
- Drink at Room Temperature. Drink brandy at room temperature, which makes the most of the flavors and aromatics in the spirit. ...
- Pour It Into a Snifter. Pour the brandy into the snifter without ice (neat). The proper serving amount for brandy is 1.5 ounces.
- Use Your Hand to Warm the Brandy. Hold the bowl of the snifter in the palm of your hand to warm the brandy gently.
- Sniff the Brandy - Carefully. Do not put your nose in the snifter and sniff. ...
- Take Small Sips. As you drink, take very small sips. Allow the brandy to roll around on your tongue before you swallow it.
What is a brandy snifter?
The snifter is a cocktail glass holding about 17 ounces (502 ml) of liquid when filled to the brim. The glass is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, to concentrate the "nose" or fragrance of the brandy. A brandy snifter has a short stem and wide pedestal, giving it a characteristic shape.
How do you drink brandy properly?
When drunk "properly," only a small amount of brandy is poured into the snifter, and it is held in the hand so the brandy warms from the hand's heat. A brandy snifter may also be used to serve elaborate mixed drinks, recipes for which are available online.
How to choose a brandy snifter or cognac glass?
Determining a brandy snifter or a cognac glass does not require a tedious workout. Once the character of a brandy or cognac is known, it will be easier to pick a customizable ware that will carry the attribute of such brandy or cognac, relatively to human consumption.
How do you Warm Brandy with a candle?
Some people warm brandy by gently holding the bowl of the snifter above a candle for a moment or two. You can even purchase a serving set that has a candle and a snifter. However, warming the brandy over a candle isn't necessary and can even over warm the brandy, releasing some of the harsher alcohol aromas.

How does a brandy snifter work?
The large surface area of the contained liquid helps evaporate it, the narrow top traps the aroma inside the glass, while the rounded bottom allows the glass to be cupped in the hand, thus warming the liquor.
How do you drink brandy snifter?
If you're using a snifter, hold it in the palm of your hand as a way of warming the brandy. The benefit of warming this beverage is that it enhances its flavour and aroma. Alternatively, you can warm the glass by filling it with warm water, then pouring it out before serving the brandy.
How do you use a snifter?
0:471:48Bartending Tips : What Is a Snifter - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou hold a snifter as. So with your palm on the bottom of the glass. Why you do is this is becauseMoreYou hold a snifter as. So with your palm on the bottom of the glass. Why you do is this is because it heats up the liquid inside the heat from the palm of your hand releases some of the aromas.
Why do you swirl brandy in a snifter?
Brandy should be served in brandy snifters (also known as a brandy inhaler) to provide the optimal drinking experience. The wide bowl allows the customer to swirl and warm the liquid in the glass, while the tapered opening directs the aromas to the customers' nose and intensifies the flavors in the brandy.
Do you mix brandy or drink it straight?
Drink Brandy Neat Perhaps one of the best ways to enjoy high-quality brandy is to enjoy it neat, without ice or additional mixers. If you have brandy at room temperature, you'll fully taste its complex flavors.
Can you get drunk on brandy?
Since the liver absorbs 1 ounce of alcohol per hour [2], two shots of brandy can make you tipsy. However, a seasonal female drinker may need five shots of mixing alcohol to get intoxicated with brandy.
Does brandy lower blood pressure?
The polyphenolic compounds present in brandy helps to reduce inflammation in the arteries. It also lowers the blood pressure and prevents other cardiovascular problems.
Can you mix brandy with coke?
Brandy and Coke, also known as, a Brandy Cola is a simple cocktail made with, you guessed it, brandy and cola; usually Coke. You will often see it with an accompanying lime wedge on the rim of the glass which adds a nice citrus flavor to the drink, as well.
Is it OK to drink brandy everyday?
If you decide to drink brandy every day, health experts recommend you limit yourself to 2 standard drinks (for men) or 1 standard drink (for women) per day. A standard drink is a measure of moderate drinking. 1.5 ounces of a distilled spirit like brandy meets the requirement for one standard drink.
Why is it called a snifter?
snifter (n.) 1844, "a drink of liquor," earlier "a sniff," from a Scottish and northern English survival of an obsolete verb snift meaning "to sniff, snivel" (mid-14c.), of imitative origin (compare sniff (v.)). Meaning "large bulbous stemmed glass for drinking brandy" is from 1937.
What beer goes in a snifter?
Snifter. Best For: Higher-gravity, or higher-alcohol content beers, such as Belgian ales, India pale ales, and wheat wines. Although snifter glasses are usually used for cognac or brandy, they're also perfect for big, aromatic beers.
How much beer is in a snifter?
Snifter-style Beer Tasting Glasses. Snifters can typically run up to 34 oz. while beer tasting glasses will hold about 5 oz. The Snifter was designed for enjoying brandy, cognac, & whiskey, though they are also used to serve strong ales.
How many ounces are in a snifter glass?
Snifter Glasses for Beer Usually used for sipping brandy and cognac, the snifter has made the transition into beer glass territory, albeit a shrunken 9 or 10-ounce size. It's almost exclusively used when it comes to the more potent brews such as double/imperial IPAs, Belgian ales, barley wines, and wheat wines.
What is a snifter glass and why is it called that?
