Authentic Wisconsin.  Wisconsin "Somewhat" Official State Cocktail: Brandy Old Fashioned


The Wisconsin unofficial state cocktail is the Brandy Old Fashioned.

NOTE: The Brandy Old Fashioned became Wisconsin's somewhat official* State Cocktail after a resolution to make it official was approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature on 11/09/23. (* It still does not qualify to be in the Wisconsin's Bluebook of Symbols. That requires a bill, a public hearing and a signature by the governor.)

Wisconsin Somewhat Official State Cocktail - - Brandy Old Fashioned . One-third of Kobel's total brandy production is exported to Wisconsin. Needless to say, Wisconsinites love brandy a little more than most. So, it's not surprising that a Wisconsin Old Fashioned is made with brandy instead of the traditional bourbon or rye whiskey.

Legend (myth) has it that Wisconsinite's taste for brandy old fashoneds started at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A California brandy maker (Kobel) displayed his brandy at the Exposition and the good folks of Wisconsin who attended the World's Fair developed a taste for the beverage (although there is no proof of increased brandy sales in Wisconsin after the Exposition).

However, according to the book, Wisconsin Cocktails, another theory is presented. It is noted that the Wisconsin Old Fashioned variation became more popular post-World War II when liquor distributors in Wisconsin bought a "found cache" of around 30,000 cases of quality brandy from the Christian Brothers (which was better then the bad whiskey that was sold during the war). This was equal to to having enough brandy to fill 2 1/2 Olympic-sized pools. According to Jeanette Hurt's TEDx talk on the subject, "We were swimming in good brandy."

In 2019, California-based Korbel reported that Wisconsin imported over 50 percent of Korbel's brandy (150,000 cases were sold in Wisconsin out of 275,000 cases distilled).




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Unofficial State Cocktail


Brandy Old Fashioned



Above: Video on how to make a Brandy Old Fashioned.




Above: Video on how to make a Brandy Old Fashioned.



Above: Video on how to make a Brandy Old Fashioned.




Above: Manitowoc Minute – How to make a Brandy Old Fashioned. Don't Muddle the rind!




Above: The Real Truth About the Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned – Jeanette Hurt is a journalist and cocktail historian whose books and articles explore culture through the lens of food and drink.



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