L I B AT I O N S

There is nothing more pathetic than a group of otherwise intelligent and successful people trying to tough out the night on a patio in freezing cold October weather. Huddled in stylish coats and carefully arranged scarves, the dedicated outdoor drinkers ( and smoke r s ) s h i v e r through their pain, seemingly ignorant of rapidly changing seasons and ample indoor seating.

I wish I could say I was smarter than this, but on Friday night I actually had a steady drip of ice water falling into my lap for about an hour before our group decided to change locations. And we didn’t go inside, we just went to a bar with heat lamps on its patio. But personal warmth, like personal style, often comes from the inside. And so it goes that the most stylish person at our table also had the sense not to order frosty pints or ice- packed cocktails, but brandy.

While the rest of us tried to warm up during occasional dashes to the bathroom or the bar, my smart (and French) friend handed over her scarf to an underdressed beer drinker and quietly sipped her brandy and water.

Coined from the Dutch word bradwijn, meaning “burned wine,” brandy is distilled from fruit juice or fruit pulp and skin.

The alcoholic version of a latte, brandy is sweeter than other spirits: a popular after-dinner drink and the preferred heating

method of elderly ladies.

But if you’re scared

of sounding like your

grandmother when you

order a cocktail, try

putting back a

Brandy Stinger. This

blend of creme de

menthe and brandy

will brace you for that

long walk home after

dinner or that long walk to

the bar after work. It will

also warm you and allow

you to persevere on that

patio as the rest of your table grows numb from exposure to the elements and their own lack of well- fermented foresight.

BRANDY STINGER ❚ 1

1⁄ 2 oz brandy ❚ 3⁄ 4 oz white creme de menthe Stir over ice

Siri Agrell, National Post

sagrell@ nationalpost. com