Having always considered brandy a high class drink, I could not expect to end up in a country where it is part of the national cocktail.
The story of the Cypriot brandy sour starts with the story of a king.
King Farouk was the last reigning king of Egypt.
During a time in which the European and Middle Eastern elites used to vacation in the island of Cyprus, King Farouk loved spending his holidays in the refreshing weather of the Troodos mountains, escaping the scorching heat of his country.
King Farouk occasionally enjoyed alcoholic beverages, however, as a public figure of a predominantly Muslim country, he did not want to be seen drinking in public.
His bartender at the Forest Park Hotel in Platres found a clever solution: creating a cocktail that looked exactly like ice tea.
The recipe includes:
- 2 measures of Cyprus brandy;
- 1 measure of lemon juice (fresh or squash);
- 2-4 drops of Angostura or any other bitter;
- Soda water or lemonade.
And in that way the Cypriot Brandy Sour was born, on a summer night on the Troodos mountains.
If you are visiting Cyprus you can easily find the Brandy sour in almost every bar.
And I can assure you, it is the most refreshing taste during the hot summer nights on the island.
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