Brandy Sours
 

It's been a while....

Given the weather today, any recommendations for Brandy Sours recipes?

(Acknowledging that they never taste the same in the UK)

Authentic Cypriot Taverna Brandy Sour Cocktail Recipe - Food.com - 307582


Looks about right. Cheers.

It would never be right without Cypriot brandy and those bottles of Tschhhhhh.... (lemonade)

Sorry cant help ... currently plugged into a couple of these ... with extra Gin :ok:

http://frontierintothewild.files.wor...52122efbcf.jpg

Ingredients

Keo Brandy
Robinsons Barley Water
'Alpha' Cloudy Lemonade
Angostura Bitters
Green Lemon (1)
Sugar

The Process

Place a couple of ounces of sugar in a saucer and spread it around the saucer.
Cut the lemon in half.
From one half of the lemon cut 1 slice and put this slice aside for later.
Put 2 shakes of Angostura into the glass, and then shake the bitters out of the glass.
Rub one half of the lemon around the rim of the glass.
Touch the rim of the glass into the saucer of sugar and evenly coat the rim.
Put ice cubes into the glass
Add a good measure (2) of brandy into the glass
Add an equal measure of Barley Water
Squeeze the juice from both halves of the lemon into the glass.
Top up with Alpha Cloudy Lemonade
Take the previously saved slice of lemon and cut it into 2 pieces and use to decorate your glass.

Notes:
1. It helps to have a lemon tree in your garden, within reach of your veranda, the only real way to get fresh green lemons. By the time they are yellow and in the shops, they are too sweet for a sour Brandy Sour.

2. 'A good measure' is a matter of taste.


My qualifications?? 2 years 'living out' in Limassol with a lemon tree in the garden :ok:


Cheers

Whatever you do, use the cheapest brandy you can find! :ok:

Not necessarily the cheapest, but don't waste a fine Cognac or Armagnac by mixing lemonade and lemon juice in it.

In my time at Akrotiri there were some really cheap 'brandy's' that were only suitable for use as paint stripper. These were about 3/6 a bottle. I paid about 7/6 a bottle for one of the 'better' Keo brandy's, which I could well afford on a Cpl/Tech's money.

If anyone is interested, I have a war story about how we made tea with 'paint stripper' quality Spanish brandy.

In France, Keo Brandy and Cock Drops are rather difficult to find. However, as I live in Cognac country, I have a few suppliers for the local stuff which suffices.
My recipe:
Lemon/Sugar rim as described by another poster
Half a tumbler of crushed ice
Drop of bitters
Generous portion of Cognac
Top-up with Agrum which is the local fizzy Bitter Lemon.
OK, it's not going to taste a la Dhekelia or Akrotiri - but it's good enough for me...

And in case there a worries that a fine Cognac is being "ruined", there are local brews here designed specifically for long drinks.

The test of a 'good' Cyprus brandy was its flammability. Anything less than 5* wouldn't burn.

For a perfect BS don't forget the mega bottle of Keo beer for a chaser.

PN

Can you remember the 'good' one that was a number of Kings?

I think it was either 'Three Kings' or 'Five Kings', it was about a £1 a bottle. Very expensive for the times, but it qualified as 'sipping brandy'.

This ?

http://www.keogroup.com/uploads/Imag...Five-Kings.jpg

Ian, I didn't dare.

"Please sir, me, sir.. I can"
It was Five Kings and at a Christmas dinner in Oroklini, having paid for the first bottle, refill's (bottles not glasses) were free...

Ah memories!

Thanks guys.

Gotta admit, I do quite well in this southern colony for reasonable quality and very reasonably priced brandies.

From the ice cold bottle of Keo from the groundcrew as you climbed down the aircraft ladder, to several more pints of same in the bar, before repairing to Limassol for a night on the brandy sours, the first night of an Akrotiri detachment could be a boozy affair.

As our AEO spent most of the next day in the loo with a dose of the trots he would complain that the Cyprus water always upset him. Pointing out that not a drop of water had passed his lips since he arrived never shook his mistrust of it.

Brandy sours made with Keo brandy that has been kept in a fridge. Even nicer.

You can buy Keo and Keo Five Kings of the internet in the UK. Beers of Europe sells them. a lot more expensive than expected though.

I have spent the week moving offices.. tiring and sweaty work. After I handed the keys to the hire wagon back, I decided to drop by somewhere and grab a few beers. So, when I dropped into Oakham Tesco to grab a few beers and saw these, I had an Ice Cold In Alex moment. I remember when they were 21 cents a bottle.

Also for sale, was Efes beer. Now, there's no way I would have taken my car across Ledra Palace to smuggle a few cases back from the north under the rear seat because that would have been just plain wrong. I watched Midnight Express the other day; was I.. MAD??? :eek:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJmHKssCMAIM0bh.jpg:large

Finally, who (from the mid 80s out there) remembers this song?! God, it annoyed me.

Well, I'd like to hear.

Warning Thread Drift! But this isn’t a serious thread, is it?
 

Thanks folks!:ok:

I did a few dets at AKT post GW1 and remember the brandy sours!
But when I was stationed on Gan in 1975 (we had it rough in them days. Having to wear KD, working 07-13 and then having to choose between snorkelling, sailing, walking round the island or laying on your charpoy with the latest Mayfair, and the natives weren't trying to kill you!) our drink of choice was the Vodka Collins.
The 180 Club (NAAFI) recipe was a measure a vodka, same of lemon squash, a dash of Angusturas bitters and topped up with lemonade.
Loverly
:)