Cyprus brandy is a variety of brandy made on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Cyprus brandy is a variety of brandy made on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
The production of brandy on Cyprus began in 1871 [1] by ETKO (the oldest surviving distiller on the island) following their importation of a pot still from Cognac 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. [2]
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%, [3] although there are some that are stronger, such as Keo Five Kings at 40%. [4] Most varieties have a distinctly sweet aftertaste. [5]
Cyprus brandy is typically produced by double distillation of xynisteri-based white wines with aging in oak barrels. [6]
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. [7] [8]
Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of ageing, and some are produced using a combination of ageing and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from south-western France.
Limassol is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 183,658 and a metropolitan population of 239,842.
Commandaria is an amber-coloured sweet dessert wine made in the Commandaria region of Cyprus on the foothills of the Troödos Mountains. Commandaria is made from sun-dried grapes of the varieties Xynisteri and Mavro. While often a fortified wine, through its production method it often reaches high alcohol levels, around 15%, already before fortification. It represents an ancient wine style documented in Cyprus back to 800 BC and has the distinction of being the world's oldest named wine still in production, with the name Commandaria dating back to the crusades in the 12th century.
A sour is a traditional family of mixed drinks. Sours belong to one of the old families of original cocktails and are described by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks.
Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of the island of Cyprus, shared by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
KEO is a Cypriot beer. It is a light straw-colored lager with a thick head, and is sometimes compared to a pilsner in taste.
Zivania or zivana is a Cypriot pomace brandy produced from the distillation of a mixture of grape pomace and local dry wines made from Xynisteri and Mavro grapes. The name of zivania is derived from zivana which means pomace in the Greek dialect of Cyprus. Zivania is colourless and alcoholic with a light aroma of raisins. Its alcohol content varies, with 45% by volume being the typical value. As defined by law, zivania shall not have more than 60% alcohol content. Zivania contains no sugars and has no acidity.
Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou commonly known as AEL, is a Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team.
KEO plc, the Greek abbreviation for Cyprus Wine Company, is a European beverage company based on the island of Cyprus. It was formed in 1927 and it represents one of the largest industrial employers on the island with more than 90 brands in its portfolio. Its shares are traded on the Cyprus Stock Exchange.
The Cypriot wine industry ranks 50th in the world in terms of total production quantity, and much higher on a per-capita basis. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Cypriot economy through cultivation, production, employment, export and tourism.
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 flavourings with other variants. Both brandy and lemons are among Cyprus's major exports, and both have distinctive Cypriot characteristics.
Platres or Pano Platres, is a Μountainous village in Cyprus. It is located on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains and is one of the wine villages. Platres is the largest Troodos resort, situated about 5km from Troodos Square, 25 kilometers (16 mi) north-west of Limassol and 45 kilometers (28 mi) south-west of the capital Nicosia. Platres is a very old village and is mentioned among the 119 villages of the Limassol district that existed during the Lusignan Era and the Venetian Era. Platres is the principal hill resort of Cyprus. The town has a resident population of fewer than 300, but this can swell to 10,000 during tourist seasons.
The Banquet of the Five Kings was a meeting, in 1363, of the kings of England, Scotland, France, Denmark and Cyprus. It was arranged by Sir Henry Picard, a former Lord Mayor of London. The five kings were:
Koilani is a village in the Limassol District of Cyprus, located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Pera Pedi.
Malia is a village in the Limassol District of Cyprus, located 4 km south of Omodos.
Armenian wine is wine made in Armenia and the Armenian-populated Republic of Artsakh, in the region of South Caucasus. Armenia is one of the oldest wine producing regions of the world. In particular, the oldest known winery was found in Armenia's Areni region, which to this day is still known of its wine production and endemic grapes.
The ouzini is a mixed alcoholic cocktail invented by the novelist Michael Paraskos as an alternative national drink of Cyprus to the ubiquitous brandy sour.
Ijevan Wine-Brandy Factory, is a leading enterprise of Armenia for the production of wine, fruit wine and cognac. The factory was opened in 1951 in Ijevan during the Soviet period.
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