Stored

A sealed bottle of amber brandy, showing the deep copper-gold color of aged grape spirit.

Teaches readers what brandy looks like at point of purchase and how to identify it by color and bottle form.

Beverages

Brandy

Rich, fruity grape spirit for sipping, sauces, and flambé

Smooth and fruity, brandy sips as a digestif, flames a pan sauce, and lifts a sidecar. Cognac is its most refined form. A splash deglazes beautifully. Keep it at room temperature.

Brandy is spirit distilled from wine or fermented fruit, then aged in oak to mellow into flavors of dried fruit, honey, vanilla, and warm spice. Grape brandy (Cognac, Armagnac) is the classic, but apple (Calvados) and other fruit brandies share the family warmth. In the kitchen brandy is a workhorse for flambé and rich sauces — it ignites cleanly, perfumes cream and pan juices, and its fruity oak depth flatters everything from lobster bisque to cherries jubilee. It's also the traditional spirit for soaking fruitcakes and lacing pâtés and terrines.

Measured in: ml
Storage: Room Temperature

Find it in

Beverages

Types & varieties

Cognac

Grape brandy from Cognac, France — refined

Armagnac

Rustic grape brandy, bolder

Calvados

Apple brandy from Normandy

Fruit brandy/eau-de-vie

Clear, unaged fruit distillate

How to use in cooking

Brandy is the classic flambé spirit — warm it, ignite it over the pan, and let the flames burn off the harsh alcohol while leaving fruity warmth. It deepens lobster bisque, steak Diane, and chicken pan sauces, and a splash enriches pâtés, terrines, and gravies. In dessert it powers cherries jubilee, crêpes Suzette, and the soak for Christmas pudding and fruitcake.

How to choose

Cooking brandy or a basic VS Cognac is perfect for the pan — the subtleties of a fine XO are lost in cooking. Fruit brandies like Calvados (apple) add a specific fruit note worth seeking for matching dishes. Avoid sweet 'brandy' liqueurs unless you want sweetness.

Common uses

Flambé steak Diane or cherries jubileeEnrich lobster bisqueDeglaze for a brandy cream sauceLace pâtés and terrinesSoak fruitcake and Christmas puddingMake crêpes SuzetteSpike mushroom saucesFinish a peppercorn sauce

Tips & pitfalls

Warm brandy before lighting it — cold spirit won't flame.
A splash finishes a cream sauce better than a heavy pour.
Use Calvados with pork, apples, and cream.
Soak dried fruit in brandy overnight for richer cakes.

Nutrition

17kcal

Energy

71 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 24%Carbs 63%Fat 13%

Protein

1.2g

2% DV

Carbs

3.3g

1% DV

Fat

0.3g

0% DV

Fiber

2.1g

8% DV

Sugars

1.2g

of which

Sodium

8mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin K85% DV

Vitamin A48% DV

Folate34% DV

Thiamin (B1)6% DV

Riboflavin (B2)5% DV

Iron5% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · approx. Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw

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In the shops

Matched grocery products

MASCARO Brandy
MASCARO · l · Bonpreu
€14.95
Courvoisier Cognac
COURVOISIER · l · Bonpreu
€37.60
Solera 1866 Brandy
SOLERA 1866 · l · Bonpreu
€54.40
Brandy de Jerez Solera Reserva
MAGNO · l · Bonpreu
€11.89
Torres 5 Brandy Solera Imperial Penedès
TORRES 5 · l · Bonpreu
€10.19
Torres 5 Imperial Solera Reserva Brandy
Torres 5 · 0.7 L · Mercadona
€10.20

Good to know

Flavor: Dried fruit, honey, oak, vanilla, warmth
Use in cooking: Flambé, cream sauces, pâté, desserts, soaking
Alcohol?: Yes — ~36–42% ABV
Substitute base: Cognac, dark rum, or whisky
How to store: Upright, room temperature, sealed

Substitutes

Cognac — The benchmark grape brandy — interchangeable
Dark rum — Sweeter, but similar warmth in desserts
Apple or white grape juice + vanilla — Non-alcoholic: fruity base without the spirit

Pairs with

Cream Mushroom Cherry Apple Black pepperChocolatePrune Orange

Also called

brandy · cognac · coñac · coñá