Stinger
Cognac and mint, after dark.
Just two ingredients: cognac and white crème de menthe, stirred and served ice-cold. The warmth of the brandy and the cool lift of mint take turns on the palate, making it a classic end-of-evening digestif.
- IBA · The Unforgettables
- After dinner
- Stirred
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Stirred
- Strength
- Strong
- Time
- 2 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Cognac
50 ml
-
White crème de menthe
20 ml
Garnish
- Mint leaf (optional)
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Fill a mixing glass with ice.
- Pour the cognac.
- Pour the white crème de menthe.
- Stir well.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Optionally add a mint leaf.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The Stinger's roots lie in late nineteenth-century New York, where brandy and crème de menthe were already being mixed under other names, such as the Bartholdi Cocktail. The name Stinger appears in writing around 1910, in a handwritten addendum to a copy of William Boothby's American Bartender, and reached print in 1913 in Jacques Straub's manual. Accounts of its inventor differ: some link it to bartender James B. Regan of the Knickerbocker Hotel, while a 1923 society column credited millionaire Reginald Vanderbilt, who mixed it for guests at his New York home. In 1956 the film High Society made it even more famous.
Taste profile
- Strong
- 4 out of 5
- Fresh
- 4 out of 5
- Sweet
- 3 out of 5
- Herbal
- 2 out of 5