The Brandy Bar + Cocktails

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Wed 12/28 – 4-9 PM Spiced apple brandy toddy and Thurs 12/29 – 4-9 PM New Year Resolution Manhattans + New Years Eve Celebration

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Wed 12/28 – 4-9 PM – Spiced apple brandy toddy $8 – Laird’s applejack with spices of vanilla bean, orange peels, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger -we suggest heated so as to release the intense spicey-ness of this brandy.

Thurs 12/29 – 4- 9 PM – So have you proclaimed your New Year Resolution(s) (written, oral or silent)? The ancient Babylonians appear to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year—though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favor—a place no one wanted to be.

   For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Also known as known as watch night services, they included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing, and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year. Now popular within evangelical Protestant churches, especially African American denominations and congregations, watch night services held on New Year’s Eve are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.

   Despite the tradition’s religious roots, New Year’s resolutions today are a mostly secular practice. Instead of making promises to the gods, most people make resolutions only to themselves, and focus purely on self-improvement. According to recent research, while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8 percent are successful in achieving their goals. But that dismal record probably won’t stop people from making resolutions anytime soon—after all, we’ve had about 4,000 years of practice. We can’t believe as popular as the Manhattan is that we have not tried its many riffs but here are five in addition to our “usual”:  Reverse Manhattan – Antica vermouth, brandy, rye, cherry bitters; Black Manhattan – Brandy, rye, campari, bitters; Chartreuse Manhattan – Brandy, Antica vermouth, Chartreuse, bitters; Not Manhattan –Brandy, apple juice, bitters; Rocky Manhattan – Brandy, peach brandy, bitters; Fruit/infused Flight ½ price

Sat. 12/31 – 4-?  Celebration of the New Year of 2023!!  The end of the holiday season will draw to a close on Saturday night and we close with a selection of our champagne holiday drinks that are traditional and special. Entomology of word “holiday,” like Christmas Holiday. Holiday is a compound stemming from the words holy and day. The word ‘holiday’ first surfaced in the 1500’s replacing the earlier word ‘haliday’ which was recorded before 1200 in the Old English book Ancrene Riwle. Earlier about 950, the word was ‘haligdaeg’ and appeared in the Old English Lindisfarne Gospels. It was a compound of halig (holy) plus daeg (day).

Our New Year cocktails – French 75 – Courvoisier, lemon juice, topped with Champagne; Cranberry-Ginger Mimosa – Brandy, cranberry juice, splash of ginger ale, topped with champagne; Jingle Bell Cocktail – Douglas Fir brandy, cranberry juice, soda; or a straight Champagne pour!  Come join us as we watch the “ball’  drop that has been a tradition since 1907, with the first New Year’s Eve Ball having been a 700-pound sphere made out of iron, wood and 100 light bulbs. The custom was inspired by an old maritime tradition, in which “time balls” were dropped at noon so sailors could adjust their clocks to the local time. Since the first ball drop in 1907, a total of seven different versions of the New Year’s Eve Ball have been designed. Eventually, the ball evolved into the newest (and coolest) version that it is today: a brightly patterned orb covered with LED lamps and Waterford Crystal panels that weighs in at nearly 12,000 pounds!

Wed 12/21 4-9 eggnog special + Songwriters Sessions 7-9 PM and Thurs 12/22 -4-9 PM Christmas specials

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Wed – 12/21 – 4-9:00 PM – Our very special homemade eggnog with the “Nog” in it. We make a homemade custard with fresh eggs, milk, sugar, spices, add a good pour of Courvoisier and you will be one happy soul!

Also on Wed 7-9:00 PM  – The Songwriter Sessions – Featuring: Melissa Hyman, The Water Kickers, and Charles Wilkinson

Melissa Hyman is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and educator living in Asheville. Amongst many musical endeavors, her main projects are the Heartbeat Sessions (heartbeatsessions.org) and her band The Moon and You, with her husband Ryan Furstenberg.
The Water Kickers, Folk/Rock Duo Brodie and Kelley Porterfield, combine intricate harmonies, heartfelt and emotional narratives, subtle rhythms, and sophisticated picking, making their music relatable, engaging, and sure to sway your hearts and bodies.
Charles Wilkinson can usually be found minding his own business until there’s a disturbance. There’s way more disturbances than you might think
Thurs 12/22 – 4-9:00 PM Christmas Specials:

