Brandy is often seen as a sophisticated, manly drink for sipping. It’s not quite a scotch fancy feeling, but it’s also no cold can of cheap beer found at a trailer park. That’s not all true, but it does have a strong flavor that can take some getting used to. Not to mention, it can overpower a meal with the heavy spices.
As a result, many brandy drinkers opt for a tasty chaser to help cleanse the palate or to accent the depth of this spirit. Keep reading for some of the best chasers for brandy, many of which are recommended by the master mixologists at Nose Dive in Greenville, South Carolina.
1. Juice
Brandy is a spiced drink that has a strong flavor. In an attempt to chase that bite back, many people choose to go with juice as a chaser.
Just about any juice will do, but here are some popular options:
- Apple
- Cranberry
- Guava
- Lemon
- Orange
- Peach
- Pineapple
Many of these juices also make excellent cocktails. Some are cleaner tasting to help reset tastebuds after drinking straight brandy, whereas others help compliment the spice to boost appreciation for the spirit. If nothing else, a good fruit juice cocktail can be a tasty and fun chaser.
There’s also always the option of adding fruit slices and berries to the chaser.
2. Ginger Ale
If there’s ever something that goes well with brandy, it’s ginger ale. They’re both intense, spicier flavors that not everyone is a huge fan of. However, the crispness of the ginger ale, along with the carbonation, is an excellent palate cleanser for the spirit.
It can also make a good mixer. Just be sure to use only a shot of brandy in a serving of ginger ale, or the brandy will seriously overpower it.
3. Soda Water
Clear sodas such as Sprite, 7Up, or carbonated water make perfect brandy chasers. Not only can they help dilute the alcohol, but it is also a way to cleanse the palate before consuming anything else. The best part is that it does so without altering the spirit’s taste if immediately chased, unlike some other options.
It also can be used as a mixer to help accent the more subtle flavors of brandy hidden by the strong spices. As a result, they are perfect companions.
4. Iced Tea
Serving brandy on the rocks is a common practice. It helps dilute and cool the alcohol, making it a more sustainable thing to drink. Not only that, but it allows the aroma to shine and helps reveal the subtleties of the drink.
Taking that concept into a chaser by following up the drink with iced tea is especially popular in certain circles. Down in the southern part of the US, in a place like Nose Dive, that’s likely going to be a sweet tea with some lemon to pull together all sorts of the best chasers into one solid deal. Plus, the sweetness helps to counterbalance the sharp spiciness of the brandy.
5. Cola
While clear sodas and water accent without destroying the brandy flavor, colas make an excellent chaser for slightly different reasons. They’re strong enough in their own right, and the carbonation will help completely neutralize the brandy’s strong flavor.
That makes this option primarily popular with people still learning to drink the spirit. Still, old-timers might lead with the cola to neutralize everything else and leave just a gut punch of a brandy sipping to do the actual chasing.
Final Sip
Brandy is one of those drinks that’s almost always an acquired taste. It’s strong and spicy, making it overpowering to nearly anything else. In order to make it last, this spirit does wonders when chased. Those chasers like colas can either completely neutralize the flavor to make way for something else or accent it enough to drag out the more subtle flavors of the drink, such as with ginger ale.
The long and the short of it is to either go for something bubbly or sweet and fruity for the best results. The master mixologists at Nose Dive in Greenville, South Carolina, are fantastic guys who will help find the perfect chasers for specific tastes, whether that be someone looking to be gut-punched by the spices and cleaned from the inside out or to hide the pain with massive doses of sweetness. Either way, it’s good stuff!
For more, check out Top 6 Chasers For Alcoholic Beverages.
Anne James has a wealth of experience in a wide array of interests and is an expert in quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, mixing drinks (worked as a professional bartender), and making jelly.
Anne has a professional canning business, has been featured in the local newspaper as well as on the Hershey website, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass. Amazingly, she doesn’t need to reference many resources due to her vast wealth of experience. She IS the source.
Anne wants nothing more than to pass on her extensive knowledge to the next generations, whether that be family or anyone visiting her website, her YouTube channel, or preservingsweetness.com.