Brandy Burnt

Cocktail Boothby's American Bar-Tender by Wm. T. Boothby (1891, p.26)

1. Place the sugar in a saucer and pour the brandy over it.
2. Set the liquor afire, let it burn until the sugar dissolves, mix while burning, and serve in a hot-water glass.

This is a good reminder that flaming hot service extended beyond Blue Blazer-style pouring theatrics into simpler sugar-burning forms.

The flaming dissolution of the sugar is the defining service step.

Drinks as They Are Mixed by Paul E. Lowe (1904, p.16) — Lowe 1904

1. Place the sugar and Cognac in a saucer.
2. Set the mixture on fire and allow it to burn for about two minutes.
3. Extinguish the flame by covering the saucer with a plate and serve in a bar glass.

Nose

Burnt sugar and warm Cognac aromatics dominate the nose.

Palate

Brandy Burnt matters because it preserves another small ceremonial heated service that sits between plain hot drinks and full theatrical blazers.

Finish

The finish is warm, caramelised, and spirit-forward.

Summary

A small ignited Cognac service from the late hot-drink tradition.