Brandy at the Thanksgiving Table!
We are just two days away from coming together to celebrate all that we are thankful for. As previously mentioned, deciding what to drink with this special meal is no small task. Therefore, today we will talk about brandy and how to pair this timeless spirit with our Thanksgiving menu.
But, what is brandy? Brandy is a spirit distilled from fruits. The word brandy comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, which means "burnt (distilled) wine". Grapes, apples, and pears are among the fruits commonly used to make brandy.
🍇 Today, we'll give you some ideas for pairing Thanksgiving dishes with brandy and brandy cocktails.
When pairing brandy with your Thanksgiving meal, consider the type of fruit used and whether or not oak has been used to age the brandy. Many brandies are not aged, but rather rested in glass or stainless steel containers, such as traditional eau de vie. These brandies are clean and their fruit jumps all over the place in a very raw but elegant way. When it comes to aged brandies, we have the influence of oak, creating delicious notes of caramel, tobacco, figs, dates, cocoa, leather, among others, always depending on the age and type of oak, of course. Be aware that brandy is one of the spirits, if not the spirit, with a higher level of acidity.
With all this in mind, let's pair these beauties.
🧀 1. Cheese Board or Fondue: What could be better than a good cognac and cheese to start a celebration? Cognac, the most popular brandy in the world and the most produced in France, is distilled from white grapes in the Charentais region, just above Bordeaux. When pairing cheese and cognac, think of hard cheeses and oak, delicate cheeses and less oak and more acidity and stone fruits, and if you like spicy cheeses, try a sweeter cognac with them.
🍇 Manchego cheese paired with Martell Cordon Bleu cognac creates a delightful explosion of flavors on the palate. Brie cheese and a classic sidecar cocktail provide a harmonious balance of creaminess and delicate flavors with the acidity and fruitiness of the drink.
🍗 2. Good Eats Roast Turkey: This turkey has flavors of apple, ginger, and cinnamon and is tender and juicy.
🍇 You can enjoy it with a nice Pisco or Singani. These southamerican brandies are made from grapes and are clean with strong floral and herbaceous aromas. For a cocktail option, try a French 75 using one of these brandies as the base, the lemon's acidity and champagne will add a fresh touch to your meal.
🍖 3.Glazed Ham: A traditional Spanish brandy is an excellent accompaniment to this dish. Like most wine regions, Spain produces a good amount of brandy, with Brandy de Jerez being their best known. This brandy is made from grapes, and has its own appellation and regulations as well.
🍇 Lepanto PX adds raisins, figs, and well-balanced oak flavors. Swap simple syrup for PX Sherry in a Spanish Old Fashioned to increase sweetness and nicely complement the glazed ham.
🫛4.Green Beans Casserole: To complement this dish, use less oaky brandies and opt for more acidic options. You can also consider an Eau de Vie or young pear brandy.
🍐Clear Creek distillery in Oregon produces a superb pear brandy Eau de Vie style, with fresh pear and peppery hints that pair perfectly with the green beans and mushroom cream. For a cocktail, try the Saisonnière, which balances acidity and pear notes that are ideal for this dish.
🍠 5. Candied Yams: Opt for a brandy with rich caramel, spice and toffee notes to complement the sweetness of yams, brown sugar and marshmallows.
🍎 Adrien Camut 18-year-old is a fantastic Calvados, full and creamy on the palate with very present notes of baked spices, cinnamon and, of course, apple, which really matches this dish. Calvados is a type of brandy made from apples and sometimes apples and pears, in Normandy, north of France. When making a cocktail, I would choose a younger calvados like Domain de Montreuil Selection for a hot cider with a touch of butter and cinnamon.
🥧 6. Pumpkin Pie: Will pair perfectly with a mid-aged armagnac. Armagnac is one of the top three classic French brandies, with strict regulations and official appellation. Armagnac is the oldest brandy among the three, produced from white grapes and made in Gascony, located in the southwest of France.
🍇 The Château de Pellehaut 1990, aged for 22 years, has the perfect balance of French oak with hints of brioche, spices, and dryness, making it the perfect complement to this classic pie. For a delicious armagnac cocktail, I suggest trying the well-known Musketeer. The blend of muddled honeyed figs with Armagnac and lemon juice pairs well with the creaminess and baked spices of the pie, adding a sweetness and warmth perfect for this time of year.
🍫 7. Chocolate: For dark chocolate, truffles, or any dessert made with dark chocolate, try an XO cognac or a brandy that has aged for at least 10-15 years to bring out the flavors of spice, toffee, vanilla, and cocoa. For milk chocolate, choose a younger, fruitier, and sweeter brandy. If you're enjoying salty chocolate, opt for a brandy with a heavier oak influence.
🍇 California brandy Germain-Robin Single Barrel Viognier goes well with dark chocolate or any dark chocolate dessert. Camus Cognac XO Borderies Single Estate is just like drinking dessert, it is velvety, fruity, floral with the perfect balance of pastry notes, vanilla and spices. This cognac pairs well with anything chocolate. For a cocktail, use a VS cognac to make a classic Brandy Alexander, and you can even make it hot.
I hope these pairing ideas will help you create the best experience for you and your loved ones....Pick the ones you like and let me know how they worked out for you! (info@giseladezillioevents.com)
Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!🍂🍗🍠🥧🍁
This November 30th at 6:30pm you are invited to The Scottish Malt Trail.
Join us for a whisky-filled evening at The Braeburn Whisky Vault tasting room in New York City!
Come and learn from our spirits specialist, Gisela Dezillio, with over 17 years of experience, as you sip a selection of six different Scottish Malts reflecting the identity of Scotland's different whisky regions.
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