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Brandy is a general name for a group of strong alcoholic drinks prepared using the same technology, but from different raw materials. The most famous varieties of grape brandy in our country are cognac, armagnac, and sherry. These drinks are made from grapes by distillation. The same method can be used to make brandy from apples, plums and other fruits. These types of drinks are known under the names Calvados, slivovitz, tequila, kirsch, bruno and others. Grape and fruit pomace can be used as raw materials, as in the production of brandy, grappa, and chacha. Brandy has a high strength (36–75 rpm) and is considered a man's drink, although ladies often prefer it. This alcohol is relatively affordable and can be found on the shelves of any liquor store. But not everyone knows what to serve it with and how to drink it. In order not to find yourself in an awkward position, it would not hurt to familiarize yourself with the rules of etiquette, the peculiarities of using brandy, and recipes for cocktails made from it.

The serving and consumption of brandy depends on its variety, but there are general rules.

Brandy is served in glasses shaped like a tulip. These can be snifters that have a somewhat rounded shape and a low stem, making it convenient to warm the drink with the palm of your hand. Wine glasses, known as “tulips,” have a taller stem and are more suitable for brandy-based cocktails served chilled. Wobbles are stemless glasses that tilt slightly to one side, causing the drink to roll around in them, becoming saturated with oxygen—this allows its aroma to be better revealed.
It is believed that brandy is best served at room temperature (20–25 degrees), but some connoisseurs prefer to have their glasses filled with a slightly cooler drink (16 degrees), so that they can then warm it in their hands or lightly warm it over a candle. The latter technique is too risky, since when the drink overheats, its taste becomes sharp and unpleasant.
Brandy glasses should be filled only 25%, which is approximately to the middle of the wide part of the glass. When filling the glasses, they try to create a small whirlpool in them.
Before drinking brandy, it is recommended to warm it slightly in your hands and roll it in the glass, tilting it. This will help the aroma of the drink develop. This aroma is inhaled first at some distance, then by bringing the glass closer. And only after that they take a sip.
They drink brandy in small and infrequent sips, each time giving the drink the opportunity to slowly roll across the tongue.
It is considered correct to serve brandy after lunch or dinner, since it is not customary to snack on it. If you follow strict etiquette, it can only be complemented by natural coffee and a good cigar. However, today it is not considered shameful to serve brandy or a cocktail made from it as an aperitif, or to snack on this drink.
Meat, cheese, ice cream, chocolate, cookies, and creamy desserts are considered suitable as a snack for brandy. Grape brandies are eaten with fruits, fresh or dried, and desserts based on them. A suitable addition would be thin slices of lemon. Fruit brandy snacking on fruit is considered bad form. It is not recommended to serve fish and seafood with any type of brandy: they will spoil the taste of the noble drink.
To make brandy-based cocktails, you can use cream, coffee, orange juice, and other alcoholic drinks. They can be served chilled, even with ice.

Brandy is not drunk nervously, in one gulp, to relieve stress or have fun in a noisy company. The best atmosphere for drinking this drink will be created by a meeting of close friends, with an intimate conversation, unhurried and calm.

Cocktail "Charleston"

cherry brandy – 100 ml;
orange liqueur – 50 ml;
lemonade – 50 ml;
ice - to taste.

Cooking method:

Cool your drinks.
Pour brandy and liqueur into a shaker and stir.
Place ice cubes at the bottom of the glasses.
Fill them with the alcohol mixture.
Pour in the lemonade.

A cocktail prepared according to this recipe is served with a straw, garnishing the glass with a round orange slice.

Cocktail "Brandy sour"

brandy – 100 ml;
lemon juice – 50 ml;
fruits - for decoration;
powdered sugar - to taste;
ice - to taste.

Cooking method:

If you don't have powdered sugar, grind the sugar in a coffee grinder.
Combine brandy, lemon juice and a small amount of caster sugar (a pinch or two). Mix them using a shaker.
Place ice cubes in glasses and fill them with the prepared drink.
Decorate with pieces of fruit, relying on your imagination.

