Brandy

From bucks to fixes, flips to fizzes, smashes to sours and slings, Americans have taken the venerable Old World spirit known as brandy and turned it into something all their own—a cocktail-hour favorite. The word “brandy” derives from the Dutch brandewijn, or “burnt wine,” a reference to the heat-based distillation process that yields spirit from a fermented mash of fruit—primarily grapes, though apples, berries, and some stone fruits yield notable variations. The reasonable consensus among historians is that brandy originated with the Dutch, who were trading in it by the sixteenth century, although the French managed within decades to take the concept and run with it, all the way to cognac. Today, French brandies set the standard, while several other European countries, Spain foremost, dabble in its manufacture as well—not only as an end product but as an additive, whereby it fortifies wines like port, sherry, and Madeira; the long-standing practice both preserves and boosts the alcohol content of such wines, which were thus highly popular in the era of maritime trade.