Embassy Cocktail

Embassy Cocktail

The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

Brandy and rum come together in spectacular fashion in the Embassy cocktail. It's a wonderful classic drink recipe from the 1930s that was featured at Hollywood's Embassy Club.

The private venue was designed by restaurateur Adolph "Eddie" Brandstatter as a respite for movie stars who wanted a quiet night out without swarms of fans. Apparently, it backfired because business dropped considerably at his most popular establishment, the Café Montmartre, which is credited with starting the entire Hollywood nightclub scene.

The cocktail itself is almost identical to the Boston sidecar with just a couple differences. Both cocktails include brandy and rum, though the Embassy specifically calls for Jamaican rum rather light rum, as well as Cointreau. The three spirits are poured equally in both recipes and the lime juice remains the same. This drink does include bitters and a lime wedge, where the other does not. They're small changes and it's interesting to compare the two cocktails to experience their impact.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ounce brandy

  • 3/4 ounce Jamaican rum

  • 3/4 ounce premium triple sec (Cointreau)

  • 1/2 ounce lime juice

  • Dash aromatic bitters

  • Lime wedge, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the brandy, rum, Cointreau, lime juice, and bitters.

  3. Shake well.

  4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  5. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • Jamaican rum is known to be a bold, flavorful, and heavy style that's often made in pot stills and more tightly regulated than most rum. It's definitely worth pouring in the Embassy cocktail, so look for brands like Appleton Estate, Hampden, J Wray and Nephew, and Worthy Park.
  • The brandy you pour should be of equal quality to the rum, though it doesn't have to be the really good stuff. A nice V.S. or V.S.O.P. will do just fine here and in any brandy cocktail.
  • Cointreau is a premium brand of triple sec and recommended for this cocktail. If you're going to use a substitute, make sure it's of similar quality. Many of the least expensive triple sec options are too syrupy for a cocktail like this.
  • Fresh lime juice will finish this cocktail off perfectly. The average lime should yield about 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce of juice, so one fruit will be enough for one or two drinks.

How Strong Is an Embassy Cocktail?

Whenever you come across a cocktail that's made almost entirely of liquor, you should expect it to be pretty strong. The Embassy definitely falls into that category. Cointreau is an 80-proof liqueur and if you were to pour brandy and rum of the same strength, this drink's alcohol content would be around 28 percent ABV (56 proof). That's typical of martini-style drinks and you will feel the effects after a couple of rounds.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
167 Calories
0g Fat
7g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 167
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 5mg 23%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 19mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)