Is Cognac Good For Health
Cognac is rich in polyphenols which occur naturally in grapes but the concentrations are helped by the fact that Cognac undergoes a very long ageing process in oak barrels, he claimed, citing research which showed that some of the constituents found in oak wood, in particular ellagic acid, can have a significant
Whats the best way to drink a cognac?
Younger cognacs are perfect for mixing and are the base of many classic cocktails, including the Sidecar, the Between the Sheets and even the original Mint Julep. The spirit may also be simply added to a flute of Champagne or a glass of ginger ale, or enjoyed with a splash of soda water.
How old do you have to be to drink cognac?
Cognacs are classified into a few general categories: VS, or very special, must be aged at least two years VSOP, or very superior old pale, must be aged at least four years and XO, or extra-old, must be aged at least six years. HOW TO DRINK COGNAC: Sip aged cognacs neat, with perhaps a drop or two of water.
The Proper Way To Serve Cognac
The two main ways that cognac is served are on the rocks or straight. Basically, these terms just mean with ice or without.
Some people might judge you for sipping a glass of cognac served on the rocks because some cognac enthusiasts are adamant about sipping their drink straight. But you should enjoy your cognac however you prefer. The ice may water down the spirit a bit, but if you sip it promptly, you shouldnt have too much of an issue.
Certain styles of the drink work better for certain scenarios as well. For example, a cognac on ice is perfect for dinner. But if youre snacking on a dessert, it might be best to just drink it straight.
In terms of glassware, there is no specific vessel that cognac is served in. However, you do want to avoid balloon glasses. Theyre just too big. Balloon glasses will trap in the aromas of your cognac, which you dont want.
A tulip or white wine glass will work well for your cognac. Since cognac is made from wine, you want to be able to swirl it and sniff it.
The Us Enters The Race
The early 1800s saw the popularity of the cocktail begin to take off. The word cocktail first appeared on May 13, 1806, in Balance and Columbian Repository, a weekly magazine published in Hudson, New York.
The first famous Cognac cocktail was born courtesy of an apothecary from New OrleansAntoine Amadie Peychaud. Christened The Sazerac, it remains a firm favorite to this day.
Different cocktails begin appearing and by the 1900s the cocktail party was in full swing across America. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New Orleans became cocktail hotspots. By this point, the drinks had evolved, becoming more complex, with the likes of the Cognac-based Stinger and Coffee Cocktail being examples of drinks being sipped by societys elite.
Other popular Cognac cocktail inventions included the Brandy Crusta and the Sidecar.
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Is Hennessy Better Than Remy Martin
Even though Hennessy sells more Cognac overall, it seems that when comparing the two collections, they both win big. According to brand ambassador Maurice Hennessy, an eighth-generation family member, the company’s V.S. expression is the most consumed Cognac in the world. And as for Rémy, its V.S.O.P.
How Does Cognac Taste
Depending on the way cognac is blended and aged, it can offer you an endless variety of flavours. Generally speaking, cognac has a somewhat vinous flavour given that it is a product of distilling wine.
However, this characteristic is often subdued due to the prolonged ageing process. Indeed, the oak barrels play an important factor and the wood greatly influences the eau-de-vies resulting flavour.
A cognac that is well-aged will express the way it was produced with a complex tableau of rich flavours. Typically, cognac reveals candied fruit and citrus flavour on the nose, which are often accompanied by spices. Meanwhile, the cognacs taste may consist of spices, leather, caramelised fruit, and citrus.
Finally, high-quality cognac is usually quite dry as the beverage can only be sweetened with no more than 1.5 grams per litre of sugar. Combined with the tannins, an old cognac often has a smooth mouthfeel with a velvety texture.
However, younger cognacs can be a little more lively with a robust character and a spicy primary taste.
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Strawberry Cognac Iced Tea
This is a summery drink. Strawberries pair excellently with Cognac, you could substitute a fruit like raspberries or even blueberries, depending on whats freshest and most available. Or shift gears and use a flavored teaa peach black tea or similar flavor can bring even more fruity summery notes.
- 2 large fresh strawberries
- 1 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Garnish: strawberries
- Garnish: mint sprig
Add the strawberries or your fruit of choice and lemon juice into a shaker and muddle. Add the Cognac and simple syrup, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with unsweetened iced tea. Garnish with skewered blueberries and strawberries and a mint sprig.
Does Cognac Go Bad
Cognac contains a very high percentage of alcohol. As long as you appropriately store it, Cognac will not go bad. And you can drink it after several years past the best by date. But improper storage can expose Cognac to air, sunlight, heat, and oxygen, which can alter the content and degrade the quality of Cognac.
