damian 0 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 After a nice dinner last night at one of my favourite places to eat* I had an apple brandy from Somerset (west country, England). It was bloody nice! Having never really tried brandy I was shocked at how much I liked it. Spirits are usually too strong for me in taste. So any regular brandy drinkers here? What is the low down on decent inexpensive brandy? Some of it seems quite expensive. * in the unlikely event that anyone is passing through London spitalfields market area, check out a 'traditional English cuisine' place called Canteen. They do a good job of cooking good food with good ingredients. They deserve to be mentioned. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Apple brandy (aka calvados) suits me much better than grape brandy. In fact, they are very unalike to my taste. I like Armagnac best, although I'm not a regular drinker of any brandy. Link to post Share on other sites
ProbablyaCrazyPerson 2 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 The smell wants to make me hurl. Can't stand it. My grandmother used to have a sip every day though. Link to post Share on other sites
sock_monkey 0 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 i've got brandy in my hip flask. Link to post Share on other sites
soobi 0 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 brandy by itself - a little too medicinal for me but then again have never tried a really yummy one bbq mangoes with brandy and icecream verrrrry nice! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by ProbablyaCrazyPerson: The smell wants to make me hurl. Can't stand it. Thats exactly what I used to think. To be honest, I still do think it. Yet I could drink this one without much problem. I wasn't drunk and therefore more able to cope. Perhaps it was the large meat pie I had just eaten? I can't even handle whisky on the rocks. I usually like drinking port (like an old man). But this place I was at has a ridiculous habit of serving port in a champaign flute?! Their response: you get more. I am learning to understand England, slowly. I had some digestive in France recently that could probably dissolve a car tire overnight. I was almost sick on the first sip. Hey Ocean, I might check out the armondyak stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
scoobydoo 0 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 How much different from normal brandy was that apple one spud? I usually really don't like spirits, though I like fruity things. (Have to be careful when to eat or drink them though ) Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Well, it has been so long since I tasted normal brandy that I don't really know. What I do know is that it had a nice underlying flavour, but didn't taste like apples. Plus it didn't make my mouth suddenly go all wet and my throat lump up.... like you do just before throwing up. This is my usual reaction to straight spirits. I was a nice drink and I said something like 'wow, this is bloody nice' after every sip. I was sad when it was finished. Life seems (relatively) good over in Somerset, so I am not surprised that they make nice things to eat and drink. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 If you can't hack straight brandy, try a Sidecar cocktail. Basically add half again of Cointreau and a little less lemon juice and shake. Its one of the classics. Link to post Share on other sites
sock_monkey 0 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 other things that enhance the taste, drink brandy in a warm glass (if you want to get technical, a brandy snifter is made so that your hand keeps the glass warm as you drink. also the wide opening lets you inhale as you bring the glass up to sip and get maximum enjoyment. you also breathe in the alcohol that evaporates from the warm spirit) to warm the glass, fill with hot water, empty and dry. fancy version of a sidecar: cognac and grand marnier without lemon juice Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 "Ah, waiter! Bring me a brandy and a spitoon please. And what cigars have you got?" Link to post Share on other sites
ProbablyaCrazyPerson 2 Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Perhaps I should revisit some of these things. I think I was put off early on with some bad experiences (involving being ill) Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 cognac and grand marnier without lemon juice I actually had some of that recently someone gave it me and asked me to guess what was in it. It was actually quite good. Link to post Share on other sites
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