Brandy Sour

A mixture of brandy and cordial made from lemons of the Güzelyurt region, Brandy Sour is considered the national cocktail.
It's made with Cypriot brandy which is milder than Cognac or Armagnac, lemons fresh or cordial, Angostura bitters, soda water and ice.
Bitter lemons are used locally to produce a bitter-sweet lemon cordial – the same lemons used by British author Lawrence Durrell for the title of his famous novel "Bitter Lemons of Cyprus", written next to Bellapais Abbey in the 1950’s.
Although Brandy Sour is enjoyed worldwide, the Cypriot version is unique for the local brandy used. It was introduced in the 1930’s in an old hotel in the Troodos Mountains, as an alcoholic substitute for iced tea, as a way of disguising the preference for Western-style cocktails of their distinguished guest, King Farouk of Egypt. As well as enjoying it during your visit to the island, why not pick up a bottle of Cypriot brandy and try making it back home.