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Choose A Drinking Glass
Wobble Glass
When using a wobble snifter, the drinker is not meant to put it down but to hold it while drinking at all times. It requires the bodys heat to open up the tastes and other complexities found in the Hennessy drink you are sipping.
Most drinkers refer to it as an intimate relationship between the drinker and the good cognac. The steady heat coming from the hand of the drinker releases different flavors hiding in these drinks.
Tulip-Shaped
Another best way to drink cognac neat is with a tulip-shaped wine glass. You will see and appreciate its color and enjoy a sniff of its smell through this glass. The shape of this glass gives you the best chance to admire it and inhale the aroma before you take it neat.
Balloon Glass
The balloon glass is the right glass if you intend to warm your Hennessy. Most cognacs drinkers rely on body temperature . Therefore these drinks are hand-warmed to enhance the aroma and flavor.
Some ask their glasses to be heated first with a candle, or hot water is poured in and thrown away before pouring Hennessy in.
How To Serve Brandy
Serving brandy to your customers is not just about pouring liquor into a glass. This intricate spirit calls for the same showmanship in the serving process as it does in the drinking process. Use the following steps to properly serve brandy in your bar:
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How To Drink It
As a general rule of thumb, youll want to reserve older cognacs for sipping neat, with perhaps a drop or two of water to open them up. Younger cognacs are perfect for mixing and are the base of many classic cocktails, including the Sidecar, the Between the Sheets and even the original Mint Julep. Both the original French 75 and Sazerac were made with cognac before the English put their spin on the former and Phylloxera sabotaged the latters exportation, creating an American pivot to a classic homegrown spirit, rye.
If simplicity is more your thing, you can also add an ounce of cognac to a glass of Champagne or a glass of ginger ale, which is often how you’ll find the French enjoying their preferred pour. A simple highball of cognac, a splash of soda water, and some ice can also work well. Try adding a lemon wedgeor just a swath of zestfor an aromatic lift.
From Our Cognac Expert Community
Theres no better recommendations than real life examples. When we posed the question of favorite Cognac Cocktails to our lively , we had a great response.
John Go said:
Made a Cognac Negroni once. But I swapped out the sweet vermouth with red Pineau de Charentes. Uniquely tasty.
Svein Magne Rosså loves the: Martell Summit and Cognac Mojito.
gave us photographic evidence:
Had this delicious blueberry French75 with Cognac at Manhattan . Delicious!
And so did Ben Davis:
The Japanese is the best Cognac cocktail.
- Dash of bitters
And the MGM Grand is also worth a try. I made it with my own demerara syrup, and it was delicious.
Jesse L. Cyrshowed off her cocktail-making skills:
Mint Julep! Originally made with Cognac instead of whiskey. Also, absolutely delicious with a little float of Jamaican rum.
Maciek Pruski agrees:
I regularly drink the Mint Julep and Sidecar cocktails, both delicious. The Sidecar is a bit like a Cognac Margarita, but Mint Julep is great because it really highlights the Cognac.
Todd Bailey has a penchant for:
A French Connection
If you need to tamp it down, add ginger ale or sprite.
Christoph Richter has 2 go-to choices:
Cognac & Tonic or Negroni made with Pineau des Charentes instead of Vermouth.
And Theoplies D. Barkumloves this fresh, crisp, and well-balanced classic:
Rémy Martin Sidecar.
Jukka Järvelä had this take on the Sidecar:
- I part Cointreau or Triple Sec
- 2 parts Lemon Juice
- 8 parts Cognac or Armagnac
He also said:
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Similar Drinks & Cognac Substitutes
Brandy is a surprisingly common alcoholic spirit and there are many varieties around the world with their own techniques. As mentioned above, cognac is a brandy. However, it is a brandy that is produced in a specific region while following regulated techniques.
Armagnac is cognacs closest relatives and they share many similarities but a number of key differences, too. For instance, Armagnac is often made using a column still while cognac can only be produced with a copper pot still.
Otherwise, there are a number of eaux-de-vie de vin, which are distilled in a similar way to cognac but often unaged.
Finally, grappa is not technically an eau-de-vie de vin as its produced using the pomace rather than the juice. Nevertheless, some aged grappas may occasionally be reminiscent of cognac.
It Was Created With A Lot Of Expertise
When Jay-Z was brought on board the D’USSÉ project, he was walking into a team with some heavy hitters. Most notably, the cellar master Michel Casavecchia, a well-established expert in the field .
According to Men’s Book, Casavecchia was excited for his collaboration with D’USSÉ because most cellarmasters merely continue the traditions laid down before them and maintain the “house style.” However, in this instance, he was able to build a new spirit from the ground up. He intentionally made a product that is approachable but with the depth of flavor that a connoisseur could appreciate.
