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The Pineau-cchio keeps everything inside the same family. Pineau des Charentes is grape juice stopped with cognac, so pouring cognac back over it is less a mix than a concentration, and the triple sec adds the orange note that the sugared rim and the garnish then repeat twice more.
Three orange elements in one glass sounds like too much, but they arrive in different places. The rim hits first and driest, the triple sec sits in the liquid, and the garnish works on the nose. Serving it in a white wine glass over broken ice rather than a cocktail glass is the right call for something this low proof, since it wants to be sipped slowly and stay cold while you do it.
Glass: White wine glass | Strength: Light | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 4 minutes
Bartenders tip: Rim only half the glass so you can choose your sip. Caster sugar matters here over granulated, because the fine grain sticks evenly and dissolves rather than crunching. Use fresh orange juice to wet the rim instead of water, which is what makes the sugar taste like something rather than just being sweet. Broken ice melts faster than cubes, so pour the moment the glass is packed and drink it while the dilution is still working for you.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz White Pineau des Charentes
- 1/2 oz Cognac
- 1/2 oz Triple Sec
- Orange juice and caster sugar, for the rim
Steps
- Rim a white wine glass with orange juice and caster sugar.
- Fill the glass with broken ice.
- Pour in the Pineau des Charentes, cognac and triple sec.
- Garnish with a slice of orange and serve.
