Brandy Frappe

Bartender's Manual by Theodore Proulx (1888, p.15) — Theodore Proulx 1888

1. Shake the brandy well in a mixing glass filled with fine ice.
2. Strain into a thin glass with half a bottle of imported ginger ale.

Summary

A late nineteenth-century ginger-ale lengthened frappe that sits on the line between chilled spirit and highball.

This is a useful bridge drink because it shows frappe logic and bottle-mixer logic overlapping. The result is not a later standard highball yet, but it is moving in that direction.

Proulx uses the shake to pre-chill the spirit before the ginger ale is added, keeping the serve colder than a simple built long drink.

Compared with Brandy Float, this is more integrated and more recognisably on the road to highball service.

Modern American Drinks by George J. Kappeler (1895, p.67) — George J. Kappeler 1895

1. Fill two mixing-glasses of the same size with fine shaven ice.
2. Pour the brandy and maraschino into one of them.
3. Turn the second glass on top of the first, then reverse the glasses several times, holding them together so as to allow the liquid to slowly flow from one glass to the other.
4. When cold, strain into a fancy glass and serve.

Nose

Brandy and faint maraschino perfume rise through intense chill.

Palate

The drink is simple in composition but distinct in texture and temperature, with the frappé method doing much of the work.

Finish

The finish is cool, neat, and slightly confectionary.

Summary

A technique-driven chilled spirit service from the frappé branch.