Roffignac Cocktail Recipe

The Roffignac is a highball cocktail made with Armagnac and raspberry. It has a tart and fruity flavor profile with savory depth from the brandy. 

The drink was invented in New Orleans and named after Count Louis Philippe de Roffignac (aka Joseph Roffignac), a wealthy Louisiana merchant who served as the city’s mayor from 1820–28. The origins of the Roffignac are murky and the date of its invention is largely unknown. The cocktail first appeared in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur’s 1937 book, Famous New Orleans Drinks & How to Mix ’Em. “As mayor, [Roffignac] introduced street lighting, and laid the first cobblestones in Royal street,” writes Arthur. “For all his many honors, Roffignac’s name comes to us through the years linked with a favorite tipple of Old New Orleans — the Roffignac.”

Arthur lists it as a whiskey cocktail, calling for 1 jigger whiskey, 1 pony syrup (that’s 1 ounce), seltzer or soda water, and raspberry syrup. He notes that the syrup can be raspberry, grenadine, or red Hembarig, a sweetener popular in New Orleans in the 1800s. While whiskey is listed in the 1937 version, brandy is more often used today. 

This Roffignac from New Orleans–based bartender Neal Bodenheimer was inspired by another bartender, Paul Gustings, who used a raspberry shrub in the drink instead of syrup. Bodenheimer adds Armagnac, a French brandy made with up to 10 different grape varieties, in lieu of whiskey or Cognac to add depth to the bright, fruity cocktail.

Why the Roffignac works

This highball cocktail blends the smoky, nutty notes of Armagnac with the tart, tangy, berry-driven notes of a raspberry shrub. Bodenheimer’s shrub recipe is made with frozen raspberries and white vinegar, and it has a burst of fresh berry flavor. The more savory notes in the brandy balance out the intensely fruity shrub to yield a cocktail that isn’t overpowering.

Club soda adds lightness to this cocktail and also amplifies the flavors present in the drink The Roffignac is a relatively low-ABV cocktail compared to other New Orleans classics like the French 75 or Sazerac.

This recipe was developed by Neal Bodenheimer; the text was written by Lucy Simon.