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About Brandy • Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120US proof) and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, some are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring. • Brandy is also produced from fermented fruits other than grapes, but these products are typically named eaux-de-vie, especially in French.
Serving • In western countries, brandy is traditionally drunk neat at room temperature from a snifter or a tulip glass.[2] In parts of Asia, it is usually drunk on the rocks. • When drunk at room temperature, it is often slightly warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gentle heating. Excessive heating of brandy may cause the alcohol vapour to become too strong, causing its aroma to become overpowering. Brandy drinkers who like their brandy warmed may ask for the glass to be heated before the brandy is poured.
Culinary • Flavoured brandy is added to enhance the flavour of desserts, including cake and pie toppings. • Flavoured brandy is commonly added to apple dishes. • Brandy is a common deglazing liquid used in making pan sauces for steak and other meat. • Brandy is used to create a more intense flavour in some soups, notably onion soup. • Brandy is used to flambe the crepe suzette while serving.
History • The name brandy is a shortened version of brandywine, or brandewijn, meaning “burnt wine.” As the named suggests, brandy is a wine distillate. The story goes that as long as wine has been transported, a form of brandy has existed. • See, early shippers of brandy came up with the idea that because wine is largely water, they would take the water out of it, and then add it back in when it reached it’s destination. (Think of those cans of weird orange stuff that you add water to make a pitcher of O.J.). Also, taxes in some areas of the world were assessed by volume, so the concentration of the wine served two purposes.
As you might imagine, the only mode of transportation for liquids in those days were wooden casks. When they reached their destination and opened the casks, what they found wasn’t wine at all… the color, aroma and taste had all been altered. To their delight, it wasn’t half bad either. And thus, brandy was born. • Like most of the other distillation going on in the world, brandy production started in the 12th century, we think. The areas that produced it first (and still do) are wine producing regions, which would explain why the finest brandies come from France, Portugal, South Africa and even the U.S. It appears, however, that wherever wine is made, so is brandy.
Throughout the last few hundred years, different countries have taken the lead on brandy production. At the end of the 19th century, French and Spanish brandies were the most coveted, but in the early 20th, Armenian and Georgian brandies were taking center stage. Russia also has played a large role in both brandy production and consumption, and there are rumors of huge rooms full of brandy in St. Petersburg.
