Creamy · Nightcap · Winter

Stinger

Cognac and white crème de menthe stirred cold. Tastes gentle, is not — this was a nightcap for a reason.

Base: Cognac
Glass: Coupe glass
Method: Stir
Strength: 26.2% ABV

Ingredients

50 mlCognac1 swap
Brandy or Armagnachigh
Similar; Armagnac is bolder
20 mlWhite Crème de Menthe

How to make

Technique

Stir · 20–30s

Stirring chills and dilutes gently while keeping the drink silky and clear.

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir well.
Strain into chilled martini cocktail glass.

Serve

Glass

Coupe glassAlso fine: Martini glass, Nick & Nora glass

Garnish

Mint leafSlap it once between your palms first; that wakes the oil without bruising it.

Taste & nutrition

26.2%ABV

180kcal

1.82Drinks

StrengthBoozy

Sweet to dryOff-dry

Estimated from ingredient amounts and assumed ABVs — not a lab measurement.

Good to know

Stir, never shake — it stays clear and silky.

History

Yearearly 1900s

PlaceUSA

Created byUnknown

The Stinger is a simple, bracing after-dinner drink of brandy and white crème de menthe, stirred cold. It appears in print by the early 1900s and grew fashionable in the 1920s among America's smart set. Cool and minty, it was said to "remove the sting" of a heavy meal. Its two-ingredient elegance keeps it in the classic canon.

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