Ingredient

Brandy

Grape brandy or Cognac — the European answer to bourbon in warm winter serves, with stone-fruit depth and a softer oak signature.

Flavour profile

  • Stone fruit
  • Oak
  • Honey
  • Floral
  • Dry-warm
Brandy as a winter cocktail ingredient

Brandy belongs in winter for the same reason a wood fire does — it carries warmth gracefully. A standard grape brandy or a young VS Cognac is plenty for hot toddies and punches; saving older bottles for warming is mostly wasted. Apple brandy (Calvados, applejack) is the secret weapon: it slips straight into any apple-and-spice serve and brings the orchard with it.

Recipes featuring brandy

Coupe glass of pale brown brandy alexander with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg
Festive Classics

Brandy Alexander

A silky after-dinner classic of cognac, dark crème de cacao and double cream, shaken hard and finished with freshly grated nutmeg.

Total 5 min
Smoking Bishop punch in a glass mug with a roasted clove-studded orange slice
Winter Punches

Smoking Bishop

A Dickens-era warmed punch of ruby port, red wine and roasted clove-studded oranges, sweetened with sugar and seasoned with allspice.

Total 13 hours 5 minutes
An apple brandy hot toddy in a heatproof mug with a cinnamon stick and a slice of apple.
Warm Cocktails

Apple Brandy Hot Toddy

A mellow hot toddy built on apple brandy, with honey, fresh lemon and hot water, infused with a cinnamon stick and a slice of crisp apple.

Total 5 minutes