Unproperly used boozer

The unknowing boozer will tell you that the best way to drink brandy is to chase it down with a swig of coke. Though pleasurable to a lot of palates, this practice is a little off beam. The best and proper way to serve brandy is in a snifter or a brandy glass, and at the end of a good meal. Brandy is the perfect digestif; it bolsters digestion, warms the stomach and relieves the senses. A snifter enhances the experience, as its globular shape and the narrow rim concentrate the heft of the brandy�s alcoholic aromas on the top of the glass. And its short stem and rounded bottom allows the palm to cradle and warm the drink.

Serving the brandy also depends on the type of brandy. Typically, brandies are sorted through the regions or the areas from which they come from, but they can also be classified through the fruit from which they are made. The basic brandy or grape brandy, such as the famous French Cognac and Armagnac, is distilled from fermented grape juice or crushed grape pulps and skins. And aged in oak casks for more flavor and aroma.

Pomace Brandies, like the Grappas from Italy, are made from the by-products of winemaking. After winemakers extract most of the grape�s juice, the pressed grape pulps, skins and stems that remain are then distilled. They are rarely aged, and if they are, it is never in wooden casks.

Fruit brandies are distilled directly from fruits other than grapes. They can be made from pears, apples, plums, and cherries among others. Popular fruit brandies include the Calvados apple brandy from Normandy, France, and the Applejacks from the United States.

Brandy should be served at room temperature and warmed with the heat of the hand or with the use of a candle. And for the utmost enjoyment, only the bottom of the snifter should be filled. However with fruit brandies the glass should be icy cold or it should be served chilled or over ice.