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What Is a Brandy Snifter?

Amy Pollick
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 24,818
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brandy

snifter has become an iconic image. Most people see them in movies, where they are held by the snooty rich at cocktail parties or by brooding men in smoking jackets. However, a brandy snifter is a real object, and has a genuine use in holding brandy for sipping.

The snifter is a cocktail glass holding about 17 ounces (502 ml) of liquid when filled to the brim. The glass is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, to concentrate the "nose" or fragrance of the brandy. A brandy snifter has a short stem and wide pedestal, giving it a characteristic shape. The wide bowl of the glass accommodates the hand, which warms the brandy for drinking.

Brandy came into Western culture sometime in the 12th century, probably. It is a distilled wine, and sounds like something a vintner did as an experiment. Distilling wine and aging it in wooden casks sounds counter-intuitive, but in this case, it worked. Traders discovered that wine would last much longer this way, and water could be added back in to the brandy when it was drunk. Adding water never caught on, though. People liked the more concentrated taste of brandewijn —- Dutch for "fire wine" -- and the distilled version became widely popular by about the 14th century.

As glassware became more popular in the 16th century, glass blowers were always looking for more designs to sell, and the snifter probably came into being sometime in that era. "Snifter," incidentally, is a British colloquialism for a small amount of alcohol in a glass. When drunk "properly," only a small amount of brandy is poured into the snifter, and it is held in the hand so the brandy warms from the hand's heat.

A brandy snifter may also be used to serve elaborate mixed drinks, recipes for which are available online. Most crystal makers sell some version of the brandy snifter, large or small, and they are also sold by standard glassware manufacturers. A brandy snifter can be purchased singly or in sets, in various sizes, and can also be used for decoration or as a vase.

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Amy Pollick
By Amy Pollick
Amy Pollick, a talented content writer and editor, brings her diverse writing background to her work at DelightedCooking. With experience in various roles and numerous articles under her belt, she crafts compelling content that informs and engages readers across various platforms on topics of all levels of complexity.
Discussion Comments
By anon21293 — On Nov 13, 2008

Technically you are to pour into the glass up to the point where the glass starts to curve inwards so that only the outward 'belly' of the cup is filled. This rule also applies to wine.

By hsmith3 — On Dec 15, 2007

You say "only a small amount of brandy is poured into the snifter." My wife and I differ on the "small amount." Can you offer a more precise number in ounces or ml?

By lins2116 — On Jul 01, 2007

Is it proper to serve liqueurs such as Grand Marnier or Frangelica in brandy snifters?

Amy Pollick
Amy Pollick
Amy Pollick, a talented content writer and editor, brings her diverse writing background to her work at DelightedCooking...
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