St. Patrick’s Day Spirits

While this holiday is typically celebrated with pints of green beer and whiskey shots, we at Black Star Farms prefer sipping on wine and brandy instead. Did you know that on top of the extensive list of wines we produce, that we also make 11 different brandies? We have been producing brandy since our founding year in 1998, making us one of the first businesses in the area to obtain a distilling license.

In honor of Saint Patrick, we thought it only fits to spotlight our three barrel-aged brandies. Due to the oak aging used for the Spirit of Apple, 10 Year Aged Apple Brandy, and Cerasus, these three brandies possess similar whiskey characteristics. Therefore they are great both for sipping on their own and blended in cocktails.

Apple brandy in the U.S. dates to the Founding Fathers of this nation. Production begins with the juice of sound, ripe cider apples, fermented for a month, and distilled in pot stills. From here, the aging process begins. After four to five years of aging in French and American Oak barrels, this resulting amber brandy is a bright spirit that exhibits a subtle apple bouquet with hints of vanilla and spice. This spirit works especially well in a Manhattan cocktail.

Black Star Farms Manhattan Recipe

2 oz. Spirit of Apple Brandy

½ oz. Sweet vermouth or a splash or Black Star Farms Sirius Cherry Dessert Wine (optional)

½ teaspoon of maple syrup

1 dash of bitters

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy straight up or over ice. Garnish with a cherry.

Label for the 10-Year Aged Apple Brandy.

Made in the same way as the Spirit of Apple, the brandy is then aged ten years in select oak barrels. As a result of the extended aging, this spirit displays similar flavors to the Spirit of Apple, with notes of honey and more prominent oak. A more elegant and mature spirit such as this is best enjoyed without a mixed drink’s accouterments. In other words, we recommend serving it neat or on the rocks.

Label for the barrel-aged cherry brandy.

Unique to Black Star Farms, this spirit is made with 100% local Balaton cherries and aged three years in oak. This current batch is our first bottling and was aged entirely in French oak barrels. The flavors and aromas of cherry and vanilla, plus an enticing spice, make this a perfect spirit for an Old Fashioned. However, like the 10 Year Aged Apple Brandy, the Cerasus can easily be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

Black Star Farms Old Fashioned Recipe

2 oz. Cerasus Cherry Brandy

1 oz. Black Star Farms Sirius Maple Dessert Wine or 1 sugar cube

½ teaspoon of maple syrup

1 dash of orange bitters

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail glass and stir. Garnish with a pinch of smoked salt, a cherry, and an orange twist. If using a sugar cube to replace the Sirius Maple, place the sugar cube in the glass before adding any other ingredients. Saturate the sugar cube with bitters and maple syrup, add a dash or two of plain water and muddle until dissolved. Add in the ice and Cersaus Cherry Brandy. Stir until mixed and add garnish.