The Stinger is a lesser-known classic cocktail made with just two ingredients—brandy (often Cognac) and crème de menthe—served either neat in a cocktail glass or over ice in a rocks glass. The cocktail’s origins can be traced to the United States in the 1890s, and the beverage remained widely popular in America until the 1970s. It was seen as a drink of the upper class, known as a “society” drink.