Copywriters’ Kitchen Cocktail Hour: Brandy Sours

Sorry, but Jello shots, beer and a bag of Kettle Chips do not Cocktail Hour make.

Cocktail Hour, a civilized ritual that lets you unwind in between work and dinner, requires:

• Cocktails: Small potent combinations of hard liquor, fruit juice and aromatics garnished and served in category-appropriate glasses—Martini, on-the-rocks, sour, etc.
• Yummy tidbits can be as fancy as baked puff-pastry hors d’oeuvres or as simple as crackers and cheese; see suggestion below.
• Convivial conversation. Turn off the Blackberry, close the laptop and, as my kids say, chillax. No one understands Cocktail Hour chillaxing better than my friend, Louise Tutelian, the New York Times correspondent. Louise currently files stories from sunnier-than-New York climes and I miss her. Terribly.

As capitalism’s death knoll tolls and friends find themselves with more time than money, I suggest we resurrect Cocktail Hour.

Gathering at home is far cheaper than ponying up for a bar bill that—for four drinkers—can easily comprise a monthly car payment.

For the same outlay you can stock up on cute, cheap CB2 barware and at least a month’s worth of bar liquor basics. Make some simple syrup (see recipe below) call your friends and serve these sugar-rimmed…

Brandy Sours

For each cocktail you’ll need:

1 jigger brandy
1 jigger fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 jigger simple syrup or to taste, see recipe below
5 drops Angostura bitters
3 ice cubes, cracked
½ teaspoon beaten egg white
Thin slices of lemon, cut in half

1. Prepare sour glasses—or any small 5-6 ounce glass, see directions, below.
2. Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for ten seconds. Bartending purists will look askance, but you may also combine ingredients in a blender and pulse for 5-10 seconds.
3. Strain cocktail into prepared glasses, garnish with lemon slice and serve.

Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar—I like Demerara sugar for Brandy Sours.

1. In a saucepan combine water and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Turn off flame.
3. Cool and store syrup in tightly covered jar. It will keep in fridge indefinitely.

How to prepare sugar-rimmed cocktail glasses

You will need:
1 egg white
½ cup Demerara or raw sugar

1. Pour sugar onto a small plate.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg white until foamy.
3. Pour egg white onto another plate.





4. Dip rim of glass into the egg white, then into the sugar.









5. Set glasses aside to dry for at least five minutes. You can prepare glasses hours ahead and have them conveniently ready when you need them.

Cocktail Tidbits

While sipping your Sour, you might want to nibble on…

Savory Cheddar Wafers

Romesco Sauce

Orange Roughy Ceviche and Gritty Corn Dodgers