BRANDY: WHERE IS THE LOVE?
How is Wisconsin's most famous spirit greatly under-valued everywhere else?
Since leaving New York I have been back in Wisconsin just over five years.
Though it’s not a competition, New York offered me many distractions in the beverage world. Hidden speakeasies. Historic pubs dating back to the 1700s. Drinking a bottle of cold beer in a swimsuit on an outdoor patio deck of the East Village Russian Turkish bath house, fresh snow falling on my steaming head.
New York had lots of drinking options. And lots of spirits offering exciting new flavor profiles. It had subterranean bars where you drank cocktails from conch shells, cocktails in peoples homes that doubled as weekend bar destinations, and cocktails with exalted laboratory ingredients like hinoki tree essence, faux egg white, and acid-adjusted apple juice.
But given all the unique and ethereal beverages I drank in New York, one oft-overlooked and rarely used spirit was something Wisconsin reminded me immediately upon returning home, waving at me like it was smiling with glee while shoveling in the middle of an eight-inch snowstorm.
Brandy.
Did you think I was going to say something else?
Jolly Good soda pop? Maybe another post down the road.
New York’s finest cocktail dens boasted many international Cognacs, Armagnacs and Eau de Vies, but one question always crept up in the back of my mind: Where’s the Brandy drink on this menu?
Wisconsin people love many things, and when it comes to drinking, what they love more than anything else is Brandy. In a Bram Stoker-operated bar, Wisconsin people are the vampires, and Brandy is the blood. Picture a Francis Ford Coppola-directed scene taking place in a Wisconsin tavern. The Brandy Alexander is played by Keanu Reeves (Jonathan Harker), the Tom & Jerry (Van Helsing) is, of course, Anthony Hopkins, and the Brandy Old Fashioned, we all know, can only be Gary Oldman (Dracula, aka Prince of Darkness, Nosferatu, or Vlad the Impaler, which now that I’m typing this out makes me wonder if someone has ever done a full Dracula-inspired cocktail menu. The answer, likely, is yes, or as Dracula would say, “My rizz is bussin’ and my drip has crossed oceans of time to be here. Slay.”)
Have you ever tried to sway a Wisconsin person from ordering a Brandy Old Fashioned? The task is greater than moving a steamship over a mountain. It can almost never happen. They love it sweet, sour, press and if you’re dining at Turn Key Supper Club in Madison, they offer it rooty, which even today gets a raised eyebrow from the gallery. What is rooty?
Root beer.
Sorry it’s not more complicated than that.
If you love root beer, try a Wisconsin Old Fashioned served rooty-style. We created it at Turn Key Supper Club and offer it at Settle Down Tavern (which recently got a very nice 2025 Year End shout out from the wonderful American Weekender, a highly recommended travel newsletter for epicurean delights).
Rooty-style sounds like a sub-genre of hip-hop I want to listen to now. Maybe dance around a little bit before getting back to typing this sassy little grape-distilled diatribe.
Confucius said life was simple, but I believe he was sipping Malort instead of Brandy.
Please consider giving the gift of Bootwood this Holiday season.
OK, SO WHAT IS BRANDY?
How dare you. What is life? What is the Mona Lisa? What is Meco’s “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band?”
Would you ask a teenager “What is 6-7?”
Would you ask Vince Gilligan, “What is Pluribus going for?” Okay you might. But the inaugural season’s not over yet, and we all know there’s some connection awaiting Carol and the “Chinga tu madre, cabron!” guy. But the heart of the matter remains such: if so many people are jumping into the Brandy boat, are they familiar with what makes it sail?
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRANDY
Brandy is a spirit made from wine or other fermented fruit. Like wine and tequila, Brandy is always distilled from fruits.
Its name is a Dutch derivative translating to “Burnt wine.”
Don’t quote me, but I’m pretty sure “Purple Rain” was originally titled “Burnt Wine.”
Where is it from?
Essentially, everywhere. Brandy is an umbrella term. The most famous locations where Brandy is created would be France, Spain, the US, and parts of South America. But it is from many other places in the world as well.
In 1630s France, Dutch importers started distilling wine to prevent acidification (which improves flavor, balance and color, BUT may increase sulfur dioxide and level of spoilage microorganisms) on ships by “burning wine.” “Wine burners” started distilling twice, which reduced the yield, but improved the characteristics of their eau de vie.
In 1670, Hard cider started making some noise in the Northeast US. Applejack was one of the first to make a dent. Freeze distilling (shaving off top of wash) is known as “jacking.”
