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About Brandy

Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink. "Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy." – Samuel Johnson Contents

Brandy History

The origins of brandy are unclear, and tied to the development of distillation. Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and Rome and may have a history going back to ancient Babylon. Brandy as it is known today first began to appear in the 12th century and became generally popular in the 14th century. Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved over the original wine.

Brandy Cocktails

B & B
Belfast Bomber
Between The Sheets
Black Smith
Brandy Alexander
Brandy Cocktail
Brandtea
Bull's Milk
Rolls Royce
Sidecar
Steeplejack
Stinger