Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Brandy Cobbler
Start makingThe original cobbler done on brandy: spirit, sugar and orange over crushed ice. Genteel, low-effort and lovely on a warm afternoon.
In the glassBrandy · Orange juice · Simple syrup
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
Set up before you pour
Use a highball glass.
The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.
- Standard size
- 350 ml11¾ oz
- Ice & serve
- Pack it generously with crushed ice.
- If you don’t own one
- Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Brandy60 ml
- Orange juice15 ml
- Simple syrup15 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Ice the glass Fill the glass with crushed ice
- 02
Measure and pour Pour 60 ml brandy
Brandy
- 03
Measure and pour Add 15 ml orange juice
Orange juice
- 04
Measure and pour Add 15 ml simple syrup
Simple syrup
- 05
Stir around the ice Stir gently to combine
- 06
Finish the drink Finish it — add an orange slice
Know your drink
About the Brandy Cobbler
Shaved ice and straws
Jerry Thomas printed cobblers by the half dozen in his 1862 bar manual, brandy and whiskey and sherry among them, at the point when ice had become cheap enough in American cities to shave by the bucket. Cobblers are usually credited with popularizing the drinking straw in the States, for the obvious reason that you cannot get at a drink under a mound of ice any other way.
Sherry took over the family later, and the sherry version is what most bars pour now. Brandy makes a heavier, warmer drink. Sixty milliliters is a real measure, and the orange juice is there to lengthen rather than to sweeten it. Treat the whole thing as an afternoon drink and the proportions start to make sense.
Common questions
Brandy Cobbler FAQ
Why does my cobbler go watery before I finish it?
Crushed ice melts fast, and a half-empty glass melts faster still. Pack the glass to the rim at the start, then top it up with fresh crushed ice after the first few sips. The drink is designed to dilute as you go, but it needs ice in reserve to do that gracefully.
Do I need Cognac, or will any brandy do?
A VS Cognac, an Armagnac or a decent brandy de Jerez all work. Sugar and orange cover a lot of ground here, so nothing older than VSOP is worth pouring. Skip the cheapest grape spirit, though. Harshness comes through even under sugar and ice.
What is the orange actually for, at 15 ml?
Length and acid more than flavor. Fifteen milliliters will not make a 60 ml pour of brandy taste of orange; what it does is thin the spirit a little and stop 15 ml of syrup reading as straight sugar. If you want the fruit to register, use fresh-squeezed juice and press the spent half down into the ice.
Is a cobbler the same thing as a julep?
Both are built on crushed ice, but a julep is spirit, sugar and mint, while a cobbler is spirit, sugar and fruit. The orange here does what mint does in a julep. It perfumes the top of the glass every time you lean in to the straw.
What ingredients are in a Brandy Cobbler?
A classic Brandy Cobbler calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Brandy, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Orange juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
How strong is a Brandy Cobbler?
A standard Brandy Cobbler is roughly 27% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.
Is a Brandy Cobbler shaken or stirred?
A Brandy Cobbler is stirred, not shaken. It contains no citrus juice, so stirring keeps it crystal clear and silky instead of cloudy and aerated.
Sharpen the technique
Skills used in this recipe
How to stir a cocktail for a silky finish
Control chilling and dilution without adding the bubbles and texture of a shake.
Read the guide
Cocktail ice: cubes, crushed ice and dilution
Understand why ice is an ingredient—and choose the right shape for every drink.
Read the guide
Simple syrup ratios, storage and flavor variations
Make a consistent sweetener and understand when rich syrup changes a recipe.
Read the guideWhere to go next
If you like the Brandy Cobbler, try these.
Brandy Milk Punch
New Orleans drinks this at eleven in the morning without apologizing for it. Brandy, whole milk and sugar, served cold enough to fog the glass, with a texture nearer melted ice cream than cocktail. Skim milk makes it thin and joyless.
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Brandy Old Fashioned
Wisconsin’s house drink: brandy in place of whiskey, with sugar, bitters and fruit. Softer and fruitier than the original.
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Brandy Fix
Fixes are sours built in the glass rather than shaken, with the spirit, lemon and sugar poured straight over crushed ice and stirred up from the bottom. Maraschino is the only ornament here, four milliliters of it, doing more for the smell than the taste.
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