“Jacking” sounds like a Lee Marvin movie from 1975.
Cognac merchants started classifying their products in the early 1800s.
Land-owning farmers everywhere started distilling their own spirits through free markets, but that was clipped in 1875 with Phylloxera, an outbreak which decimated 90% of France’s crops but catapulted Cider, as the apples were not affected by the aphids.
What are some of the fruits associated with Brandy?
Apples
Cherries
Plums
Pears (Poire Williams – “Williams” is a reference to the French Pear, aka Bartlett)
Some people have also been known to use:
Raspberries + Carrots + Anise + Peaches
Blackberry + Ginger
Coffee (e.g., Allen’s, a coffee-flavored Brandy from Massachusetts, which echoes the East Coast version of Wisconsin’s Brandy-drinking enthusiasts throughout the state of Maine. Mainers drink coffee-flavored brandy the way people consume Love Island episodes.)
HOW TO DRINK IT
Far be it for me to influence your drinking methods. Not that you’re asking, but if you want drinking advice from me, here it is: Practice Moderation. I spent a good chunk of my adult life defying the livers of gravity and don’t need to exercise my ABV mettle as I begin packing my bags to leave my 40s. It’s actually refreshing to see the younger generation embracing a greater wellness surrounding their consumption. Well done, kiddos! It’s not awesome for me as a small business bar owner, but no one said this life was easy. Confucius said life was simple, but I believe he was sipping Malort during that period.
Ok, teetotalers, let’s get back to giggle juice.
Interestingly enough, snifters can concentrate the alcohol in Brandy and cause a sharp burn, so studies show for drinking Brandy, the best options are tulip glasses. But who the fuck has tulip glasses? Is someone reading this a direct descendent of F. Scott Fitzgerald? If so may we borrow some tulip glasses from you for a future post?
But really, drink it however you want to drink it. You rule the world. Swirl that puppy. The only recommendation I will offer is inhale with your mouth open, which keeps the aromas open through your nasal passage and won’t burn your nose.
Bootwood is an allergen-free publication. We source our water from the purest reservoirs. Consider someone else this Holiday season with a gift of EPA-approved words.
Come on, try a little. Nothing is forever.
There’s got to be something better than in the middle.
But me and Cinderella, we’ll put it all together.
We can drive it home, with one Bootwood…
— Original lyrics to “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers
ONE WISCONSIN BRANDY BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
In Wisconsin, we recognize the Brandy Old Fashioned as our most famous cocktail. It’s no contest. But there is also the oft-heralded post-dinner option of the Brandy Alexander, an iced cream-based drink (and thank you for asking but yes this is also available at Turn Key Supper Club, and no, this is not a hidden ad campaign, but yes, I am a small business owner, and yes, we serve AMAZING Brandy drinks at not only Turn Key Supper Club, but at Oz by Oz and Settle Down Tavern as well, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!).
If it’s the Holidays please also consider the aforementioned Tom & Jerry (Brandy, Rum, Egg, Sugar, Warm Milk). Tom and Jerrys are rarely offered at bars and restaurants, but if you’re at a bar or someone’s residence and they’re offering a homemade mix, that’s usually a safe bet for a tasty win.
Brandy has been around forever, but as we previously mentioned the spirit dominates the shelves and glasses of many a drink poured throughout the state of Wisconsin, and the queen of the castle is named Korbel, and she rules with the peace and prosperity of Hatshepsut.
Korbel now sells over 150,000 cases of Brandy to Wisconsin alone, which reflects more than 50% of their annual business. If you visit their distribution station in California, they have two palates readying for shipment: one for Wisconsin, and one for all the other states.
MOST POPULAR BRANDIES IN THE WORLD
McDowell’s. Have you heard of McDowell’s? Me neither.
Morpheus. Yes. The Brandy Matrix is everywhere, Neo. It is all around us. Even now. Here in this room.
Old Kenigsberg. Apart from sounding like the nickname for the old man that lived down the street from you, who used to shake his cane and spit at squirrels when he wasn’t cursing alien takeovers, this is a Russian Brandy, and frankly, I’m delighted it hasn’t invaded our country. Now if we can get them to stay the fuck home elsewhere…
Courrier Napoleon Brandy. Who is drinking all this Brandy I have never heard of?
Silver Cup Brandy. Yep. Nope.
Martell. Okay, I have heard of this one.
Dreher. (I was going to write something, but the name alone irks me. So, no.)
