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 and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

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 ...

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 A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol a ...

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 appellat ...

in 1868. Data coming from the English explorer Samuel Baker revealed that in 1875 the volume of "native brandy" produced in the Limassol District 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 The brandy sour is a mixed alcoholic cocktail considered the unofficial national cocktail of Cyprus. While other forms of the brandy sour cocktail exist, the Cypriot variety is a distinct mixture, which only shares the basic brandy and lemon fla ...

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

, in addition to locally produced lemon cordial, that has been cited as the national drink of Cyprus.

References

Brandies Brandy {{Cyprus-stub