Fruit Brandy
When you think of brandy, words such as "water of life", "elegance", "romantic", etc. will come to your mind. It seems that all beautiful things are related to it.
Here are some of the popular fruit brandies：
Apple Brandy
Apple brandy is mainly produced in northern France and the United States. It is made from apples as raw materials through fermentation, distillation, barrel aging and other brewing processes. Its taste is mellow and sweet, and its aroma is rich and natural, which is endlessly memorable.
Calvados, which people often talk about, is one of the more popular apple brandies on the market. It is produced in the Normandy region of France. It is generally made by fermenting apples and pears and distilling them twice. It is worth mentioning that Calvados must also be aged in oak vessels for at least two years. In addition, young wines will have aromas of ripe fruit, cinnamon, mint and citrus, while older wines will have a thicker taste with nutty, chocolate or fudge flavors. Calvados is mainly used as an after-dinner wine and can be consumed with a variety of dishes and desserts.
Boulard Calvados X.O. is produced in Pays d'Auge, a high-quality production area in the Normandy region of France. It is brewed from a blend of more than 120 apple varieties grown in selected orchards, and the wine is aged between 8 and 15 years. The color of this Calvados wine is bright golden amber, with a smooth entrance and a round taste. It has a rich fruity aroma and a light woody and roasted nut aroma. It is suitable for pure drinking or cocktail mixing.
Applejack, the apple brandy produced in the United States, is different from Calvados in that it is made from edible apples and is mostly brewed in bourbon barrels.
The Laird family has been producing Applejacks in New Jersey, USA, since 1698. Later, in order to meet consumer demand for lower alcohol spirits, they began brewing blended Applejack in 1972. Made from a blend of a proportion of apple distilled spirits and neutral grain spirits, this spirit has a rich aroma and smooth taste, retaining the delicate flavor of ripe apples. Therefore, cocktails made with Laird's Applejack as the base liquor will have a unique apple aroma. At present, Laird's Applejack has become an outstanding representative of the many products of the Laird family.
Pear Brandy
Pear brandy is colorless and transparent. It is mainly produced in France, Switzerland, Germany and other regions. Pear brandy made from Williams pears is also called Poire Williams. When sold, the bottle usually contains a complete pear. This characteristic bottling method is to first fix the bottle on the pear branch, then stuff the small pears into the bottle and let them grow inside the bottle. When the pears are ripe, the fruits are cut and distilled wine is poured into the bottle. Therefore, Poire Williams tends to be of high quality, with a refreshing taste and aroma of ripe pears.
Switzerland is the main country that produces Poire Williams, and the locals also call pear brandy Williamine. The clear and shiny pear brandy pictured above comes from Distillerie Morand, a four-generation family business in the Martigny region of Switzerland, which has been producing excellent spirits and syrups. And famous. The winery uses Williams pears grown in Valais, the heart of the Swiss Alps, as raw materials. They use hand-picking and hand-sorting to ensure the freshness and quality of the products, and then ferment them for 10 to 30 days to give full play to the pears. its own flavor.
Monlai Winery generally requires 12 kilograms of Williams pears to produce a bottle of Williamine. Therefore, their products tend to have a strong wine structure, rich taste, rich fruit flavor, and long aftertaste. They are often used as an aperitif or cocktail preparation.
Cherry Brandy
The origins of cherry brandy can be traced back to 16th-century Germany, where it was commonly used to treat various ailments such as gout and kidney stones. As time went by, cherry brandy gradually became a popular drink and cooking seasoning among the rich.
Cherry brandy is also called Kirschwasser/Kirsch. Its liquid is clear and transparent. It is made from cherries as raw materials and undergoes processes such as pounding, fermentation and double distillation. It is generally not matured in oak barrels. It is popular in countries such as Germany, France and Switzerland, with an alcohol concentration of 40% to 50%. It is often used to make cocktails and bake cakes.
Kirsch de Fougerolles is produced in Fougerolles, France (obtained legal appellation certification in 2010). It is brewed with guigne cherries and has a unique cherry aroma and slight almond bitterness. It must be packaged in a bô with a guaranteed seal. in a bottle.
Apricot Brandy
The authentic fruit brandy Pálinka is produced in Hungary. It is fermented and distilled from various fruits (such as plums, apricots, cherries, etc.) native to the Carpathian Basin in Europe. No additives such as sugar, flavors or colors are added. It is not only a common drink before and after meals, but also a must-have drink during festivals and competition celebrations. It is deeply loved by people because of its special flavor. The more famous one is apricot brandy, also known as Barak Pálinka in Hungary. Its liquid is colorless and transparent, with outstanding fruity flavor and soft and mellow taste.
The Pálinka" brand is also protected by Hungarian and EU law, so manufacturers outside Hungary are not allowed to sell their products under the "Pálinka" brand.
Today, Hungarians regard Palinka as a cultural symbol of the country. They hold the Palinka Wine-Sausage Festival and the Palinka Wine Festival in Budapest every October and May respectively to celebrate this traditional wine. drink.
Abricotine is made from Luizet apricots grown in Valais, Switzerland, which are pitted, fermented and distilled. Its flavor is mainly apricot, with a subtle hint of almond. Abricotine, which is diluted with water, has an alcohol content of 40% and can be consumed chilled as an after-dinner drink or used in cocktails and desserts.
Plum Brandy
Plum brandy is mainly divided into two types: blue plum brandy and yellow plum brandy. Due to differences in raw material varieties, their appearance and taste are different.
Blue plum brandy is more popular in Eastern Europe. It is made from blue-purple plums through traditional processes such as fermentation, double distillation, and barrel aging. Especially the brandy that has been aged in oak barrels has its flavor, color and aroma. More charming. At present, blue plum brandy produced in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria and other regions is very popular in the world.
The Hungarian blue plum brandy Szilvapálinka pictured above is produced in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. It is made from 80% Penyigei and Besztercei plum varieties through saccharification and fermentation. It is made by distillation, barrel aging and other processes. Its aroma is full of plum flavor. Most of the liquor is colorless, but some will show a unique yellow or amber color during the barrel aging process.
Damassine is a Swiss plum brandy with a clear color, rich cherry aroma and subtle herbal and almond flavors. This plum brandy needs to be aged for at least six months, and the entire production process must be carried out within the legal production area. It has a mellow taste and overflowing aroma, and can be drunk at room temperature after a meal.
The yellow plum brandy produced in the Lorraine region of France is brewed from Mirabelle plums. After double distillation, the liquor is clean and pure, retaining the original flavor of the plums, with fresh fruit aroma and spices. taste. It is often consumed as a dessert wine and can also be used as an ingredient in desserts and sauces.
