BRANDY - Essentials in Cocktails & Bartending

The most popular and famous types of Brandy or made from grapes. Here you'll learn what they are.

The most famous of all grape Brandies. What makes it so special? France, it's grapes and rules to make it...

The lesser known brother of Cognac, but some say it may be even better. Just maybe not as good of marketing company helping you hear about it.

The exciting Brandy from Spain. Just as special and delicious as it's French cousins.

Lesser known to some, the United States has been making Brandy for a very long time. It just doesn't get the same respect as it's distant cousins across the ocean.

English and French call this brandy Marc while Italians call it Grappa. It is made by fermenting and distilling grape skins, seeds, and stems that remain after grapes have been pressed to extract their juices in wine-making. In comparison to grape brandy, Pomace brandy carries a stronger fruit aroma because it is not aged in wooden casks.

Grappa is a unique distillate, being obtained from the distillation of a solid raw material: the vinaccia (marc), aka pomace; the skins, seeds and stems left over from winemaking, but in Italy!

Fruit brandy is a generic term for strong spirits, distilled from fermented fruit juice or crushed fruits, other than grapes. These fruits can be apples, apricots, plums, peaches, cherries and any type of berry. This brandy is usually bottled at 40-45% ABV (80 to 90 U.S. proof). Fruit brandy, however, should not be confused with fruit-flavored brandies which are cheaper and quite sweet. In general, fruit brandy is colorless. Some popular fruit brandies are listed below.

There are three types of presentation styles for Brandy. Since there are so many different fermentation sources for it, the flavor profiles vary widely. Overall they fall into these three categories. Here we'll learn a bit more about it.

Is there a special way to serve Brandy versus other alcohols? Yes, here we explain them.

Three Stars? VS? VSOP? What does this all mean? Its a short way to explain what's in the bottle. Here you'll learn what they are to read any Brandy label. Hint* More aging, is more expensive, but also yields a better product.

Brandy has some interesting flavor nuances that pair well with some foods. Here we'll give some recommendations.

Cook some fermented fruit wine, catch the steam and then you have Brandy! Well..., it's not as simple as that, but essentially that's what you do to get Brandy!

Learn about the unique aging methods that Brandy undergoes. Not just mixing and blending; new and old Brandies. With this aging method, some Brandies you are drinking today can be a hundred years old or older!

For those that are interested, here's an overview of Brandy's history how it evolved and became the spirit we know and love today. The spirit goes back to the 12th or 13th century and maybe even longer.

All the boring stuff, legally defining it in Europe and the United States. In case your interested.