Cut brandy is a liquor made of brandy

Brandy

Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...

, neutral grain spirit

Neutral grain spirit

Neutral grain spirit is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid that has been distilled from a grain-based mash to a very high level of ethanol content...

 and water. Sometimes, sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 is used to soften taste. It is often colored with caramel coloring.

Grades

Most cut brandies are graded by the relative amount of brandy it contains.
Grades are represented by stars.

• 0 stars, almost no brandy at all, only some bringing color to the grain liquor.
• 1 star, one third (1/3) of brandy
• 3 stars, three fourth (3/4) of brandy

Regional variants

The Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 Jaloviina ("Noble Spirit") is a cut brandy with 38% alcohol that tastes strong and has no sugar whatsoever. The brandy used for Jaloviina is a French cognac

Cognac (drink)

Cognac , named after the town of Cognac in France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime....

. Therefore, it tastes similar to its most important ingredient.

In Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, particularly in former East Germany, cut brandy is widespread. German cut brandy is never graded. However, a large majority of the cut brandy on the German market falls into the zero stars category. A typical characteristic of German cut brandy is its unusual low alcohol content, generally between 28% and 32% alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....

. Therefore it has a very soft taste which is possibly the reason for its popularity in Germany. German cut brandy also has a very distinct taste, quite different from genuine brandy and other cut brandies like Finnish Jaloviina. Most brands of cut brandy in Germany are of East German origin and the eastern states of Germany

States of Germany

Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...

 are also the most important market for cut brandy. This has historical reasons. In the East German planned economy

Planned economy

A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...

 there was very often a shortage of brandy and cut brandy was produced as a substitute

Substitute good

In economics, one way we classify goods is by examining the relationship of the demand schedules when the price of one good changes. This relationship between demand schedules leads economists to classify goods as either substitutes or complements. Substitute goods are goods which, as a result...

. Eastern German cut brandy is traditionally called Goldbrand (cut brandy with at least 10% brandy) or Goldkrone (cut brandy with at least 20% brandy), both colloquially called Goldi. The very few cut brandies of West German

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

 origin do not use these names. The most popular German cut brandy is Wilthener Goldkrone which is also the most popular distilled beverage

Distilled beverage

A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...

 in Germany. However, only relatively few Wilthener Goldkrone is sold in former West Germany since cut brandy is much more popular in the eastern part of the country. German cut brandy is often used for rather simple mixed drinks. If drunk neat

Neat

Neat may refer to:* Neat , a single, unmixed liquor served in a rocks glass.* An old word for an individual animal of the species of cattle Bos taurus* Neat , a Canadian television series* Neat Records, a British record label...

, it is generally cooled and served in shot glass

Shot glass

A shot glass is a small glass designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either drunk straight from the glass or poured into a mixed drink....

es. Some, however, prefer to drink it like brandy from snifter

Snifter

A snifter — also called a balloon — is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose vessel has a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top. It is mostly used to serve aged brown spirits such as brandy and whisky...

s and at room temperature.