Stinger
ClassicCognac and mint. A two-ingredient after-dinner classic.
Smooth and bracing, with cognac's warm, grapey richness wrapped in a clean rush of peppermint. The white crème de menthe cools rather than sweetens, leaving a crisp, palate-refreshing finish — the reason it endured as a digestif.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Cognac
- 0.5 oz White Crème de Menthe
- Mint sprig · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add the cognac and white crème de menthe to a shaker with ice.
- 2
Shake until well chilled.
- 3
Strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice.
- 4
Garnish with a mint sprig.
The Story
The Stinger dates to the late 1800s and became a fixture of high society through the early twentieth century, a fashionable nightcap for the well-to-do — it turns up in Evelyn Waugh novels and a Cary Grant film. Just cognac and white crème de menthe, it was one of the few cocktails considered acceptable to drink after dinner without raising eyebrows. Its elegance lies entirely in restraint.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
