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As seen here earlier, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them.
10. The Spanish Brandy de Jerez is aged in oak sherry casks. The aging system involves filling bottles from the oldest of a range of casks, which are refilled with brandy from the next-oldest cask, which is refilled from the next-oldest cask after that, and so on, with new distillate placed in the youngest cask. In theory, traces of the very oldest brandy, and of all the ages, can be found in the finished product. In Sicily, where it’s used to produce Marsala, this system is called in perpetuum. In the Banyuls area of France, it’s called sostrera. What is this system called in Spain, where they also use it for sherry?
[SOLERA]
“The [solera] system of aging Spanish Brandy works so well because it marries younger, more vigorous spirits with older, mellower spirits in a deliberate process, thereby reaching a balance of virtues,” explains Paul Pacult, brandy expert and editor/publisher of Spirit Journal.)
I tried to explain the [solera] system in a clear yet succinct way, and the testers were very helpful in refining the wording. It’s most often encountered with sherry, but it’s an interesting approach to aging spirits as well - Zacapa 23 rum, Hillrock bourbon, and Glenfiddich 15 Scotch, among others, all use the solera system.
I need to get more familiar with Spanish brandy, as it sounds interesting and I am enjoying learning about sherry. Here are primers on Brandy de Jerez from Eric Twardzik of Bevvy and from Inka Larissa of On The Sauce Again.
11. The Curaçao style of orange liqueur is based on brandy. One of the greatest is a blend of 51% Cognac and 49% house-distilled orange liqueur, bottled in pot-still-shaped bottles, and its most common expression is decorated with a red ribbon or cordon rouge. Originated by Louis-Alexandre M. Lapostolle in 1880 and named by his friend hotelier César Ritz, what liqueur is this?
[GRAND MARNIER]
The M. in Louis-Alexandre Lapostolle’s name stood for “Marnier,” of course. The Grand Marnier line of liqueurs is first-rate. (I once was lucky enough to get to taste the full line of their expressions, including the mind-bogglingly spectacular Quintessence, made with Cognacs ranging from 25 to 100 years old.) Mostly I use the much cheaper Cordon Rouge which is also pretty darned delicious.
The universe of orange liqueurs is pretty huge, and ranges from triple secs to Curaçaos to rum-based liqueurs such as Creole Shrubb. [Grand Marnier] is amazingly consistent, considering how much they make of it and that just over half of it is a careful blend of Cognacs, which can of course vary from batch to batch and with the vagaries of aging. (It’s downright astonishing, actually, that the various Cognac producers achieve such consistency and quality in their blends, given that everything they’re working with is a pot-still distillation, aged for varying lengths of time.)
The MCWA by far was the estimable Cointreau, which is delicious itself and arguably more versatile than [Grand Marnier] (I tend to use it in more mixed drinks than I do [Grand Marnier], unless I really want to play up the brandy and oak-aged vanilla flavors that [Grand Marnier] brings to the table.) Cointreau is a triple sec, and it’s based on neutral spirit distilled from sugar beets. (In an apparent nod to [Grand Marnier]’s success, Rémy Cointreau (formed in 1990 by a merger between the family companies that controlled Rémy Martin and Cointreau) introduced Cointreau Noir in 2012; it combines 70% Cointreau and 30% Cognac from the House of Rémy Martin, as well as some natural walnut and almond flavoring.)
(This question originally included this bottle shot, but I took it out because it was fairly easy without it and a downright gimme with it.)
12. Applejack isn’t the only apple brandy out there. Some of the greatest comes from northwestern France, and it can include pears alongside apples (at least 30% pear content in the Domfrontais region.) When it’s made in Brittany it’s called lambig; what is the name – after the département where it’s produced – for apple brandy from neighboring Normandy?
[CALVADOS]
It seemed appropriate to wind up this quiz with a digestif, and what better than a [ Calva ]? The best apple brandies aren’t necessarily sweet, but have astonishing power, fruit aromas, and depth from careful aging. A recent trip to Brittany and Normandy was great fun - I sampled lots of cider, lambig and [ Calvados ], visited distilleries in both regions, and wished I could have carried many more bottles home. (I also hadn’t known that Calvados was a département until I saw it on a road sign.)
