Brandy for Sangria

[SlyMoose]

What's your go to brandy for Sangria? Or is it even necessary?

We made some a couple weeks ago and just omitted the brandy, because we didn't have any on hand, and the missus was a big fan of it.

I wasn't sure if we were missing out by omitting the brandy

 

[ouch]

I use basic stock brandy and a touch of triple sec for my sangria- no sense wasting a VSOP cognac or Cointreau or Grand Marnier for a fruity, bubbly drink.

I think the brandy counters the dilution of the wine by the seltzer and ice. If your wife doesn't miss it, I'd say that's the way to go.

 

[eezee]

Try a VSOP called "Depart." I wanted a brandy that I could use in mixed drinks but didn't want to drop a bundle on an actual Cognac. This stuff is pretty good. It works well in a Vieux-Carre. It might work well in your Sangria.

 

[TexLaw]

Nothing fancy, as it's more an accent to add depth and a bit of booze.

I would not leave it out, though, or you wind up with something too bright and sweet and, frankly, not sangria. Without brandy, it's some other form of wine punch. Leaving out the brandy is like leaving the cheese off a cheeseburger. It ain't right.

Of course, don't go with rotgut brandy, either, because you'll taste that, and it ain't nice. Trust me on that one.

 

[SlyMoose]

Well she found herself a "tropical" Sangria recipe with white wine and Malibu rum.

But I will keep this in mind when we try traditional Sangria again, thanks gentlemen

 

[ouch]

Well she found herself a "tropical" Sangria recipe with white wine and Malibu rum.

But I will keep this in mind when we try traditional Sangria again, thanks gentlemen

White sangria works great- use peach as the fruit.

 

[Useless shaver]

What's your go to brandy for Sangria? Or is it even necessary?

We made some a couple weeks ago and just omitted the brandy, because we didn't have any on hand, and the missus was a big fan of it.

I wasn't sure if we were missing out by omitting the brandy

Sorry... I'm late....

I'm Spanish and when I was a child sangría never included brandy. It was a very popular "refreshment" for adults in summer, which us kids weren't allowed to try... More or less...

Then someone had the idea of adding brandy and in fact you can see it everywhere nowadays... Well, you can see many liquids which even include vermouth, gin....

But I'd strongly advise against it... yet that's only my point of view.... and if someone likes it, go ahead!

 

[Doc4]

I'm not enough of a sangria expert to say if you need the brandy or not, but I will echo the sentiment that ... if you do put it in ... you should use inexpensive stuff. All the other flavours mixed in together would mask the special experience of enjoying a high-end brandy.

 

[The Knize]

< I'm Spanish and when I was a child sangría never included brandy.>

Thanks for responding on this, Juan. I was going to post that I first drank sangria in the States in the 1970s, and for some reason we seemed to drink a lot of it, and I had never heard of putting brandy in it until the 2000s. But I decided not to post out of fear that whatever I did in the States in the 1970s had no claim to authenticity whatsoever.

I do get the concept of cutting some of the sweetness with brandy though. I was also thinking there must be some inexpensive Spanish brandies perfect for this application. But if the brandy is not typical for sangria in Spain, maybe not. (Besides the flavor spirits add to a beverage themselves, alcohol itself is a flavor enhancer, so I am not really knocking the addition of spirits to sangria.