Where’s the fire water?
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Where's the fire water?

Yes, brandy is just dandy with Coke, but with the calibre we’re crafting locally, it’d be a sin not to let the spirit move you in its unadulterated state. (Okay, maybe you can add some eish…)

The styles

POTSTILL: By law, SA brandies labelled potstill contain 100% potstill distillate matured in oak barrels for at least three years.

VINTAGE: These blends are made up of a minimum of 30% potstill brandy and up to 60% neutral wine spirit, both matured in oak for at least eight years.

BLENDED: Also known as standard brandy, this consists of a minimum of 30% potstill brandy, oak-matured for at least three years, blended with unmatured neutral wine spirit.

Did you know?

  • In SA, the base wine distilled during brandy-making is mainly made from Chenin Blanc and Colombar grapes.
  • For every litre of brandy, about five litres of base wine are needed.
  • South African brandy must be aged in oak casks no larger than 340 litres for at least three years, according to legislation.
  • Big Bertha in Grabouw is the largest copper still in South Africa.


Get sipping: Brandy and coke slushie

Combine 2 cups Coke, 2 tots brandy and the juice of 2 limes in a freezable container. Freeze overnight (the alcohol content means that the mixture won’t freeze solid). Just before serving, fluff the frozen mixture using a fork and serve immediately, on its own or with an extra splash of Coke, garnished with sliced lime. Serves 2.

Cheers!

Annette Klinger Article by: Annette Klinger

Woolworths TASTE’s features writer maintains that almost any dish can be improved with butter and cream. She’s a stickler for comfort food, especially German treats that remind her of her late grandmother, such as pork schnitzel with sauerkraut and spätzlen. She is a voracious reader of food magazines and recipe books, and instinctively switches over to the cooking channel whenever she checks into a hotel or guesthouse.

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