The cocktail has a refreshing taste. If you find it too sour, next time add more powdered sugar or replace the lemon juice with grapefruit juice.

Brandy and gin cocktail

brandy – 30 ml;
gin – 40 ml;
soda water or tonic – 50 ml;
lemon juice – 30 ml;
powdered sugar – 5 g;
ice - to taste.

Cooking method:

Pour gin, brandy, tonic and lemon juice into a blender bowl. Add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
Fill martini glasses halfway with ice cubes.
Pour the cocktail.

Ladies will especially like the fresh, invigorating taste of the drink, but many men will also like it.

Cocktail with Coca-Cola

brandy – 30 ml;
Coca-Cola – 100 ml;
crushed ice - to taste.

Cooking method:

Mix cola and brandy using a mixer or shaker.
Add ice, shake again, fill glasses with drink.

The ratio of cola and brandy in this cocktail can be changed to suit your taste. Using the same principle, a cocktail is made from brandy with apple or orange juice.

Brandy is considered a man's drink, as it is a strong alcohol, but women are not indifferent to it either. Experts believe that it is better to drink it separately, without snacking on anything, but serving meat, cheese, chocolate, coffee or ice cream with brandy will not be in bad taste. Ordinary brandy varieties can be used to prepare cocktails that are especially popular with ladies.

Drinking brandy correctly means fully enjoying its taste, understanding its advantages and disadvantages, comparing it with other alcoholic drinks. It will not be superfluous to learn more about brandy, understand what kind of drink it is, how it is produced, what types, varieties and brands exist, get acquainted with the traditions of its use in different countries and regions of the world.

About 400 years ago, the enterprising Dutch came up with a technology for distilling French grape wines for more profitable transportation by reducing volume. The resulting concentrate was used in pure and diluted form. From the Dutch name “brandwijn” (burnt wine) comes the modern English brandy (pronounced “brandy”). Now this word refers to all alcoholic drinks obtained by distilling wine or fermentation products of fruits, berries, and grape pomace. The strength can vary from 35 to 90 degrees.

King of Brandy

The most famous type of brandy is cognac. The French are considered unsurpassed masters of winemaking, and it was they who secured the right to produce true cognac. The raw material is white grapes from the Poitou-Charentes region, where the city of Cognac is located. Grape juice undergoes fermentation (fermentation) and double distillation. After which it is bottled into oak barrels, where it is aged for at least two years. The output is a transparent liquid of a dark golden color, with a strength of 40 degrees.

The production technology, varieties and degree of ripeness of grapes, and the design of bottle labels are patented and fully regulated by French legislation. There is even a standardized system for controlling the age of cognacs. For example, the legendary Napoleon cannot be younger than 6 years old. And collectible bottles of elite alcohol are often aged for more than 100 years. But the cost of one such bottle ranges from several tens to several hundred thousand dollars.

Other types

The difference between other grape (wine) brandies and cognac is that no additives or impurities (sugar, caramel, spices, etc.) are allowed in the production of the latter. The closest quality to cognac is Armagnac, produced in the area of the same name in France. But it is distilled only once, and the aging period is at least 12 years.
Grape brandy is also hidden under such names as we know:

Greek Metaxa;
Spanish Torres and sherry brandy;
Bulgarian pliska;
“White Stork”, “Kizlyar”, “Ararat” and all other alcoholic products produced using cognac technology in the CIS. Now they have the right to keep the word cognac on the label only in Cyrillic transliteration and only for the domestic market; they are exported as brandy.

Cheaper brandy is made from grape pomace - seeds, pulp, twigs remaining after pressing. Almost every state with a wine industry has such a drink. For example:

Georgian chacha;
Balkan rakia and stronger perepechenitsa;
Italian group.

