Cognac takes the lead, laced with curaçao, a couple of dashes of maraschino and a whisper of pineapple syrup, then stirred and strained clean so the brandy's warmth arrives glossy and unhurried. Angostura and an orange peel pull the sweetness into line, leaving a rich, contemplative sipper with dried-fruit depth, a faint cherry-almond edge and a bright citrus lift on the nose.
Garnish: Orange Peel
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Combine Cognac, curaçao, pineapple syrup, maraschino and aromatic bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
stir
Stir until well chilled and diluted.
strain
Strain into a chilled coupe.
express
Express an orange (or lemon) twist over the surface and drop it in.
No inventor is on record: the drink first reached print in Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual of 1882, where he presented it as something already well liked by the English settled in various corners of East India rather than as his own creation. That first printing sweetened it with raspberry syrup, which Johnson's later editions swapped for pineapple. A story tying it to London's East India Club circulates but has never been verified. By the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book it had loosened into a lighter, punch-like mix of brandy, curaçao, pineapple juice and bitters with no maraschino, though modern revivals return to Johnson's stirred version.