How To Drink Cognac According To A French Bartender
America loves Hennessy we imported 6.4 million cases of it in 2017 but we tend to have trouble understanding Cognac as a category. Should we pair Cognac with meals, like wine? Is it a dessert drink? A cocktail ingredient?
Do we need fancy glassware to properly enjoy Cognac? And a smoking jacket?
Cognac is not a secret society, Germain Canto, a bartender at Bar Louise in Cognac, France, says. He is passionate about the versatility of his local spirit. I want people to be less scared of Cognac and what it represents.
The 5 Best Cognacs For Beginners
Like any type of alcohol, it is essential to drink Cognac responsibly. However, if you are new to this spirit, there are a few things you should know.
Cognac is made from distilled white wine and is typically aged in oak barrels for at least two years. It has a distinctive flavor that is often described as being fruity and floral.
When choosing a Cognac, paying attention to the age statement is important. The longer the spirit has been aged, the more complex the flavor will be.
Beginner-friendly Cognacs to try to include Remy Martin VSOP and Hennessy VS. If you are feeling adventurous, you can also try a XO or Courvoisier Exclusive.
If youre new to the world of cognac, it can be hard to know where to start let alone the best Cognacs for beginners.
There are hundreds of brands and expressions to choose from, and the prices can vary widely. To help you get started, weve compiled a list of some of the best cognacs for beginners.
Whichever Congac you choose, be sure to enjoy it neat or on the rocks. Cognac is a perfect spirit for sipping and savoring slowly with its unique flavor profile.
What To Look For In A Bottle Of Cognac
The spirit in cognac is graded by its age, with the youngest eau de vie component aged for a minimum of two years.
VS, or very special, Cognacs are the youngest category and are typically used in cocktails or long drinks. VSOP, or very superior old pale, Cognacs are aged for at least four years and can be enjoyed on their own or in cocktails.
XO, or extra old, Cognacs must be aged for at least six years and are typically served over ice or neat. Older Cognacs may also be available, such as Paradis and Vieux, which are typically only found in private collections.
The two main types of oak used for Cognac are sessile and pedunculate oak. Sessile oak is known to release less tannin and more methyloctalactones .
pedunculate oak, on the other hand, tends to release more tannin into the Cognac. Tannin adds astringency and body to the Cognac, but too much can make it bitter. The choice of which type of oak to use is up to the Cognac maker, and each will produce a slightly different flavor profile.
Cognac gets its color and many of its rich aromas from oak aging. Oak barrels traditionally come from the Limousin and Tronçais forests in France, although today they may come from elsewhere.
The flavor profile of Cognac aged in French Oak will be different from Cognac aged in American or other types of oak due to the differences in the trees themselves as well as the environment
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What Cognac Etiquette Is
Cognac etiquette is the set of rules to properly serve and drink Cognac. Such rules help avoid behaviors that can disrespect hosts or guests, or make you look unpolite.
If you are hosting, follow Cognac etiquette to appropriately serve it to your guests.
If you are a guest, respect Cognac etiquette rules to properly drink and enjoy it.
What you should know about Cognac
Cognac is a distilled spirit. It is a type of brandy typical of France. Cognac is an appellation dorigine contrôlée product.
The qualities of Cognac vary mostly based on the producer and on the aging process. The alcohol content is usually 40%.
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.
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How Strong Is The Beautiful Drink
Since there is no ice involved, the “beautiful” cocktail maintains the bottling strength of the two spirits. The average brandy is 80 proof, as is Grand Marnier, so the cocktail weighs in at 40 percent ABV . That is strong, but not really the point of a drink like this. Drinkers who enjoy a snifter of fine brandy are not concerned about strength taste and the aromatics inside the glass are the important elements.
How To Drink Brandy
There are three distinct ways to drink brandy that impact how it is served and enjoyed.
It is important to consider all three brandy drink styles when setting drink prices in your bar or restaurant. Be sure to ask your customers preference if they do not specify, as each person may have their own opinion on the best way to drink brandy.
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How To Drink Hennessy: Complete Guide
Last Updated on December 29, 2022 by Lydia Martin
Hennessy produces variations of cognacs which are all exceptional, regardless of ingredients, age, or the French oak barrels where they stored it. However, do you know that you can enjoy your favorite Hennessy more if you drink it the right way?
Learn how to drink Hennessy cognac with our teams easy but comprehensive guide.
