail glass. (PERFECTION!)
Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Cognac
- 1/2 ounce gin
- 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce orgeat
- 1-2 dashes Angostora bitters
Garnish Sugar rim and wide cut lemon strip
Instructions
For the garnish and the cocktail glass
- Cut a wide strip of lemon peel. As wide as you can get it. Mine is about inches. Wet the rim and outer 1/3 of the glass with lemon juice, then roll in a shallow dish filled with superfine sugar. Let the sugar rim dry whilst you mix your cocktail.
For the Cocktail
- Into a shaker filled 1/2 with ice, add 1 ounce cognac, 1/2 ounce gin, 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 ounce of orgeat syrup. Shake vigorously then strain into the prepared cocktail glass.
- Place the lemon peel garnish horizontally around the inside of the top of the glass.
- Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
