Instructions: Brandy is distilled from fermented fruit, sometimes aged in oak casks, and usually bottled at 80 proof. Long enjoyed as an after dinner drink, brandy is also widely used in mixed drinnks and cooking. It is produced in a number of countries. The term brandy, used alone, means a spirit that has been distilled from grape wine.

Cognac is a fine brandy known for its smoothness and heady scent. It is produced only in the Cognac region of France. (Hence, all cognac is brandy, but not a brandy os cognac.) The age of cognac is guaranteed by authorities only up to six years. Beyond that there is no official standard, so you might find quite a range of designations.

Hennessy was one of the first to introduce a system that would help consumers differentiate among various cognacs. Sometimes known as Three Star, VS (Very Special) cognac is a blend from brandies that have aged a minimum of two years, but many have aged considerably longer. In Hennessys VS, there are brandies that are up to ten years old. VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) refers to blends that are not less than four years old. The descriptor XO (Extra Old) denotes a blend of considerable age. The Hennessy family was the first to use this designation. Other descriptions such as Napoleon, Extra, Vielle Reserve, and Vieux mean the same thing.

Armagnac is much like cognac but has a richer taste. This brandy is produced only in the Armagnac region of France.

American brandy, virtually all of which is distilled in California, has its own taste characteristics. Unlike European brandies, California brandies are usually produced by individual firms that grow the grapes, distill, age, blend, bottle, and market the brandies under there own brand names. They are typically light and smooth.

Apple Brandy, Applejack, and Calvados are apple brandies distilled from apple cider. Calvados is produced only in Normandy, France. Germany also has a long tradition of making fine brandy, even though the country is at the northernmost limit of wine production. One pioneer of fine brandy was Hugo Asbach, who described his brandy as "Weinbrand", the German word for grape brandy, which subsequently became the generic term for high-quality wine spirits. In an attempt to emulate the qualities of cognac, some German brandies are blended solely from grape spirits produced in pot-stills. However, the best German brandy is blended from spirits derived from both pot and continuous stills, giving it its own style, with an emphasis on flavor and smoothness. Asbach Uralt Brandy is a blend of both types of wine spirit, aged for over two years in small oak casks. The result epitomizes German brandy at its best and is richer and rounder than many cognac brandies.

Fruit brandies-eaux de vie-are water white, 80 to 90 proof spirits distilled directly from fruits. Fruit brandies made from cherries are called Kirsch or Kirschwasser; from pears, Poire, and from raspberries, Framboise. They are best served chilled over ice. Fruit-flavored brandies are brandy based liqueurs flavored with blackberries, peaches, apricots, cherries, and so on.

Brandies fine enough to be drunk undiluted out of a snifter do not need to be heated over a candle. The warmth of a hand is sufficient to enhance the bouquet.

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