Contents
The Grapes And Their Regions
The area around the commune of Cognac, France, is divided into six grape-growing regions within the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments. Officially, the main grape varieties used in cognac must be ugni blanc , folle blanche, and colombard there are also less common grapes used in small quantities in production, including jurançon blanc, sémillon and folignan, to name a few. The most expensive fruit comes from Charentes Grande Champagne district and Petite Champagne, which straddles both Charente and Charente-Maritime.
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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.
How To Drink Cognac Neat
To enjoy this drink, first choose the right glass. A tulip-shaped wine glass is ideally used to drink cognac.
Just serve a shot of Cognac in a tulip-shaped wine glass. It should be 25 ml or 0.85 oz.
Warm the drink in your hands, take in its odor, swirl it a little and then take a sip.
Divine, right? Now enjoy your drink. It is better to drink cognac neat after dinner when there are no distractions.
If going neat is not your cup of tea, err.. glass of cognac, then we have some amazing options for you.
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How To Drink Hennessy
All of this speaks to the most traditional way to enjoy Hennessy usually after a good dinner, with just a very few of your closest friends. There should be comfortable chairs and twilight, abysmal weather outside to look at from the safety of a warm and cozy room.
The low buzz of familiar, comforting conversation, a warm fire in the hearth, and a sense of ruminating about life, death, love, poetry, the state of the world and how best to put it right.
Thats a very traditional environment, but its one in which Hennessy has worked superbly for a hundred years or more, sparking memories, dreams, perhaps even loves from years gone by.
But thats by no means the be-all and end-all of how you can get the perfect pleasure out of Hennessy. Especially since cognac makers as a breed and Hennessy in particular have spent read hardcore currency in diversifying their brand away from any sense of dusty old traditionalism.
If you want to drink your Hennessy that way, you absolutely can. But by the same token, you absolutely dont have to anymore.
The Age Of Cognac Determines The Drinking Method
The old or young cognac designation means that you should use old cognac if you’re sipping it neat or when adding a drop of water to agitate the aromas and flavors.
On the contrary, you must only use younger cognacs for your cocktail recipes since these don’t have as much complexity as old ones. This makes them mix well with other ingredients.
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History And Cultural Uses
Armagnac is the oldest brandy recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310, , a , wrote of its 40 virtues. Vital du Four was born in , in the centre of Armagnac, and was prior of , today the location of the BNIA. However, there is no evidence that he ever visited Eauze, much less that he was writing specifically about distilled from Armagnac. In the past it was consumed as other liquors for its therapeutic .
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the markets of , , and . Subsequently, began promoting the trade more widely and providing or financing alembics.
The first record of Armagnac distillation comes only in 1646, with the purchase of an alembic. In the following century, Armagnac was served in the palace of and by 1800, most of the Armagnac region was dedicated to the production of the brandy. In 1818, a patent for a continuous distillation alembic led to the main difference between Armagnac and Cognac, which is double distilled in batches.
The French gourmet dish has traditionally been prepared by force-feeding an before drowning it in Armagnac and roasting it. The dish is now legally prohibited due to laws protecting the bird.
How To Drink Vs Cognac
Poirier described the taste as “fresh fruits, grapes, and citrus flavors. And after, I can feel more vanilla flavors, toasted almonds, creme brulée, these types of aromas.”
You can drink the VS in a variety of different ways, Poirier said.
One of these ways is in a cocktail such as the Summit, which includes lemonade, ginger, and lime. In France, a professional committee in charge of communications for cognac is encouraging more people to try such drinks.
“They’re the ones starting to talk about this cocktail and make it a little bit more trendy and something quite easy to drink and to make at home,” Poirier said.
You can also, of course, drink it neat or with ice, she said, but it will taste a bit stronger than the longer-aged cognacs.
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Choose The Right Glass
Using the right glass for drinkers is crucial to their tasting experience. When it comes to tasting cognac, a snifter is the best choice. Its clever design allows for the evaporation and concentration of aromas.
Its wide bowl also allows the easy distribution and collection of aroma compounds. Meanwhile, its narrow lips trap these smells, preventing them from escaping from the glass.
If you don’t have a snifter, you can use balloon or tulip glasses. Furthermore, when making cognac cocktails, you can use highball glasses or rocks glasses.
