Cyprus brandy is a variety of brandy made on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

island of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

History

The production of brandy on

began in 1871 by ETKO (the oldest surviving distiller on the island) following their importation of a pot still from

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

in 1868. Data coming from the English explorer

Samuel Baker Sir Samuel White Baker, KCB, FRS, FRGS (8 June 1821 – 30 December 1893) was an English explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottom ...

revealed that in 1875 the volume of "native brandy" produced in the

Limassol District Limassol District () or Lemesos ( el, Λεμεσός) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. , it had a population of 239,842, 77% of which was urban. Its main city is Limassol. Part of the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia form ...

alone amounted to 467,711 okes.

Distinguishing characteristics

Cypriot brandy is popular among locals and dozens of companies (mostly in the Limassol district) currently distill it. It differs from other European varieties in that its alcohol concentration is 32%, although there are some that are stronger, such as Keo Five Kings at 40%. Most varieties have a distinctly sweet aftertaste.

Production method

Cyprus brandy is typically produced by double distillation of xynisteri-based white wines with aging in oak barrels.

Use in mixed drinks

Cypriot brandy forms the base for the Brandy Sour cocktail, in addition to locally produced lemon cordial, that has been cited as the national drink of Cyprus.

References

Brandies Brandy {{Cyprus-stub