After dinner Brandy

[DustySox]

Hi,

I'm after some advice.

I have some neighbours coming round for dinner.

We have put a lot of thought into the food. I enjoy an after dinner Brandy...who doesn't!!
Can any of you help/advise which one to get, as I don't have a clue?

Regards

Darren

[ufitsy]

Remy Martin

[Keith Hurst]

COURVOISIER

http://www.courvoisier.com/

KH

[Drd]

This would do fine.I'll be around just as you finish dinner,I'll even wash up for a glass of it!



Joking apart (unless you win £120 million tonight),you'll have to give us a clue as to how much you're thinking of spending.

[Ian J]

We also have dinner guests tomorrow night and I've just checked the drinks cabinet and we have Remy Martin and Courvoisier but as an alternative we also have Grahams Late Bottled Vintage Port plus a bottle of Marsala who's provenance I can't recall.

Any of them will be fine

[DustySox]

Phew.. quick responses!!

All round Ian's house me thinks!!

I don't have a figure to spend....no more than one hundred pounds (seeing as Toshiba HD player been put back ).

Hadn't thought of Port, cool idea.

More thoughts most welcome!!

Darren

[CaptainCook]

You can get a good XO for just under £100. I have a bottle of Hennessy XO put aside for special events.

Do you have large snifters? Do they like it warmed (but that is a different story)?

CaptainCook

[Drd]

Yep.If you're willing to spend that then I too would go for either a Hine antique XO or a Remy XO

There are many less well known,one of my favourites being a Delamain early landed which has spent time in English cellars and is quite different to a traditional French cognac.

[Cynthia 7]

Darrenc, a lot of women don't like brandy, myself included; so I was glad to see IanJ suggest port too.

We have liqueurs in our cabinet that have been there for yonks, no one ever seems to want them. If I had to choose, I would opt for Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

If you offer a decent cognac and port, and that's all you need, it shows you know a thing or two about entertaining.

Lucky neighbours to be enjoying such a meal, chosen with care.

[DustySox]

Originally Posted by Cynthia 7

Darrenc, a lot of women don't like brandy, myself included; so I was glad to see IanJ suggest port too.

We have liqueurs in our cabinet that have been there for yonks, no one ever seems to want them. If I had to choose, I would opt for Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

If you offer a decent cognac and port, and that's all you need, it shows you know a thing or two about entertaining.

Lucky neighbours to be enjoying such a meal, chosen with care.

Hi,

We have put a lot of thought in to the evening....fail to prepare...prepare to fail!!! Trying different foods/recepies. And this evening I have been trying different wines....n now I feel a little "squiffy"..hic!!

Now on to the the Vino Rouge!!

Hard work this entertaining lark!!

[la gran siete]

Wine Society's brandy failing that Armagnac

[Garrett]

Remy for the coinsure, but if you want something a little lighter try the Greek brandy Mataxa.

[Knyght_byte]

dont forget to work out what the dessert is going to be as well, no point serving up the wrong after dinner drink even if it tastes good the rest of the time

if the dessert is very sweet, suggest using a dessert wine to match it, it wont be quite as sweet tho so wont be as much a shock to the palate once the brandy hits.....

btw, if you want something a little upmarket to impress during the meal, duck breast at this time of year is very nice
(served with sauted sweet potato slices, battered baby corn, stir fried sugar snap & chunky cut mixed peppers..........sweet chili sauce on the corn and a light drizzle of maple syrup on the stir fry before you take it out the pan)
serve with a good quality Sancerre for the men and a mild Pouilly Faume (scuse the spelling, might have it right, under the affluence atm..lol) for the ladies....
if you have the ability, a good mango thingy for the duck (dammnit, forgot the word...its basically a type of sauce...lol...)

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by Garrett

if you want something a little lighter try the Greek brandy Mataxa.

I still remember drinking Metaxa one star in Greece years ago as it was so foul. I'm no connoisseur but I know the difference between Brandy & Paraffin.

Unless your guests are brandy connoisseurs I wouldn't bother with anything more expensive than the already expensive "standard" stuff as few will be able to tell the difference anyway.

LGS offered an interesting alternative in Armagnac

[spocktra]

Many years ago,i worked at a very plush hotel in Stratford up-on avon.I worked in the cocktail bar and we had Louis 13th cognac.Had the fortune of trying a tot and still remember it to this day.WOW.Bearing in mind this was 15 years ago it cost the hotel £750 per bottle to buy.We charged £35 a shot .Sold on average three bottle a year.I dont think there can be many if any bottles left anywhere .