We haven’t spent a lot of time in Wisconsin, but it seems like there are a handful of sure signs that you’re in the Badger State. You know, signs like the prevalence of cheese curds, overhearing a number of conversations that include the word “Lambeau,” or taking a drink of your Old Fashioned and tasting … wait, is that brandy?
That’s right, Wisconsin bartenders tend to swap out the bourbon for brandy when they make Old Fashioneds, and this variation on that old standard could soon become Wisconsin’s official State co*cktail. (Actually, it could become the only State co*cktail in the entire U.S. None of the other 49 states have ever nominated one.)
Last month, state representatives John Plumer and Cory Tomczyk proposed a resolution that would elevate the mixed drink to have an “official” state honor. “Whereas, the old-fashioned has become an unmistakable symbol of Wisconsin, its residents, and its unique culture,” the resolution reads, before asking the Wisconsin legislature to make it so.
“If you go to any other state in the country and order brandy anything, they look at you funny,” Rep. Plumer told the New York Times. “But I just thought, ‘How has this never been done?’ It’s a tongue-in-cheek resolution. And I’ve had a couple of calls from people: ‘Don’t you have more important work to do?’ But I don’t think we do. This is what makes Wisconsin unique.”
So, you know … what gives? For starters, Wisconsinites drink a lot of brandy. Even though the state ranks 20th when it comes to overall population, the residents account for more than half of the sales of Korbel brandy. According to Milwaukee Magazine, in 2019, Korbel sold 275,000 cases of brandy in the U.S., and more than 150,000 of them were bought in Wisconsin.
There are a couple of theories to explain why Wisconsin became such a brandy haven. Fodor’s Travel reports that in 1893, the Korbel brothers traveled from California to Chicago’s World’s Fair to give away free samples of their booze, and it would stand to reason that a number of the Fair’s visitors had traveled from Wisconsin for the event.
Another explanation involves the grain rationing that took place during and after World War II. Since grain was an essential part of bourbon production, any alcohol that was produced during those years was … honestly, pretty rank. Booze distributors in Wisconsin apparently learned that California’s Christian Brothers distiller had 30,000 barrels of brandy, so they bought the lot and had it shipped to the state.
“If you were going to order an old-fashioned, you could get it made with either questionable whiskey or good brandy,” co*cktail historian Jeanette Hurt told the Washington Post. “We’re not stupid — we chose brandy! And that’s how we started drinking brandy, and then our kids started drinking brandy, and then our grandkids, and suddenly everybody’s drinking brandy.”
Regardless of how or why brandy became the preferred ingredient in a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, it seems like that variation is here to stay. Depending on how the Legislature votes, they could make it official-official. We also have a pretty good guess of what they’ll be drinking to celebrate.
