What's He Up To?

I've been wondering what Old Ekdal is doing with the hot water.

I guess I've already established that I'm not a big drinker, so I don't really know much about the rituals of drinking.  

We know that Petterson gives him a bottle of brandy, and he's got big plans to settle in his room for the night and indulge.  He goes into the kitchen for some hot water, but I couldn't figure how that factored in, because I always thought that brandy was drunk in snifters, cupped in the hand,  warmed by body heat.  

A little research reveals that Old Ekdal could be using the water for one of two reasons.  First, he could be using it to warm his cup -- either by putting hot water in the cup and then dumping it out or by putting his brandy in a glass and then setting the glass in a basin of hot water.  It seems that most serious, modern-day brandy drinkers would consider this a travesty, since it overheats the brandy and ruins the bouquet.

If he's all about the ritual of drinking, and is willing to take his time, then this would make sense.  Knowing what we know about him, though, I'm betting he's not the type to lock himself in his room and sip slowly.  And I'm betting he wouldn't much care about the bouquet.

The second reason he could want the hot water is to mix into his brandy.  As far as I can tell, this is for the same purpose, to warm the drink to maximize the flavor.  I don't know what those who appreciate brandy would say about this.  Sure, it cuts the potency of the alcohol, but the advantage is that it seems like a quicker way to get the warming job done, with the added bonus of stretching the  total amount of sips Ekdal gets out of the bottle.  If he's planning to finish the bottle tonight, he can make the bottle last longer this way, without having to wait for body heat to warm his drink.

That's my bet, but I don't know anything about Norwegian brandy/cognac drinking traditions.  Anyone?