Brandy de Jerez has been underrated and ignored by bartenders for too long. Yet despite it's obscurity, there's no bottle on the liquor store shelf looks as grand or does as much peacocking. Spanish brandies wear crimson and gold upon their labels, dress in ribbons and wax seals, and announce themselves in Renaissance fonts. Then there are the courtly names, after kings and dukes and cardinals. You've surely noticed these grandees of the brandy world — even if, like most Americans, you've never bought one. Well, now is the time to find out what's inside. Do yourself a favor, and come to this seminar to taste and hear what makes Brandy de Jerez unique among the world's brandies. Our panel will feature experts who’ve flown in from Spain to will share in-depth knowledge of the country’s native spirit. We will taste hard-to-find aged brandies, and learn what special element that Spanish brandy brings to cocktails. Viva la Brandy de Jerez!

1. Brandy With a
Spanish Accent
Tales of the Cocktail, Friday, July 17th
Jason Wilson, François Monti, Santi Ortiz

2. Presenters
Jason Wilson François Monti Santi Ortiz

3. Little Madrid
 Ice
1½ ounces Lepanto Solera
Gran Reserva
¾ ounce Cocchi Vermouth
½ ounce Cynar
 Fill a mixing glass with ice.
Add the brandy, vermouth
and Cynar. Stir vigorously,
then strain into a chilled
cocktail glass.

4. The World’s Great Brandies
 Cognac
 Armagnac
 ¿Brandy de Jerez...?

5. ¿Jerez Coñac?

6. Spain Is Not France
 “Brandy de Jerez is mostly
richer, sweeter,
thicker…than the more
austere French brandies.”
— Eric Asimov, New York
Times
 “Subtlety isn’t the middle
name of Jerez’s brandy
men.” — F. Paul Pacult,
Kindred Spirits 2

7. A Brandy With A Big Personality
 “Brandy de Jerez is like
that buddy of
yours…the one with the
flashy watch and gold
chain and too much
cologne. Yet somehow,
he pulls it off. Everyone
loves him.”

8. Brandy Grandees

10. “Es Cosas de Hombres”

11. Shared Tradition With Sherry

13. But…Grapes from La Mancha
 Airén — 3rd most-grown grape in the world
 Distilleries must be certified by the Consejo Regulador del Brandy de Jerez

14. 3,000 Years of Winemaking
 Winemaking in Jerez
has existed since 1100
BC, first by
Phoenicians, then
Romans
 Teetotaling Moors
introduced alembic
distilling in 8th
century…to make
perfume

15. Brandy & Spain’s Golden Age
 First recorded mention of
brandy in Jerez is a
document from 1580
 Town Council of Jerez
spent its revenue from a
Wine Spirit Tax for the
construction of a Jesuit
college.

16. ¿Coñac or Brandy de Jerez?

21. Catchy Brandy Ads

22. The Solera System

23.  Holanda is the name
given to the “hearts,” or
low-alcohol wine spirit
or eau de vie before it
goes into solera aging.
 Named because of
historic exports to the
Netherlands
 “The soul of the sherry
wine is present in the
Holanda”

25. Read the Label
 Must be aged in 500-
liter American oak casks
that have been used to
age sherry
 Solera: Average age of
one year
 Solera Reserva:
Average age of 3 years
 Solera Gran Reserva:
Average age of 10 years

26. Gran Duque D’Alba
Solera Gran Reserva
• Aged in Oloroso casks
• Mostly Airén grapes
• 17 g/l sugar
• Lush, vanilla, leather,
raisin, dried plums

27. Cardenal Mendoza
Solera Gran Reserva
• Age in Pedro Ximenz
casks.
• Mostly Airén grapes
• Deep, dark, rich, dried
fruit, coffee, créme brulée

28. Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva
• From Palomino grapes
• 9 years in Tío Pepe fino
casks (balance, brightness)
• 3 years in Matusalem
casks (complexity, texture)
• 19 g/l sugar
• Bright, nutty, fruity, with
complex finish

29. Gran Duque XO
• Aged in Pedro Ximenez casks
• Average 15-year-old brandies
• 30 g/l sugar
• Rich, autumnal, lucious, notes of
raisin, fig

30. Cardenal Mendoza
Carta Real
• Aged average of 30 years
in Pedro Ximenez barrels.
• Dark mahogany in color;
rich, complex, plum
pudding, licorice, toasted
nuts

31. Lepanto Solera Gran
Reserva O.V. Oloroso Viejo
• 12 years in Tío Pepe fino
casks
• 3 years in Oloroso casks
• 7 g/l sugar
• Intense, spicy, toasted nuts

32. Sol y Sombra
 60 ml Gran Duque de Alba
20 ml Chinchón Anis Seco
 Serve neat or on ice in a
brandy snifter

33. The Short History of
Spanish Bartending

36. Using Brandy de Jerez
in Classic Recipes Latin Cocktail
2 oz Gran Duque de Alba
1 oz East India sherry
1 barspoon Absinthe
1 barspoon Maraschino
No garnish in the original, but orange twist works well.

37. Limón Balsamo (Pedro Talavera, 1940)
2 oz Brandy
¾ oz clover honey
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Shaken. No garnish in the original, but
lemon twist ideal.
Brandy Rikey (sic – Pedro Talavera, 1940)
2 oz ‘coñac’ Caballero
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
1 bsp curaçao
Build in ice-filled tumbler. Fill with soda.
Lemon twist.

38. Brandy de Jerez & the
Contemporary Spanish Bar

39. Cónclave
 6 raisins
1 Lemon peel
1 clove
1 cardamom pod
25 ml Cardenal Mendoza
Solera Gran Reserva
15 ml Angelus Orange Brandy
50 ml Verdejo white wine
5 ml red wine reduction
Muddle the raisins, lemon peel,
cardamom and cloves with red wine
reduction. Add brandy, orange
liqueur, and white wine. Dry shake
all ingredients. Place in refrigerator
overnight, or several hours in
advance of serving. To serve, double
strain into a brandy snifter.