The myth goes like this.... you're freezing in the Alps and a St Bernard comes by with a barrel of Brandy around it's neck. If you drink the brandy you'll stay warm until help arrives. The truth is you'd do better to kill the dog and crawl inside it's warm body to stay warm. Because alcohol dilates your blood vessels and brings them closer to your skin - where they feel a little warmer to the touch, but cool off fast in the cold leaving you to freeze to death in the snow, in the Alps. So, if you're thinking about a snifter of brandy to stave off the cold this winter, try having that brandy in front of a roaring fire. Because the fire is the only thin guaranteed to keep you warm.