RECIPES: Easy Easter cocktails to try at home

Are you are in the mood for something a bit more sweet and have a bottle of brandy in the house? Why not try these delicious cocktails this Easter weekend?

Director of the SA Brandy Foundation, Christelle Reade-Jahn says that South African brandy is made from the highest quality base wine, usually Colombard or Chenin Blanc and that most aromas in their brandies are the result of maturation in oak barrels; so, the consumer may pick up fruity notes of peach and apricot, the sweet tastes of chocolate and caramel, nutty flavours or spices like clove and nutmeg.

Marketing Manager for Angostura aromatic bitters in South Africa, Vanessa Nel adds that adding a drop or two of bitters to brandy-based cocktails emphasises the underlying notes of the brandy and when it comes to chocolate, adds another layer of richness to the dessert.

Below are their top three brandy cocktails to pair with ‘something-chocolate’.

Brandy Crusta. Picture: Supplied

Brandy Crusta

Ingredients

50ml brandy

7.5ml orange liqueur

7.5ml cherry liqueur

15ml fresh lemon juice

1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters

Sugar

Twist of lemon peel

Ice

Method

Coat the rim of the cocktail glass with lemon juice and sugar. Curl a long thick lemon peel, twist and place it all around the inside of the rim of the glass. Fill your mixing glass with ice. Add brandy, liqueurs, lemon juice and a dash of bitters to the mixing glass. Stir the ingredients together until well combined, strain the drink into a glass and serve.

Brandy Sidecar. Picture: Supplied

Brandy Sidecar

Ingredients

50ml brandy

25ml orange liqueur

25ml lemon juice

±4 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Twist of orange peel

Ice

Method

Tip all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well until the outside of the shaker feels cold, then strain the cocktail into a chilled glass. Add bitters to taste and garnish with a twist of orange peel.