If time travel was a real thing, we know the first place we would go: the golden age of the cocktail. Starting around 1860 and lasting until Prohibition, this time period was filled with fancy new bars and creative cocktails. Sure there was plenty of vodka, gin and whiskey flowing, but the spotlight was on brandy. Being such a popular spirit at the time, brandy bars were the place to be. People were mixing the spirit, drinking it straight and brandy quickly became the go-to spirit of the 19th century. Post Prohibition, brandy fell of the radar but one bar in Tennessee is joining the movement to restore it to its original glory.
Grays on Main opened this year in Franklin, TN. Filled with comfort good, traditional recipes and vintage cocktails, Grays had one goal for their drink menu: give brandy the spotlight. One look at the menu shows you that they certainly have. They’ve built an entire section dedicated to brandy cocktails and many of their other recipes focus on the spirit. Our personal favorite is the Burnt Brandy & Peach, a mix of brandy, sweet vermouth, peach liqueur and Lairds Applejack. In a world where bars typically experiment with vodka or whiskey, it’s refreshing to see the unique twist Grays has put on the cocktail possibilities of brandy.
Though Grays caught our eye, they’re not the only brandy bar paying homage to the spirit. The Brandy Library in NYC boasts an insane brandy collection and cocktails for everyone’s taste. For our West Coast friends, visit the Gallery Bar and Cognac Room at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and enjoy a glass of brandy by the fire. If you’re feeling worldly, The Coburg in London is always at the top of every brandy lover’s list. The plane ride would be worth it just for the brandy variety they supply. Someone book us a one-way ticket.
Now that we’ve seen as the cocktail creations coming from mixologists and bars that are dedicated to brandy, we’re excited to revisit our love of brandy. We wouldn’t mind if more brandy bars started popping up and creating more cocktails for us to try. Do you have a favorite brandy spot? Let us know and we’ll add it to our must visit list.