What is the Best Way to Drink Brandy? (2023 Updated)
Last Updated on November 5, 2023 by Lydia Martin
Brandy is often imagined alongside sophisticated businessmen in luxury suits. And although this liquor is a more refined drink, it’s not solely limited to the upper class. In fact, its surge in popularity has allowed almost everybody to savor it today!
Have you ever wondered what is the best way to drink brandy? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here are the best ways you can enjoy brandy.
5 Ways to Drink Brandy
1. Drink Brandy Neat
Perhaps one of the best ways to enjoy high-quality brandy is to enjoy it neat, without ice or additional mixers. If you have brandy at room temperature, you’ll fully taste its complex flavors.
You can also familiarize yourself with how good brandy tastes on its own to make more informed decisions regarding personal preferences.
Older brandies, fruit brandies, and French brandies are best for enjoying neat.
2. Make A Brandy Cocktail
Brandy can be paired with many different fruit flavors and mixers to create cocktails. The most popular brandy-based cocktails are the brandy sour (try with brandy de Jerez) and brandy highball (try with a South American Brandy).
With this liquor, you can also make sangria (try it with French apple brandy or regular French brandy).
Note that the best brandy for cocktails and mixed drinks is a bottle that’s under three years old. Here’s how you can make brandy.
3. Drink It Warm
Some people prefer drinking it warm, and some brands have catered to this kind of customer by selling this classic drink as a set, with a candle and snifter.
The best way to have brandy warm is to hold the bowl of the snifter above the flame of a candle for a moment or two — never microwave or heat it on the stovetop.
Be careful, though — overheating brandy puts it at risk of releasing harsher alcohol aromas, which will not make for a pleasant taste.
If you ask us, heating brandy up with the natural warmth of your hands will suffice.
4. Use A Brandy Snifter
Make sure that you’re using the appropriate glass for brandy, such as a snifter glass. Its wide base allows you to swirl the spirit inside to warm it.
The tapered opening of the glass directs the aromas of the brandy to your nose for an enhanced experience as you take small sips. But is cognac an ideal after-dinner drink?
5. Drink It Chilled
Some people prefer drinking their spirits chilled, which cuts back the harsh alcohol flavor. If you’re one of these people, brandy on the rocks is your best option.
We suggest using a large ice cube instead of many small cubes, as the latter will tend to water down the brandy flavor.
A large cube will also chill the brandy to your preferred doneness without melting too quickly [1].
Read:
Can You Have Brandy With Ice?
Yes, you can have a brandy with ice! People who find brandy too harsh for their palate at room temperature can cut it back with ice.
Remember to let it cool for a bit as soon as you add ice, so the brandy has time to acclimate to the coldness of the ice.
Read: Does Brandy Ever Go Bad?
When Is The Best Time To Drink It?
The best time to have brandy is as soon as it’s poured into the snifter glass. It’s not advisable to leave it in the glass to sit at room temperature as you would with, let’s say, wine, as you run the risk of evaporating its high alcohol content, which would alter its flavor profile.
And even though brandy is made from fruit wine, it does not need to breathe. It can be poured and immediately enjoyed once the bottle is opened.
If you want to know when is the best time to have brandy, many would consider it a pleasant after-dinner drink. Its natural soothing and relaxing qualities make it a great sleep aid. But what food goes well with cognac?
FAQs
Is it okay to have brandy every day?
Surprisingly, drinking brandy every day is okay and can even be considered healthy. Brandy is known to boost the immune system due to its antibacterial components.
Like wine, brandy also contains antioxidants that can keep our cells in top shape. However, it’s not advisable to consume more than 1.5 ounces of brandy every day as this is quite a strong liquor. Find out more about brandy’s health benefits here.
Can we mix water with brandy?
Yes, it’s okay to mix water with brandy. Like ice, a watered-down brandy will cut back its harsh alcohol flavor.
Furthermore, brandy with a little bit of warm water is also said to support weight loss and aid in alleviating the flu, aside from it being a delicious, warm drink.
Final Thoughts
There is more than one way to enjoy the complex liquor brandy: warm, neat, chilled, or in cocktails. Now that you know the many different ways to drink it, it’s time for you to go out and experiment!
Test out the different methods we mentioned above to see which one suits you and your unique palate.
What do you think is the best way to drink brandy? Sound off below!
Reference:
- https://www.thrillist.com/culture/why-that-giant-ice-cube-in-your-cocktail-is-really-important
I enjoy my brandy warm. I cannot get it right by just holding the glass in my hands. I do NOT microwave the brandy, however I do fill the snifter about half way with water, and put in the microwave, and warm to the desired temperature. Then pour the water into a small bowl, place the snifter in the water, then pour the desired amount of brandy. I don’t measure, I’m a “two-fingers” guy. OK, true confession time…I also enjoy a couple grapes sliced in half to swim around in the pool. Like an homage’ to where it started.
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