A Hennessy Expert In France Told Me The Best Way To Drink 3 Different Types Of Cognac From Mixing It In An Absinthe
- I recently visited the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France, where a cognac expert and tour guide explained the best ways to drink three different types of the spirit.
- The younger types of cognacs, VS and VSOP, can be used in a variety of different ways, including in cocktails.
- But the XO, or “Extra Old,” aged for a minimum of 10 years, should be drunk either neat or on ice.
- To open up the aroma of a cognac, you can add a bit of cold water if you’re drinking it neat.
I recently visited the Hennessy distillery in Cognac, France, a small town about a five-hour drive from Paris. Hennessy, one of the major cognac houses, was founded in 1765 and offers guided tours and tastings at its headquarters on the banks of the Charente River.
On one of these tours, cognac expert and tour guide Gwendoline Poirier explained the best ways to drink three different types of cognac.
With Poirier, I tried three different types of Hennessy cognac: VS, VSOP Privilege, and XO.
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Agricultural And Wine Sectors
An important rural Region, Nouvelle-Aquitaine has a varied agriculture. Cattle breeding ” rel=”nofollow”> Limousin, Bordelais, , , Gasconne, and Béarnais) is predominant in the Bressuirais and Confolentais grove and in the Aunisienne plain, on the high Limousin plateau, in the Bazadaises and Chalossiennes Hills and is used both in the production of meat to milk production. There are also two other bovine regional breeds do not belong to the list of official French breeds endangered. The area has many quality labels .
Goats are mainly concentrated in the north of the region and are used for cheese production . Some departments complement this area . Sheep farming is well represented in the Limousin the Charentes , the Médoc and the Basque and Bearn Pyrenees.
Pig farming, which represents a significant part of the agri-food sector is distributed throughout the region and is guaranteed by the label “porc du Sud-Ouest “. The pigs in the region are used to produce many meat products, starting with the famous Bayonne ham. Many farms have also specialised in poultry production including yellow chicken Saint-Sever and poultry of Sèvres val and fat waterfowl , primarily designed for the production of foie gras and confit. Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the first European region for foie gras . The label “Canard à foie gras du Sud-Ouest” occupies a large part of the region.
The region is the birthplace of many other breeds .
Hennessy Xo Is Expensive But Worth It
According to Wine-Searcher, extra old is one of the priciest cognac products, and the original, Hennessy X.O, is one of the most expensive, priced at more than $200 a bottle. However, the cost comes with good reason.
According to French law, the X.O. category of cognac requires the liquor to be aged a minimum of ten years . Yet, the eaux-de-vie included in the blend of Hennessy X.O contains barrels that are aged for up to 30 years, per Bar and Restaurant. The publication adds that over 100 eaux-de-vie selections make up the X.O blend producing the flavors of dried fig, chocolate, and warm baking spice. As the original extra old Cognac, the packaging is also aesthetically pleasing with a crystal decanter in a golden box. Liquor.com shares that the bottle and the box are beautiful. The presentation makes a lovely gift for novices and enthusiasts looking for something unique and special. Aside from being pleasing to the eye, the brandy inside the bottle is delicious to drink.
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Park Napoleon Borderies Cognac
Park Napoleon Borderies Cognac is a relative newcomer to the world of cognac, but it has quickly become a favorite among connoisseurs.
The cognac is made from the rarest and most prized type of grape, the Petite Champagne, which gives it a complex flavor profile.
The cognac is aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels, which helps to round out the flavors. Park Napoleon Borderies Cognac is relatively affordable, retailing for $70.
Making it a great option for those who want to enjoy a high-quality cognac without breaking the bank.
Park Cognac is produced by a family-owned company that can be traced back to the year 1880, when Gaston Tessendier, a mathematics teacher, acquired a vineyard in the Cognac region.
Tending to the vines himself, he was such a successful part-time winemaker that he expanded his area and eventually built a distillery to produce wines and Cognac.
Over time, the company became one of the largest bulk suppliers in the whole region and still remains in the family to this day.
Today, Park Cognacs are known for its high quality and smooth taste, and the company continues to be a leader in the industry. With over 130 years of experience, Park Cognac is truly a brand that knows how to make a great Cognac.
There are many ways to enjoy Park Borderies Cognac. Sip it as an aperitif or digestif, neat or even on the rocks. For a sumptuous dessert pairing, try sipping it alongside caramel cake or banana flambé with chocolate sauce.
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