6 Geese a laying – CB Frost, grapefruit juice, maple syrup, rosemary, salt
5 Golden Rings – Liquor 43, Godiva white chocolate liqueur, heavy cream
4 Calling Birds- Douglas Fir, Chartreuse, Luxardo liqueur, lime juice
3 French Hens -Courvoisier, lemon juice, Champagne topper
2 Turtle Doves- CV Frost, Baileys Irish Cream, DK crème de cocoa, chocolate syrup.
A partridge in a pear tree- Pear Brandy, elderberry liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup
Our eggnog special
Little known Christmas facts:
(1) Christmas has not always been celebrated on Dec 25. While Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the actual date is lost to history. There’s no mention of December 25 in the Bible and many historians say Jesus was really born in the spring. Some historians posit the date was originally chosen because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which honored the agricultural god Saturn with celebrating and gift-giving.
Miseltoe is an aphrodisiac The holiday decoration isn’t just pretty. It’s also an ancient symbol of fertility and virility. And the Druids considered it an aphrodisiac. So, the next time someone cracks a joke about meeting you under the mistletoe, consider yourself warned.
Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving song. Turns out, we first started dashing through the snow for an entirely different holiday. James Lord Pierpont wrote the song called “One Horse Open Sleigh” for his church’s Thanksgiving concert in the mid-19th Century. Then in 1857, the song was re-released under the title we all know and love.
(2) Celebrating Christmas was illegal at one time. From 1659–1681, anyone caught making merry in the colonies would face a fine for celebrating. By the Revolutionary War, the day had so little significance that Congress even held their first session on December 25, 1789. Christmas wasn’t even proclaimed a federal holiday for almost another century, proving that the Grinch’s attitude (3) toward the holiday was alive and well long before he was.
(3) The word “Xmas” dates back to the 1500s. Contrary to popular believe, “Xmas” is not a trendy attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. According to From Adam’s Apple to Xmas: An Essential Vocabulary Guide for the Politically Correct, “Christianity” was spelled “Xianity” as far back as 1100. X, or Chi, is the Greek first letter of “Christ” and served as a symbolic stand-in at the time. In 1551, the holiday was commonly called “Xtemmas,” which was later shortened to “Xmas.”
(4) During World War II, The United States Playing Card Company joined forces with American and British intelligence agencies to create a very special deck of cards. They distributed them as Christmas gifts, but they also helped allied prisoners of war escape from German POW camps. When wet, individual cards peeled apart to reveal maps of escape routes
(5) The first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center probably looked more like Charlie Brown’s than the resplendent one today. Construction workers first placed a small, undecorated tree while working there in 1931. Two years later, another tree appeared in its place, this time draped in lights. It just kept getting bigger every year. Today, the majestic tree bears more than 25,000 twinkling lights and sees millions of selfie-takers.
 
We will be closed Saturday, Christmas Eve, December 24, to celebrate with our families! We hope each and everyone of you have a Christmas filled with love, peace, good health, and a deep appreciation for each and every family member and friend you share it with!
 
 

Wed – 12/14 – 4-9 PM $5 brandy specials-NC Writers Network – Thurs 12/15 – 4-9 PM Donor Specials

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Wed 12/14 – 4-9 PM  $5 brandy pour: Paul Masson Pineapple Brandy – Grande Amber Pineapple is a delicate balance of brandy with overtones of candied pineapple and tropical fruit aromas. Not too sweet and very pine-apple-beeOr  Arrow Anisette Brandy – Anise flavored brandy with a clean crisp finish – definite liquorish notes  – suggest a couple of ice cubes

Also 12/14 – 7-9 PM – In the Company of Writers presents a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets. The Chicago blues music of “Mr. Jimmy,” welcomes you, continues during intermission and closes the evening. The next in the series features an open mic forum that will give everyone, aspirational, budding or accomplished, as authors, an opportunity to share their work(s). If interested in reading your work, you may sign up at the door or online at https://thebrandybar.com/writers-open-mic/.  In-person sign-ups for open-mic are 6:30 – 7:00 pm and the open mic will begin at 7:00 – 9:00 pm.  These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending.  This event occurs the 2nd Wednesday of each month and is co-sponsored by The Brandy Bar + Cocktails  and the North Carolina Writers’ Network. This event is free. If unvaccinated or concerned, you may choose to wear a mask.

Thurs. 12/15 – 4-9 PM – Donor Specials – We hope this Holiday season that you consider giving the gift of life through participating in the “organ donor” program.  Imagine the gratitude, excitement and hope a recipient must feel when notified a match has been found. There is no greater gift!  In North Carolina you may do this through the Department of Motor Vehicles when getting your license. If unsure whether you are registered there, check your NC Driver’s License and if there is a small red heart next to your birth date, then you are a donor. If you want to register online: https://www.donatelife.net/ or https://www.midamericatransplant.org/register

   In 1954, the kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully. Liver, heart and pancreas transplants were successfully performed by the late 1960s, while lung and intestinal organ transplant procedures were begun in the 1980s. From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, individual transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations managed all aspects of organ recovery and transplantation. If an organ couldn’t be used at hospitals local to the donor, there was no system to find matching candidates elsewhere. Many organs couldn’t be used simply because transplant teams couldn’t locate a compatible recipient in time. Some significant milestones in donor transplants:

1967 First successful liver transplant performed; 1968 First successful heart transplant performed; 1983 First successful single-lung transplant performed. Also in 1983 Cyclosporine, the first of a number of drugs that effectively treat organ rejection by suppressing the human immune system, was introduced; 1984 The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 (NOTA) established the framework for a national organ recovery and allocation system in the private sector. The goal of this system is to help ensure the organ allocation process is carried out in a fair and efficient way, leading to an equitable distribution of donated organs based on medical criteria. 1988 First split-liver transplant performed. 2022 In a historic milestone, the U.S. reached 1 million transplants, more than any other country in the world.

Donor Cocktails: All Is Right – Brandy, fresh fruit, simple syrup, Cointreau, club soda; Deep Sleep – Brandy, sweet vermouth, simple syrup, vermouth; Donor – brandy, rum, curacao, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda; Remembrance – Brandy, rum, Cointreau, lemon juice; The Gift – brandy Cointreau, bitters ; 1/2 price fruit/infused flight 

REMINDER Songwriter’s Sessions Wed December 21 – 7-9 PM.