When you say “snifter” what does it make you think of? Sniffing something? Are you wondering if this is the glass that’s perfect for taking a sniff of that delicious pour? You’re on the right track.
What is a snifter glass used for?
Snifter glasses can be very small or very large and can be used for a wide range of alcoholic beverages. The ones we have at home are near the smallest available – perfect for a pour of my husband’s favorite whiskies. Now that our home bar is built we plan to get beer snifters to add to our growing collection of bar glassware.
How big is a snifter?
Snifters aren’t one size fits all. They can range anywhere from a teeny sized 4.5 ounce beer tasting glass on up to 35 ounce sizes for those who insist on being large and in charge with their glassware. Here are the most common sizes for each type of snifter glass.
Snifter Vs. Glencairn
Snifters and Glencairn glasses have a similar shape and can also be found in similar sizes, but they are not the same.
How do you hold a snifter glass?
Nobody wants to look weird holding their glass wrong. C’mon, you know you’ve looked around at other people to make sure you’re “doing it right” when it comes to fitting in at the bar. So what’s the proper way to hold a snifter glass?
What Is Brandy?
Brandy is a hard liquor made from distilled, barrel-aged fruit wine. Brandy is typically made from fermented grapes but other fruits, like peaches, apples, blackberries, and pears can be used to create unique flavor profiles.
How to Drink Brandy
There are three distinct ways to drink brandy that impact how it is served and enjoyed.
How to Serve Brandy
Serving brandy to your customers is not just about pouring liquor into a glass. This intricate spirit calls for the same showmanship in the serving process as it does in the drinking process. Use the following steps to properly serve brandy in your bar:
How to Drink Brandy Straight
Most high-quality aged brandies are recommended to be enjoyed straight. When drinking brandy neat, there is a process you and your customers can follow to get the most out of the experience, similar to how you would taste whiskey.
How to Drink Brandy with Ice
Although some may consider it offensive to add ice to a brandy, others find it to be the perfect touch depending on the brandy’s age and flavor. A brandy that has been aged 2 to 6 years may benefit the most from this drinking method. Use the following tips if you plan to sip your brandy on the rocks or serve it chilled to your customer.
Types of Brandy
Now that you’re familiar with the proper brandy drinking method, it is time to explore the different types of brandy available to you for your to stock your bar shelves.
Brandy Cocktails
Younger brandies can be paired with a variety of cocktail mixes to create a versatile drink menu for your bar. Most brandy cocktails are made with a brandy that is aged 3 years or less. Here are some brandy mixed drinks to consider:
Why use a snifter glass?
Need we say more than a snifter is a tool for savoring delicious flavors? And it’s a particularly useful tool at that.
When should you use a snifter glass?
Ask a handful of people about what to put in your snifter glass, and you’ll be met with a handful of seemingly combating answers.
What else do you need?
What could be better than a glass that boosts the aromas and flavors of your entire collection of craft spirits?
Lara Brandy Glass
From the Lara collection, this brandy glass enhances the taste of the brandy or cognac. The glass is manufactured from 100% pure crystals. The lead-free glass has characteristic sparkle and transparency, which is the same for the way it sends the impulses of a brandy or cognac to the sensory buds.
Gold Decor Brandy Glass
Specially made from the fine bohemian crystal, the Gold Decor Brandy Glass is crafted with the consciousness of a brandy or cognac. The bowl is moulded in a nice balloon shape. But what is most intriguing about this brandy glass is that it has a painted decoration at its neck, which climbs to the rim.
Exclusive Gold Decor Brandy Glass
If this is used to serve a cognac at a dinner in a where you are a guest, you need no foretelling to know this is not just a common cognac glass. That is not because it does not look like the normal snifter. Of course, it does. But the rare design printed on this crystalline glass is just special.
Show Off a Good Brandy in a Great Cocktail
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Brandy Cocktail
The brandy cocktail is a perfect way to dress up a good brandy, and it fits the definition of a cocktail perfectly. The recipe mixes brandy with curaçao, then finishes it off with both Angostura and Peychaud's Bitters. It's subtle, elegant, and a delightful drink.
Brandy Daisy
The brandy daisy is very similar and one of the better "daisy" cocktails. It requires just a few dashes of rum along with curaçao, simple syrup, lemon, and soda. This delicate cocktail has a well-balanced flavor and is ideal for your finer brandies and cognacs .
Metropolitan
Just as gin has the martini and whiskey has the Manhattan, brandy has the metropolitan. This classic recipe mixes brandy with sweet vermouth and simple syrup for a modest, satisfying drink that is great before dinner.
Vieux Carre
A New Orleans classic, the Vieux Carré is an interesting cocktail with layers of flavor. In it, cognac and rye whiskey join up with sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, and Angostura and Peychaud's bitters. The complexity makes it a memorable cocktail.
Brandy Alexander
The brandy Alexander is a creamy pleasure and possibly one of the oldest dessert cocktails. Requiring just three ingredients—brandy, crème de cacao, and cream—it mixes up quickly, and the taste is unbelievably satisfying for the sweet tooth.
Sidecar
The sidecar has seen many makeovers over the years, and it is one that you can easily adapt to your personal taste. The recipe uses your brandy of choice (often cognac or Armagnac), orange liqueur, and lemon juice. It's a fantastic brandy sour, particularly if you tweak the drink's balance for each brandy you pour.