I had originally included the map found here of the [Calvados] growth regions, but it wasn’t necessary for the question.
Some extra questions cut from the first draft of the quiz:
X1. The Old-Fashioned is typically a whiskey drink, except in Wisconsin, where the Brandy Old-Fashioned reigns supreme, especially in supper clubs. After the bartender muddles cherries and oranges with sugar and bitters, and adds a slug of brandy, patrons usually specify one of three styles for the drink: sweet (when it is finished with 7-Up), sour (when it is finished with sour mix or Squirt), and what third option, which is usually finished with half 7-Up, half club soda?
[PRESS]
The Wisconsin-supper-club-style Brandy Old-Fashioned is indeed a unique take on a drink, and the reason why so much California brandy winds up in the Upper Midwest.
But the “press” variation is apparently far less common than the “sweet” or “sour” styles, and this question was already dangerously far into YEKIOYD territory, as it was so regionally specific.
X2. There aren’t a ton of cocktails that rely on crème de menthe. What crème de menthe and brandy cocktail’s name is redacted from the following passage? (Note: it’s not “Irving.”)
[STINGER]
The other crème de menthe and brandy drink is, of course, the Grasshopper, and the “Irving” references this hoary old joke. I added the reference when testers wisely raised concerns about differentiating it from the other drink with the insectoid name, but it was ultimately easier to get rid of it entirely.
The quote is from David Wondrich’s marvelous book Imbibe!, which goes on to note that the [Stinger] was the favorite drink of Reginald Vanderbilt (father of Gloria, grandfather of Anderson Cooper), who would mix them up for guests in his Fifth Avenue mansion, standing behind a marble bar he’d imported from a Norman coaching inn. Here are some variations on the classic recipe. [Stingers] have been enjoyed by high society types, but they've also been ordered by Cary Grant’s character in “Kiss Them For Me” and James Bond. (Much like Bond’s Martini, [Stingers] are one of the very few all-spirit cocktails (i.e., no juices) that’s shaken with ice rather than stirred.)
As seen here earlier, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them.
7. Slivovitz, Țuică, eau-de-vie de Quetsche, and Mirabelle brandies are made from what fruit?
[PLUMS]
Fruit eaux-de-vie are a big part of the brandy universe, though grape brandies tend to get most of the attention. Central and Eastern Europe are especially known for their fruit brandies (though Oregon’s Clear Creek brandies are extraordinary - covered here several years ago), and other giants of the form include Poire Williams and Kirchwasser.
If you recognized the varietal names of Mirabelle or Quetsche [plums], this was an easy in, and slivovitz can be amazingly good. Țuică is [plum] brandy from Romania, and I still want to taste that sometime.
8. What brand of Cognac does Jay-Z partially own, together with Bacardí? He reps it enthusiastically, drinking it out of a Grammy in 2013, and mentioning it in several tracks: (Note: NSFW lyrics)
[D’USSÉ]
I wanted to include a question that touched on Cognac's popularity among the African-American community and specifically within hip-hop culture, and there are certainly a ton of Hennessy (and to some extent Rémy Martin and Courvoisier) mentions that seemed fairly obvious. I thought Jay-Z’s partial ownership of D’ussé (produced by Otard, a subsidiary of Bacardí), provided an interesting in, and he certainly has embraced the brand; here he is drinking it out of a Grammy as mentioned in the question.
The montage was fun to put together and consists of, in order, excerpts from Hova’s “Part II (On the Run)”, his verse on Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie”, his “F.U.T.W.”, his verse on Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love”, and his verse on Rick Ross’s “The Devil Is a Lie.” I tried to find lyrics that would lead you to “D’ussé” with the rhymes, assonance, or wordplay. (Here are just a few more mentions.)
9. The Sidecar, a perfect marriage of Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice, is arguably the most famous brandy cocktail. An ancestor of the Sidecar, though, has been called “the absolute pinnacle of the nineteenth-century bartender’s art.” It’s kind of halfway between an Old-Fashioned and a Sidecar, and is possibly named for its glass’s sugared rim; what word has been redacted from the following recipe?
