Are you over 18? To visit our website, you must be of legal drinking age.
Sorry! Sorry you must be over 18 to visit our website

Brinton’s Brandy is Back!

Brinton’s Brandy is Back!
January 26, 2021 Tenth Ward Distilling

Brinton’s Brandy is Back!

Tenth Ward Distilling Company, Frederick, Maryland

Who is Brinton?

Who is Brinton? And why is he making brandy? And what’s up with that weirdo on the bottle holding a bone saw?

I’m sure you have many questions. And I’m here to answer them for you! Brinton’s full name is Dr. John Hill Brinton and he was actually a surgeon in the American Civil War. During his career he was appointed to be the first curator of the Army Medical Museum in Washington, DC. Now here is where the story gets cool: In Brinton’s efforts to ship medical specimens from the battlefields back to DC (think the morbid anatomy accumulated on the battlefield during the rebellion), Brinton would often bribe soldiers and train conductors with brandy to ensure their discretion. Now that’s dedication to the craft. And thanks to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine located here in Frederick, we were able to provide you with this special, historic brandy recipe.

Ergo: Brinton’s Brandy.

What is Brinton’s Brandy?

Brinton’s Brandy is a traditional Civil War era-style brandy. We first start out with an apple brandy that we make from local McCutcheon’s Apple Products apple cider. We then ferment the cider in-house, turning it into a hard cider, and then distill it into an apple brandy. After we infuse it for 10 days with tart cherries from Michigan. The cherries give it that gorgeous red color and slightly tart finish. Lastly, we sweeten it with a hint of white cane sugar. Now white sugar is usually not our go-to sweetening agent. We usually go for local honey or 100% grade A molasses. But to stay true to the traditional recipe – white sugar it is! What you’re left with is a delicious apple brandy with notes of cherry pie, a bit of sweetness, and a little pucker.

 

When can I get my hands on it?

If you’re tuning in now, you’ve come at a good time. Brinton’s Brandy is one of our limited releases and is only released once a year – the second Saturday of February – and in super limited quantities. It’s not uncommon for our dedicated fans to stock up on a full case to gift it to friends and family or to just keep themselves stocked for the entire year. So watch out. Brinton’s Brandy returns to our shelves just in time for Valentine’s Day. Now if buying your significant other a bottle of brandy on Valentine’s Day isn’t a romantic gesture, I don’t know what is.

Cocktail Recommendations

Cherries from Hell

1.5 oz Brinton’s Brandy
1 oz lemon juice
1 dash orange bitters
4 oz tonic
Lime wedge

Pour Brinton’s Brandy, lemon juice and bitters into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes, and shake well. Strain into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Top with tonic water, and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge, and serve.

Brinton’s Old Fashioned

1.5 oz Brinton’s Brandy
3 dashes orange bitters
Sugar cube
Orange slice
0.25 oz water
Cherry

Soak sugar cube with bitters. Let sit until slightly dissolved. Add the orange slice and muddle. Add the remaining ingredients and top with a large ice cube. Garnish with a cherry.

Blood & Sand

0.75 oz Smoked Corn Whiskey
0.75 oz Brinton’s Brandy
0.75 oz sweet vermouth
0.75 oz blood orange juice
Orange peel

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Club Members: You know what to do

Even though this isn’t a dedicated club member release, club members do have the luxury of reserving this special spirit before it’s released to the public. That means you get first dibs on as many bottles as you can carry before this limited product sells out to the public. And if you’ve been following us over the years – you know this bottle won’t even last the month!

If you’re not a club member you can sign up today for free. Club members get all the perks at Tenth Ward!

Don’t delay on reserving your bottle (or bottles) of Brinton’s Brandy. I can say with confidence that this one won’t be around for long.