Brandy is most often associated with grapes; However a variety of different fruits are used to make brandy as well.
Fruit brandy is made by mashing the ripe fruit and allowing it to ferment, stones and all. When fermentation is complete it is distilled twice in a pot still. These brandies maintain a good deal of their fruit flavor and since this is desirable they are not usually aged further, although each producer has their own recipe. For example, the French traditionally distill their fruit brandies lightly for maximum aroma and flavor, while the Swiss tend to further the distillation process for a more neutral flavor.
Most fruit brandy is stored in glass or earthenware to avoid taking on the color of wood, although there are amber colored fruit brandies that have been aged; (Calvados, for example can be aged as long as forty years.) Because so much fruit is needed to create fruit brandies, they are expensive.
Sometimes liqueurs and cordials are labeled in a misleading way. "Cherry Flavored Brandy" for example is not brandy but a sweetened fruit essence mixed with silent spirit. Read labels carefully and look for additives and words like "flavored" which could indicate impostors. Here is a list of some popular and interesting fruit brandies.
Apple:
Apple Brandy
Apple Jack
Batzi
Calvados
eau-de-vie de cidre
Apricot:
Aprikosengeist
Barack Palinka
Blackberry:
Kroatzbeer
mure sauvage
Cherry:
Kirsch
Kirschwasser
Kirsebaerlikoer
Plum:
Mirabelle
Prunelle
Quetsch
Rabia
Slivovitz
Zwetschenwasser
Pear:
Birngeist
eau-de-vie de poire
Pear Brandy
poire William
Raspberry:
Framboise
Himbeergeist
Strawberry:
Erdbeer
Fraise
Fruit brandies make a delicious addition to ice cream and fruit cups. You can also use them in dishes calling for a flambe', the alcohol burns off leaving a concentration of flavor. Because the flavor of fruit brandy is so distinct, a little goes a long way. Unlike other brandies, most people prefer the "white spirits" served ice cold.
