South African cocktail · shaken
Cape of Good Hope recipe
Cape brandy shaken with Van der Hum tangerine liqueur, lemon and a touch of sugar.
A Cape of Good Hope is 40 ml (37.6 g) Cape Brandy, 20 ml (21.6 g) Van der Hum, 15 ml (15.5 g) Fresh Lemon Juice and 10 ml (11.1 g) Simple Syrup, shaken and served in a coupe. It pours to about 85 ml before ice, at roughly 25.9% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodshaken
- Pour volume85 ml
- Strength (est.)25.9% ABV
- Time4 min
Cape of Good Hope ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Brandy | 40 ml | 37.6 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Van der Hum | 20 ml | 21.6 g | 1.08 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lemon Juice | 15 ml | 15.5 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Simple Syrup (1:1) | 10 ml | 11.1 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Cape of Good Hope
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Add Cape Brandy, Van der Hum, Fresh Lemon Juice and Simple Syrup to a shaker, weighing each ingredient rather than eyeballing a jigger.
- Fill with ice and shake hard for 12–15 seconds.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Cape of Good Hope: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Cape of Good Hope?
Roughly 25.9% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Spirit-forward. Sip it, do not sink it.
What glass should a Cape of Good Hope be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Cape of Good Hope without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Cape of Good Hope
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