From simple serves to classic cocktails, brandy is going in more than our Christmas cake this year.
On behalf of everyone, I want to apologise to brandy. See, there’s this meme of a desiccated zombie or a toy frog encrusted with frost, captioned with something like ‘The vegetables in my fridge watching me order takeout again’. It’s the same experience every time I skip over the last little bit of brandy in the bottle on top of my fridge – the bottle just sitting there patiently, watching me pour drams of whisky or mix Negronis, waiting for a turn that never comes. Oh man, I’m sorry brandy.
We know that Christmas is traditionally brandy’s time to shine. We’re all dusting off bottles or buying a freshie, adding a splash to our Christmas cakes and puddings or whipping up little special-season nibbles like pate or rillettes. But then, before the big day even gets here, the bottle goes back and brandy is on the bench for another year.
The whole situation is a shame because brandy is more than seasonal pudding juice – it’s a historic, delicious spirit that is as worthy of sipping solo or mixing in a cocktail as whisky, rum or any of our other top-tier brown spirits. That’s why, this year, we’re making a big deal about brandy.
Brandy, like whisky, is a broad umbrella of spirits with a whole bunch of types and subtypes underneath. Brandy is made by distilling wine (the name comes from the Dutch 'brandewijn', which means ‘burnt wine’) and it first got popular as a means of preserving wine for long shipping journeys.
While we tend to think of wine as being made from grapes, it can actually be made from a whole range of different fruits, meaning there are a lot of unique brandies out there. Those traditional grape-based wines might become famous French brandies like Cognac and Armagnac (plus others like the Peruvian pisco and Italian grappa), but you’ll also see brandy made from apples and pears (as in Calvados), cherries (Kirsch) and apricots. We’ll mostly be referring to grape-based brandy here (since it’s what most of us tend to trot out at Chrissy), but it’s worth keeping the full category in mind.
Flavour-wise, you’ll often find fresh and dried fruits, vanilla, baking spices and wood, all backed up with brandy’s typical touch of sweetness. Much like whisky or rum, the final flavour of brandy will depend on factors like how long the spirit has spent ageing in oak, as well as what it was distilled from in the first place.
You’ve made your Christmas cake (good for you – it’s going to be delicious) and now you’re staring down the barrel of a mostly full bottle of brandy. In general, all of these servings will be better if you’re using a more premium brandy (like Cognac, for example) but it won’t make too much of a difference either way.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a few ways to enjoy your leftover brandy below.
1. Neat (or on ice)
Brandy is a wonderful drink that, truthfully, doesn’t need any accompaniment (well, maybe a slice of the Chrissy cake). The traditional way to serve brandy neat (that is, by itself without ice) is in a short-stemmed glass – sometimes called a brandy balloon or snifter. Like a wine glass, the wide base and tapered opening concentrates and directs aromas up, letting you enjoy the full brandy experience.
If you’re not a fan of drinking spirits neat, a lump of ice can help temper some of the alcohol heat and bring the overall intensity down (as well as making it a more appropriate temperature for those hot Christmas nights). Serve on ice in a rocks glass or brandy-style stemware – it’s up to you.
2. In a simple mix
Don’t overthink it – brandy is a great candidate for those simple serves. The classic example (and staple of my nanna’s house) is the brandy and soda, which is just as it sounds. This mix is the forerunner of the Whisky Highball (apparently 19th century Brits enjoyed mixing Cognac and soda until Cognac supplies became scarce) and it’s every bit as fresh and delicious. Just add ice and brandy to a tall glass and top with soda (and maybe a wedge of lemon) in the same ratio as a classic highball.
The same formula – brandy and a sparkling mixer over ice – offers endless variations, but some other winners are brandy and tonic (the sweet-and-bitter hit of tonic really lifts the brandy’s fruity, spicy notes), brandy and dry ginger ale, and brandy and cola (ideally with a big squeeze of lemon to cut the sweetness).
3. In a cocktail
With its unique combo of sweet, fruity and spicy flavours, brandy makes a seriously good starting point for a cocktail.
Considering the weather over the Christmas period, we’d recommend brandy cocktails that skew towards being fresh, zesty and simple to make. We’re big fans of the Sidecar (Cognac or brandy, triple sec, sugar syrup and lemon), Brandy Sour (which offers a slightly different take on the classic sour cocktail formula of base spirit, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white), Brandy Crusta (a sweet-and-sour blend of brandy, lemon juice, bitters, triple sec and maraschino liqueur) and, if you’re holding onto a bottle of apricot brandy instead of the regular kind, there’s the Daiquiri-ish Hotel Nacional.
Brandy lends itself to a whole host of cocktails beyond the zesty classics, too. You’ll need a little splash if you’re making everyone’s favourite wine punch, Sangria – a perfect Christmas party serve, if you ask us. Brandy tends to work perfectly in creamy cocktails too, like the Brandy Alexander (a rich-and-sweet mix of brandy or Cognac, creme de cacao and cream, topped with nutmeg) and our Aussie summer take on Eggnog – the northern hemisphere’s Christmas staple. And yes, that one really does include Vegemite.
One last note on brandy cocktails: don’t be afraid to use brandy as a substitute for other spirits in classic cocktails. We mentioned the Brandy Sour above, but that’s just one example of the old switcheroo. Brandy can be a good substitute for whiskey (maybe over crushed ice in a brandy Mint Julep or a return to the OG version of the Sazerac) or rum (adding some spice to a Dark ‘N’ Stormy or tropical Mai Tai), but use your own judgement and get a little creative. Just make sure you’re not sitting on that bottle of brandy this time next year, okay?
