Crusta

What is a crusta?

The crusta is a sour in disguise: spirit, liqueur, lemon juice and a drop of bitters, plus a sugar rim and the family's signature, a long spiral of lemon peel running along the inside of the glass. The name comes from the rim: crusta means nothing other than crust, and that is exactly what makes the look.

History

The crusta belongs to the old nobility of bar culture: Jerry Thomas lists it in his guide of 1862, and the story goes that the bartender Joseph Santina in New Orleans invented the brandy crusta in the mid 19th century. The story is widespread, it does not count as an inventor's certificate, but New Orleans as the home of the crusta can well be believed.

What makes a crusta

• The sugar rim: the crust that gave the family its name, sweet at the start, tart afterwards
• The spiral of lemon peel: running along the inside of the glass, aroma and eye catcher in one, more on peel aromatics in our zest entry
• A sour in festive dress: structurally the crusta balances acid, sweetness and strength like its big relative, the formula is in our sour entry

Distinction: crusta and sour

The sour is the formula, the crusta is its festive dress: sugar rim and peel are added, the balance stays the same.

Remember: the buck brings ginger, the mule brings copper, the cobbler brings fruit and ice, the julep brings mint, the crusta brings the sugar rim.

At our lounge

The crusta is a piece of bar culture that almost fell into oblivion and is rightfully coming back. Feel free to ask, maybe we will tell you about New Orleans over your next drink, and about the sugar rim that gave a whole family its name.