It is customary for many peoples to ferment and distill other fruits and berries. Thus we get:

South Slavic slivovitz and pearsovitz;
Czech boletus from juniper;
French apple calvados, raspberry framboise and peach eau de vie;
German cherry Kirschwasser.

Some of them are aged in barrels after distillation. Others can be consumed immediately after distillation.

Glasses and temperature

Wine brandy is a drink for respectable living rooms, cozy friendly gatherings by the fireplace, leisurely small talk and business meetings in an informal setting. It is served in so-called cognac glasses - snifters or tulip-shaped glasses with a high stem. In both cases, the shape of the bowl allows you to enjoy the noble aroma.

What does a snifter look like?

The optimal serving temperature is 15-17 degrees. It is a common belief that the correct way to drink brandy is to warm the glass in your hands. This allows you to reveal the best notes in the aroma and taste of alcohol. However, the French find this approach unacceptable, because When warmed, the exquisite fruity and woody aromas evaporate, leaving only the smell of alcohol. They prefer to hold the glass by the stem and rotate it slightly, enjoying the smell.

Digestif or aperitif

Connoisseurs have differing opinions about brandy appetizers. In continental Europe it is a digestif, that is, drunk after a meal. You can snack on it with chocolate, fruit or black coffee. A cigar is a good addition to a glass. True connoisseurs of the amber drink prefer to enjoy it without any snack at all.

Americans prefer brandy as an aperitif and drink it with diluted tonic, cola or water. It is served with cheese or cold cuts.

But the very common tradition of drinking brandy and snacking on it with lemon slices does not find support among connoisseurs. Lemon neutralizes taste and smell, which is blasphemous to the noble drink.

All this applies to classic grape varieties. Differences in the ways of consuming other types of this alcohol are due to the traditions of the regions where it is produced. In different countries, local brandies are drunk chilled or warmed up, with sugar or spices, pure or diluted with water, wine or milk.

Cocktails

Brandy is present in a variety of alcoholic cocktails. It goes well with:

fruit juices and syrups;
liquor;
milk or cream;
gin;
whiskey;
beaters;
soda water;
cola;
eggs;
sugar;
mint.

An experienced bartender will always have cocktails such as:

Charleston

Mix orange liqueur with brandy in a 1:2 ratio, pour into a glass, top up the glass with lemonade, add a couple of ice cubes, and garnish with a slice of citrus.

Brandy sour

Alcohol with lemon juice. The proportions can be varied to taste, add a teaspoon of powdered sugar. Serve with ice. Decorate with pieces of fruit.

Brandy Martini

any tonic - 100 ml;
brandy - 30 ml;
vermouth - 50 ml.

Mix everything in a shaker with ice. The cocktail is ready.

Scorpion

Mix in equal proportions: brandy, dark and white rum, Cointreau liqueur, add lime juice, orange juice, ice.

Brandy cola

Dilute alcohol with cola to taste, add ice.

Brandy with apple juice

Combine in any proportions. Can be served with ice.

"Sweet Gin!"

brandy and lemon juice - 30 ml each;
soda - 50 ml.;
gin - 40 ml;
powdered sugar - 10g.

Mix all ingredients. Serve in a glass with ice.

eggnog

One of the oldest cocktails. In the UK and the USA, it is customary to drink it at family celebrations in honor of Christmas or New Year. Recipe:

100 ml each. brandy and dark rum;
sugar syrup - 2 tbsp. l.;
low-fat cream - 50 ml.;
a pinch of grated nutmeg;
1 chicken or 4-5 quail eggs.

Mix sugar syrup, eggs, rum and brandy thoroughly, add cold cream, sprinkle with nutmeg crumbs.

Using these short recipes as a starting point, you can improvise with proportions and ingredients to find your favorite unique cocktail.

So, with all the variety of types and varieties, the main difference between this group of alcoholic drinks is the high strength and rich taste due to the production technology. How and in what company to drink brandy, how to properly snack on it, everyone will decide for themselves.