Old Admiral. I’m kind of over the patriarch themed bullshit of certain spirit companies. Get lost with your paying homage to old white male positions of power (see: slave owner, misogynist, deadbeat husband, deadbeat dad, deadbeat (insert word here).
Hennessy. The only Brandy on this list I have ever served based on someone’s request.
Mansion House Brandy. The top selling brandy in the world. Yay.
Here’s an interesting fact: None of these brandies are on the shelves of most Wisconsin bars. And why? Because it’s close to impossible to get anyone in Wisconsin to drink anything other than what we put in Old Fashioneds. Korbel, Christian Brothers (What about Christian Sisters…? Hello…?), Barton’s, E & J, but don’t skimp on the old standbys.
Other Wisconsin Brandy notables include Central Standard, Wollersheim, Driftless Glen and the new horse, Berens. Created by Dancing Goat Distilling Company out of Cambridge, this higher proof Brandy honors Wisconsin’s own, Charlie Berens, creator of the Manitowoc Minute, and has the packaging and promotion to win over new fans or people who have been looking for an acceptable substitute when / if they ever crawl out of their Korbel hole and don’t see their shadow.
If you’re looking to up your Brandy game, I recommend one of my favorite benchmarks, Pierre Ferrand. It’s round, elegant and captures the essence of many Brandy makers before it, balancing flavors of baked apples, cinnamon, honey and a touch of pepper on the back to keep one guessing. Like David Bowie’s career, there’s been a massive amount of Brandy reimagining happening throughout the current drinking climate. With individually packaged drinking comes a steady wave of distilleries and companies all vying for our attention.
But you cannot be in Wisconsin and escape the ubiquitous Drink Wisconsinbly. Like Samuel L. Jackson, it is everywhere and probably in a commercial of whatever show you are currently watching.
NOW LET’S GET SERIOUS: WHY SHOULD WE DRINK BRANDY?
For one, we should stop intellectualizing the spirit. It’s deserves a wider, less fearful, more casual audience. (I’m talking to you, other 49 states in America.) It should be less about drinking on special occasions and more consistently embraced through moderation.
Interestingly enough, the health benefits of drinking Brandy might catch you by surprise, as they are similar to wine. Brandy is known to:
Not have any Carbs — it’s not like beer, which stores carbs and can fill you up. Not dissimilar to a day in the life of a K-pop demon hunter.
Boost Immunity — it’s an anti-inflammatory, and helps relieve respiratory issues, so it helps fight a cough or a sore throat by opening up phlegm & mucus. Take that, Dr. Oz. You soulless bastard.
Anti-Aging — copper in the aging barrels has a positive effect on the body. Antioxidants eliminate free radicals. Antioxidants eliminate cell decomposition. As such, it prevents wrinkles. Whoa!
Balance Cholesterol — Brandy contains antioxidants / lowers blood pressure. A little bit every now and then keeps us honest, equitable and less apt to have Lewis Black Syndrome.
Prevents Cancer — one of Brandys compounds is ellagic acid, an organic compound found to prevent cancerous cells mostly seen in ovarian and bladder cancers.
Sleep Aid — you want to get some shut-eye, have a dram before bed.
Make you drink less Jolly Good soda.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
BRANDY RECIPES
WISCONSIN BRANDY OLD FASHIONED, ROOTY-STYLE
Serves 1
Created at Turn Key Supper Club (Madison, WI)
2 oz. Brandy
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Maraschino Cherry
Half an Orange Wheel
3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Root Beer
Combine the Orange, Cherry, Bitters and Syrup in a ROCKS glass; muddle until the fruit is properly pressed.
Add Brandy, then fill with ice.
Top w/ a small splash of Root Beer; briefly stir.
Crank that rooty-style hip-hop.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON’S YEET YEET SANGRIA
Serves approx. 10-15
Created for Samuel L. Jackson, and You
3.5 bottles of Dry Red Wine
16 oz. Blackberry Brandy
16 oz. Orange Juice
16 oz. Lemon Juice
2 oz. Saline Solution (aka salt water 80:20)
Combine ingredients in a container capable of holding more than 6 liters. Briefly mix and redistribute to a punch bowl.
Serve over ice in a 8-10 oz. Rocks Glass, Wine Glass or Holiday Punch Glass. Yasss.
Garnish: Orange half-wheel
Cannot wait to try the root beer old fashioned!
Well done, kid! I need to stir myself up a Rooty (“Rudy!” #toosoon) over the holidays.