The facilities of D’USSÉ are lodged in the Château du Cognac where the thick walls are ideal for aging spirits. So much of what makes Cognac special is the extended aging process and here, next to the Charente river, D’USSÉ has a nearly perfect set up.
Sharing this historic castle is the Cognac house of Otard, also owned by Bacardi. Both of these brands are able to make use of the reserves of older spirits that are housed at the chateau, which allows them to add complexity to their blends and makes for a more polished finished product. Casavecchia claims that he could never make this spirit without the use of these facilities .
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How To Serve & Present Cognac
Serve Cognac at room temperature. The ideal temperature is about 18°C . Colder temperatures prevent the product from releasing its aroma.
Present Cognac in its bottle. On informal occasions, it is acceptable to present a bottle that has already been opened. On formal occasions, it is best to serve a new bottle and to open it at the table.
Serve Cognac in a tulip or brandy glasses.
Do not chill the glasses in the fridge before presenting them. The condensation risks watering down the Cognac. Similarly, you should not serve Cognac with ice.
You can mix Cognac in cocktails. Never serve shots of Cognac.
The Choice Is Yours Alone
Cognacâs versatility is part of its charm. And when learning how to drink cognac, it pays to keep this front of mind.
It can be drunk dry, with ice or diluted with a little water. Alone or with friends, with a meal or degustation. As a simple cocktail with cognac â or an elaborate one, in a mixed drink, with tea, or even drop by drop. The choice is yours, and yours alone.
If one is new to the rich world of cognac, an aged-based approach to drinking Franceâs famed amber spirit makes perfect sense.
, made from eaux-de-vie aged for at least two years, is an ideal entry. One will experience first-hand the authentic aromas of grapes that distinguish cognac from other brandies, whiskies, or indeed any distilled spirit made from fruits and grains.
Next, . This elegant cognac has refined and generous aromas, with luscious fruit notes and hints of wood and soft spice.
This will develop oneâs understanding of the underlying aromas of a cognac and the effect of aging on taste, important stepping stones to best appreciate older, more intense cognacs such as .
When drinking cognac neat, Maison Martell does not recommend heating the cognac. This is to avoid the alcohol expressing itself too strongly and the aromas being released too quickly.
Maison Martell also advises the use of a tulip glass rather than a balloon glass, as it allows a better appreciation of the cognacâs aromatic palette.
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How To Drink Brandy Straight
Most high-quality aged brandies are recommended to be enjoyed straight. When drinking brandy neat, there is a process you and your customers can follow to get the most out of the experience, similar to how you would taste whiskey.
We Love: Drinking Cognac In Cocktails
One of the best things about Cognac cocktails is that recipes continually evolve. From the classics to recipes created by houses such as Hineor Hennessys legendary cellar master Yann Fillioux, theres a taste profile to suit every palate.
You can even splash out any Vegas winnings on one of the worlds most expensive cocktails at the Wynn XS Nightclub. Their Louis XIII Black Pearl retails for a cool $10,000, should you win big on the tables.
Discover more about the delights of drinking Cognac in cocktails.
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A Drop Of Water Makes A Difference
Drinking cognac neat is considered the traditional way of enjoying the drink. However, a little bit of water in a glass of cognac helps reveal spicy and fruity notes.
In some cognacs, it’ll make some soft notes more noticeable. In the same way, adding ice cubes to cognac makes it relatively chill and lessens the alcohol content.
How Cognac Is Made
There are six grape-growing regions within the Charente and Charente-Maritime areas of Cognac, France. The main kinds of grape used in cognac are Ugni Blanc , Folle Blanche, and Colombard.
Other grapes can be used, but they are much less common. These varieties include Jurançon Blanc, Sémillon and Folignan.
After the grapes are harvested, theyre fermented for five to seven days. The resulting product ends up between 8.5% and 9.5% ABV.
Then, the blend is distilled two times in copper pot stills. This process produces colorless alcohol called eau-de-vie . Next, the spirit is aged in either Limousin or Tronçais oak barrels for a minimum of two years.
This single-barrel cognac is blended with other cognacs of different ages and qualities when its all done. The final product is a mixture of several different brandies. When you see an age statement on the packaging of a cognac bottle, it refers to the youngest eau-de-vie in the recipe.
Cognacs are categorized by age. They can be VS, or very special, which are aged for at least two years. They can be VSOP, or very superior old pale, aged for at least four years. Or they can be XO, or extra-old, which are aged for at least ten years.
Like the age statement on the bottles, these categories refer to the youngest cognac used in the mixture. The oldest cognac is not even considered in the categorization of the drink.
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