Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Cognac & Other Brandy Cocktails

Claret Cup

By
Toni Tipton-Martin
Toni Tipton-Martin with arms crossed in blazer, standing against wooden wall
Toni Tipton-Martin

Toni Tipton-Martin is a culinary journalist, a community activist, the editor-in-chief of Cook’s Country magazine, and the author of two James Beard Award–winning cookbooks, The Jemima Code and Jubilee.

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Published 02/16/24
Claret Cup cocktail in an ornate retro wine glass with grapefruit slice garnish

Clarkson Potter / Brittany Conerly

Reprinted with permission from Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice by Toni Tipton-Martin, copyright © 2023. Photographs by Brittany Conerly. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Cups are wine-forward drinks decorated with fruit and herbs. Classic cups can have a base of either wine or beer. For the wine-based, claret (a red wine) and lemonade form the foundation, with brandy, green Chartreuse or Curaçao, and pineapple or cherry juice stirred into the more elaborate mixes. Despite the name, cups are served from pitchers or other large vessels, similar to punch. Cucumber was a popular adornment that is back on craft-cocktail menus.

Bertha L. Turner, a state superintendent of domestic science who, in 1910, cultivated recipes from members of the Colored Women of the State of California for The Federation Cook Book, fortifies her Old Pacific Slope Punch with twice the claret I suggest in my adaptation that follows. Despite its fruity foundation, this cocktail is not as sweet as the version in John B. Goins’s 1914 book, The American Waiter. (Goins was an expert in early twentieth-century lodging and hospitality, not a recipe specialist.) And the addition of seasonal grapefruit is a nice touch that delivers potent citrus notes without dominating the wine and Champagne flavors.

Cover of the book Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice by Toni Tipton-Martin

Clarkson Potter / Brittany Conerly

The word claret is derived from the Latin meaning “clear.” It is a British term used to group the red-wine blends of Bordeaux into one category, which gives you lots of flexibility when it comes to choosing the wine for this recipe. Try making it with your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Served in small tea cups, this cocktail is good as a prelude to Thanksgiving dinner.

Serves 30.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 1 ounce warm water

  • 3 oranges, sliced

  • 2 lemons, sliced

  • 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced into rings

  • 1 ounce Abricotine or apricot brandy

  • 2 ounces Curaçao or tangerine liqueur

  • 2 (750 ml) bottles claret of choice

  • 2 (750 ml) bottles Champagne or other sparkling white wine

  • 2 cups sparkling water

  • 1 large block of ice

  • 1 grapefruit, thinly sliced and cut into half-moons

Steps

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and warm water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. 

  2. Add the orange, lemon, and pineapple slices, and stir to thoroughly coat the fruit with the syrup. 

  3. Let stand for 30 minutes, allowing the fruit to macerate. 

  4. Add the Abricotine, Curaçao, and claret, and stir for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. 

  5. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the pulp with a spoon to extract all the fruit juice. 

  6. Pour the infused wine, Champagne, and sparkling water into a punch bowl. Stir gently to mix. 

  7. Add the ice block and garnish with grapefruit slices. To serve, ladle the drink into Champagne flutes or punch cups. 

John B. Goins Original 1914 Claret Punch Recipe

  • 3 1/2 quarts best claret.
  • 1 pint maraschino.
  • 1 1/2 pounds cut sugar.
  • Rind of one cucumber.
  • 1 quart Apollinaris water.
  • Decorate with sliced oranges.

—John B. Goins, The American Waiter, 3rd edition, 1914