That’s the Spirit of Cocktails! (6)

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits. Fanatics will never learn that, though it be written in letters of gold across the sky. It is the PROHIBITION that makes anything precious.” A quote from the famous American writer, Mark Twain, which refers to the 13-year prohibition.

Fast backward to the 1920s, the banning of alcohol hit America. The alcohol-lovers had to hunt out an underground drinking den, known as a speakeasy. The quality of the liquor was not up to the expectation since the liquor was not made in a professional distillery. As a result, a new wave of cocktails full of bold flavors emerged, in hopes of taking the edge off the poor quality spirits.

When a “shaken, not stirred” Martini is the most quoted line from the famous James Bond series, we thus realize how cocktails become a global cultural phenomenon. Now only do we get a sip on the alcoholic beverage, but we are capable of being transported through history. Let’s begin our cultural journey via the six essential base spirits of the cocktails, shall we? 

(6) Brandy (白蘭地)

Origin: France

Ingredient: Fermented Fruit Juice (Typically Grape)

Step by step: Squeeze (榨汁) — Fermentation — Distillation — Aging

Grading:

・V.S (i.e. Very Special): more than 3 years

・V.S.O.P. (i.e. Very Superior Old Pale): more than 4 years

・Napoleon: more than 6 years

・X.O. (i.e. Extra Old): more than 10 years

・Extra: more than 15 years

In 1313, Brandy began to be distilled in France for medicinal use. It was until the 16th century a Dutch shipmaster intended to add water to the liquor to make it a pleasurable one. The American produced their first bottles in 1780, Wisconsin considered as the center of the "brandy belt". Note that Champagne Cognac is a type of brandy made in southwest France with specific regulations.

Drink	Ingredients	Method	Garnish	Glassware
Brandy Alexander	1 oz Brandy 1 oz Brown Cacao Liqueur 1 oz Fresh milk	Shake	Ground Nutmeg	Martini

IMG: https://www.barschool.net/recipes/brandy-alexander