Many people have long tried such an alcoholic drink as brandy. It appeared in the depths of Spanish wine cellars when a new method of aging purified distillates began to be used at the beginning of the eighteenth century. This drink is the fruit of the work of distinguished winemakers and gradually it was enriched with more and more new shades of taste. However, not everyone knows the culture of drinking this drink. But the correct use of brandy, as well as other high-quality alcohol, is the key to the fact that the whole bouquet of aroma will be revealed, you will be able to feel all the nuances and enjoy the drink to the fullest.

Brandy is made from fruit juice by fermentation or distillation. There are several varieties of this alcoholic drink:

Grape. It is obtained by distilling fermented grape juice.
Fruit. Made from apples, peaches, blueberries, cherries, raspberries. Sometimes flower petals or coffee beans are added.
Brandy from grape pomace.

Culture of use

Over the years, true connoisseurs of the alcoholic drink have figured out how to drink it correctly:

Wineglass

Traditionally, brandy is poured into a tulip-shaped glass at the widest part. Such glasses are called “snifters”. Connoisseurs claim that this is how the taste is fully revealed and you can catch all the notes of the aromatic drink.

Optimal temperature

There is no clear opinion here. Some people believe that it will be correct if you warm the glass in your hands or even warm it with a candle flame. This way the drink will fully reveal its flavor bouquet. Others, on the contrary, like to drink this alcoholic drink chilled, even with the addition of ice, since saturated alcohol vapors seem unpleasant and caustic to them. Proponents of the compromise prefer to drink brandy as a cold aperitif, and as a digestif (after meals) exclusively warm. And manufacturers advise drinking brandy chilled. They claim that its taste becomes velvety and deep at a temperature of 15-16 degrees.

Use

The correct way to drink brandy is in small sips and no more than 40 grams. It is precisely this amount of this alcohol that will not allow you to turn a friendly party into a pleasant pastime, a gourmet delight, and not into an ordinary drinking session, which will not allow you to appreciate the taste and quality of the drink.

Combinations

Brandy can be drunk with natural coffee brewed in Turkish. This alcoholic drink goes perfectly with hot meat dishes. If brandy is consumed before meals, then it is drunk with orange juice, tonic, soda, and cola.

How to define quality?

Three waves of flavor

At a distance of 5 centimeters you can feel subtle notes of vanilla.
Fruity and floral aromas emerge at the rim of the glass. If the brandy is of high quality, it exudes the aroma of violets, roses, linden, and apricots.
In the third wave, complex odors appear, similar to the aroma of port wine.

The aging of brandy can be determined as follows: begin to rotate the tulip-shaped glass along the axis and watch how it flows down the walls of the snifter. If the droplets flow down within five seconds, then the drink is approximately three to five years old; if they stay on the walls of the glass for fifteen seconds, then the age is at least fifteen years.

Brandy is a drink for friends who want to while away the evening in a cozy company with a pleasant conversation. By observing the culture of consumption, you can enjoy it, gradually revealing all the facets of aroma and taste.

In the video, get acquainted with one of the most common brandy-based cocktails:

Brandy is the best alcoholic drink for a pleasant time with friends. You can fully enjoy its use only by knowing the characteristic features of drinking brandy. Once you understand the culture and essence of the drink, you will discover its unsurpassed taste and tart aroma.

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Basic rules of use

It is recommended to try the drink in a small sip while surrounded by loved ones. It is not suitable for large companies and noisy parties, because the taste is revealed in a peaceful atmosphere. An important factor is also the glass from which you are going to sip the brandy. For this drink, special cognac glasses are chosen, which are also called snifrets. The widest part of the glass is filled with alcohol. If you pour the drink to the brim, you risk not feeling the subtle notes of aroma.