[CRUSTA]
The Brandy Crusta is a great drink that really lets the Cognac shine, but also accents it with the Cointreau and just a splash of lemon juice. The drink is from 1840 and Joseph Santini, manager of the City Exchange bar in New Orleans. The picture and recipe cited here are from the 1862 edition of The Bar-Tender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion by Jerry Thomas, the first bartending book published in America. The [Crusta] rates one of only a handful of illustrations in the entire book, no doubt because of its striking presentation with the full lemon peel and the sugared rim.
The quote dubbing it "the absolute pinnacle of the nineteenth-century bartender's art" comes from this great piece by drinks historian David Wondrich, the authority on pre-Prohibition drinks (and a good deal more besides), and it's worth reading in full. (And you can go here to watch Dr. Wondrich prepare a Brandy [Crusta], in a video from Google Play when they released an enhanced edition of Thomas's book with added commentary.)
Later on, the Sidecar would evolve - it’s something like a daisy, a sour with a liqueur added, but also something like the Fancy Brandy Cocktail, which was essentially an Old-Fashioned cocktail made with brandy, but in a fancier glass and with a piece of lemon peel added. The Sidecar increases the amount of lemon juice, and possibly borrows its sugared rim from the [Crusta].
But let me encourage you to try a Brandy Crusta if you haven’t had one, as they really are wonderful. (I think I’ve run across them on a menu in only a couple bars - it’s made my day each time.)
As seen here yesterday, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them.
4. American apple brandy is often sold as “applejack”, which these days is a blend of apple brandy and neutral spirits. The largest producer is Laird & Company; the family-owned business claims to have produced spirits since 1698 and once provided their recipe to George Washington at his request. Laird’s distills in Virginia, but their aging, bottling, packaging operations, and headquarters are located in what agricultural state?
[NEW JERSEY]
This question originally sought the company name (with this redacted bottle shot), but testers pointed out that it really was deep into YEKIOYD territory, so I reworked it at one tester’s suggestion to ask for the state where they’ve been operating since 1698. The first federal distillery permit was issued to Laird & Co. in 1780, and the company is currently run by the ninth generation of Lairds to make apple spirits. Laird’s bought the former Virginia Fruit Distilling Company distillery in North Garden, VA in the 1940s, and wrapped up distilling in the [Garden State] in 1972 due to dwindling apple orchards.
Their facility in Scobeyville in [New Jersey]’s Monmouth County, just down Laird Road from Bruce Springsteen’s massive horse farm, has aging warehouses and bottling operations as well as the family house that serves as the company’s offices.
(They sell unaged apple brandy as “Jersey Lightning”; it’s soft and fruity and interesting, though I’m partial to their Bottled in Bond Straight Apple Brandy and their 7 ½ Year Old. Try an American Trilogy cocktail with the Bottled in Bond.))
5. One country’s brandy industry was seriously disrupted during the pandemic when the government imposed four separate bans on the sale of alcohol. Producers affected included KWV and Van Ryn’s, which produce their brandy in the Paarl and Stellenbosch regions respectively. What country is this?
[SOUTH AFRICA]
[South Africa] is known for its wine industry, but less so its spirits; I think much of its brandy production is enjoyed locally rather than exported. And much of the brandy produced occupies the “value” category and is often drunk with cola. However, the longer-aged vintage brandies can be very good indeed, holding their own with those from Europe. (I sampled a flight of the Van Ryn’s expressions at their distillery, and especially enjoyed the 15 Year Old, and Roger Jorgensen’s 15-year-old Savignac brandy is downright special.)
The COVID bans really did a number on the country’s spirits industry, and I hope that it can recover, and I look forward to greater availability of vintage [South African] brandy in the US.
I mentioned the regions and the producer KWV to clue in oenophiles who may have recognized the [South African] names. (It makes sense that the Netherlands was the MCWA for this question, given the links between Dutch and [Afrikaans].)
6. Unaged grape brandy from Peru and Chile is typically known by what name? It’s most commonly served in its namesake cocktail, a delicious classic sour with (in the Peruvian version) egg white and bitters.
[PISCO]
Both Peru and Chile insist that theirs is the true pisco, though there are differences in region, grape selections, and aging. Peruvian [pisco] tends to be more available, though both are exported. I remain agnostic, only choosing to enjoy the stuff in many forms, including the delectable pisco punch and the wonderful [pisco] sour, which can be made in a Peruvian or Chilean style.