When it comes to food and drink pairing, wine is often the beverage you’d think of first. But matching food with spirits, such as brandy and gin & tonic, is rising in popularity.

Fight off the winter chill in the most decadent way with hot drinking chocolate and fine brandy cocktails, while raising a toast to World Chocolate Day on 7 July.

Brandy is enjoyed in many forms – on its own in a brandy balloon, with a single ice-cube, with a mixer such as ginger ale or coke or in a cocktail with myriad ingredients.

Join the worldwide celebration of one of the most classic cocktails of all time – the Brandy Alexander. Wednesday, January 31 is International Brandy Alexander Day, and Distell premium brandy believes this a perfectly sound reason to raise a Brandy Alexander to toast, if nothing else, the only cocktail to have a day officially named in its honour.

With the recent explosion of premium Gin on the spirits scene, we take a look at what exactly it is, and what else you should be trying.

Peach brandy is basically a mixture of fruit and sugar. When left alone for a while, it will ferment and produce a peach flavored alcoholic liquid.

A global awakening of interest in craft distilled spirits is drastically changing the landscape for brandy, one of the oldest and most noble of them all.

Bump up the holiday spirits with this ultra boozy bread. It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to kick back, relax and make merry. 

I had the privilege of joining the South African Brandy Foundation for a luncheon this week at 54 on Bath Hotel and I left there with a much deeper understanding of this fine spirit and a need to learn much more.