Brandy is a fairly strong drink (40-60 degrees). For those who try it for the first time, the taste may seem specific and overly rich. Taking this point into account, it would be logical to add a few ice cubes to the glasses. This use case is not classic, but it also has its adherents.

If you follow the rules, then you need to drink brandy without snacking or drinking. However, there is nothing wrong with making your own adjustments. Depending on the event at which the drink is served, snacks may include seafood, fruit or chocolate.

Quite often brandy is part of a cocktail. The drink goes well with a variety of juices, syrup, milk and even coffee. The most suitable option for ladies is brandy and cola - this way you can reduce the likelihood of rapid intoxication. Plus, this cocktail is quite easy to make yourself. Approximately 50 ml of brandy is poured into a tall glass with a narrow neck, and ice cubes are thrown into it. The rest of the space is filled with cola, and then everything should be mixed thoroughly. You can diversify the taste with a slice of lemon.

What is the difference between brandy and cognac

It is important to understand that there is a significant difference between brandy and cognac. Anyone who appreciates quality alcohol should be aware of this. Cognac is a type of brandy. However, not every brandy can be called cognac. The latter is produced according to clearly established technology, using double distillation grape juice. Various fruit juices are suitable for brandy, and there are many options for its preparation.

Brandy is usually divided into types. It would be nice to learn about them in order to call yourself a true connoisseur of alcoholic beverages.

Calvados (apple juice based);
Chacha (using grape juice);
Framboise (with raspberry juice);
Kirschwasser (based on cherry juice).

Despite the fact that brandy has been known to humanity for a long time, it remains one of a kind to this day. Manufacturers try to please drink connoisseurs with various shades and unusual flavor combinations. If consumed correctly, brandy will delight you with a rich taste and unique aroma.

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Summer is approaching, and many people are thinking about how to spend it with maximum benefits for health, immunity, and well-being. Experts recommend spending more time in the sun, as sunlight helps produce beneficial vitamin D.

During peak solar hours, outdoor exposure should be limited, but walking at dawn and dusk is very beneficial.

Vitamin D, which is produced in the body under the influence of sunlight, helps strengthen bones and teeth and reduces the risk of caries. Such walks are also useful for people with osteoporosis. The ideal time for sunbathing is before 11:00 am or after 4:00 pm. During the rest of the period, it is advisable to take a break every 10-15 minutes, going into the shade or plunging into the water.

In good weather, it is recommended to pay more attention to walking, cycling, swimming, and jogging. It is very important to walk barefoot on sand, grass and even stones and pebbles. If it is not sharp with cutting edges, then the feeling of discomfort will quickly pass, but the beneficial massage effect will remain. Walking on pebbles is even more beneficial than walking on sand, since the massage effect is more pronounced.

You should definitely consume vegetables and fruits to the maximum, which normalize blood pressure, strengthen bones, increase endurance, and improve blood quality. Such fruits and vegetables include carrots, radishes, cabbage, chokeberries, cranberries, wild strawberries, and strawberries. In the summer months they are especially good, since they can be consumed immediately from the garden, in which case they are most useful.

You should definitely think about your wardrobe, as fabrics affect a person’s well-being. If in the cool season it is allowed to wear artificial materials, then in the summer the main emphasis should be on naturalness. Lightweight natural cotton and linen threads create optimal microcirculation of air, they protect against heat stroke, while artificial fabrics exposed to very high temperatures, on the contrary, can provoke it. Plus, they provoke increased sweating.

Many people also ask which sea is the healthiest. You don’t have to travel far to appreciate the benefits of resorts. For example, the Azov and Black Seas are considered one of the most fertile.

Of the foreign resorts, the Dead Sea is among the leaders, vacation on which is recommended for many people, in particular, with diseases of the joints, skin, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, and ENT diseases: pharyngitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, rhinitis. However, local healing springs are rich in iodine, this is a very useful element, but some people have an increased concentration of iodine in thermal springs and in sea water can cause allergies.

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