Mixed Drinks Made With Cognac

Great Drinks To Mix With Cognac

Cognac is the perfect spirit with which to experiment. From the simple addition of a block of ice through to the complexity of a multi-ingredient cocktail, theres many common and not-so-common additions that make for a wonderful taste experience.

Some examples include:

• Ginger ale: The spicy taste of ginger marries delightfully with Cognac. Use a highball glass, a shot of your favorite Cognac, and a generous portion of ginger ale. We particularly like it with Fever Tree Ginger Ale or, for an exotic twist, use the Fever Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale, which marries sweet clementine and cinnamon.

• Coca Cola: The time-enduring taste of Coke combined with a powerful eau-de-vie creates a flavor infusion that millions enjoy. For us, we mix our chosen Cognac with a splash of the fizzy stuff, ice, and a slice of lemon.

• Iced tea: It might not sound the most obvious choice, but Cognac and iced tea is an incredible twist on a drink thats a favorite with millions around the world. Mix 1.5 oz of VS or VSOP Hennessy Cognac with 0.5 oz of Grand Marnier, 2 oz of unsweetened cold tea, 1 oz of simple syrup, and 0.5 oz of fresh lemon juice. Shake it up with some ice in a cocktail shaker, garnish with a twist of orange, and voilayour drink is ready.

Fast Forward To Today

Any Amazon search will return a plethora of books showing you how to make cocktailswith increasingly more complex options. However, its interesting to note that The Sazerac, Brandy Crusta, and Sidecar all remain on the list of the 50 most popular cocktails in the world*. These three classic cocktails are trumped, however, by The Corpse Reviver, which came in as the 16th most popular cocktail in the world.

FYI, number 1 on the list is the Negroni, which has recently usurped the long-standing best-seller, the Old Fashioned.

Discover more about the history of Cognac cocktails in our in-depth article.

* Source: a survey by Drinks International of the 100 best bars in the world and their best-selling cocktails

When Moneys No Object

Got some cash going spare? Take a look at these eye-wateringly priced Cognac cocktails that need deep pockets if you plan on trying them.

The Ono

Weve already touched on this Las Vegas offering thatll set you back a cool ten thousand bucks. Admittedly, it does serve 2 people, but that still boils down to £5K a pop, so youve got to be serious about your mixed drinks to order one.

So, whats in this crazily priced tipple? And what makes it command such a hefty price tag?

Well, its reputed to be inspired by the Polynesian god, Ono, who brought a black pearl along to give to the princess of Bora Bora. When you order The Ono, not only do you get half an ounce of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac in each of the cocktails, but you also get a complete bottle of Charles Heidsieck 1981 Champagne, with around four ounces of the bubbly in each cocktail .

Other ingredients include Bulgarian Sence Rose Nectar , freshly squeezed orange juice, and some apricot puree. But the drink experience doesnt stop there, oh no. Around 20 staff members form a procession to your table where they proceed to mix the cocktail in front of you.

The drinks are presented in two gold-rimmed Baccarat champagne flutes, and if that wasnt enough, the guys get a pair of sterling silver Mont Blanc cufflinks. For the ladies , the cocktail comes complete with a 19-carat gold necklace with a black pearl and diamond.

Thats one helluva creation, whatever way you look at it.

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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
• 2 oz Cognac
• 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.

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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Sidecar Cocktail Bar Drink With Hennessy Vsop Privilege

This drink is claimed to be the single most iconic Cognac cocktail by the company Hennessy itself.In a shaker, roughly shake 2 oz Hennessy V.S. or V.S.O.P Privilège, ¾ oz Grand Marnier, and ½ oz of lime juice. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass rimmed with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Sidecar Cocktail Bar Drink with Hennessy VS or VSOP Privilege

So, these were a few of the best recipes and ideas for the perfect combinations and mixes we have assembled for you, where in you can get almost all the products made by Hennessy. Make one every day, and sip on with your friends!

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.

• 1 part lime
• Dash of bitters
• 4 parts Cognac

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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A Brief History Of Cognac

Brandy is a word that comes from the Dutch brandewijn, which translates to burnt wine. This is in reference to the distillation process that we just covered above, where heating the wine mixture in a still will separate the ethanol from the water content of the fermented solution, strengthening the spirit and drawing out its flavors.

The connection with the Dutch is crucial to the history of brandy and thus, the history of cognac. As many beautiful spirits crystallize, brandy and cognac were created as a method of solving a problem of quality control. In the early 17th century, wine exporters from France shipping their products to Holland were finding that their wine was arriving at the receiving port tasting much worse than when it was bottled.

The transit by ship, the storage of the alcohol, how it was jostled and exposed to sunlight and heat while transported over the ocean, and other factors were creating adverse reactions to the French wine, making it nearly undrinkable. This was a big problem for French winemakers and the unhappy Dutch customers.

The Dutch, already familiar with the jenever drink that theyd distilled for some centuries, later coming to be known as gin, had a great idea. In order to salvage the large amount of bad wine they had purchased, they decided to distill the liquid in the hopes of making a spirit more drinkable than the vinegar they were working with.

An Enchanting Cocktail Of Brandy Lemon Juice And Orange Liqueur

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Some of the greatest drinks in the mixological canon are deceptive in their simplicity. Consider the Old Fashioned, the Daiquiri, the gin Martinipreparing a cup of coffee in the morning is more complicated than making these drinks. But through the basic combination of two or three ingredients, with some ice thrown in for excitement, a perfect match of flavors can be achieved.

Add another drink to this list: the Sidecar. As with most cocktails, the origins of the drink are hazy , but this entrancing mixture of brandy, lemon juice, and orange liqueur started making the rounds in the most fashionable watering holes in London and Paris during the 1920s. Very simple in structure, the Sidecar is complex enough in flavor to satisfy even the most jaded palates, but not so over-the-top with mixological gewgaws as to frighten away the casual tippler.

Two quick things to consider when mixing a Sidecar: first, quality matters. Use a cheap mass-market brandy or a cut-rate triple sec, and your Sidecar’s gonna suck.

This is a time when you want to break out a nice VSOP cognac, a good Armagnac or an excellent California brandy such as Germain-Robin. For the orange liqueur, pretty much only Cointreau has the right mixture of dryness and sweetness to make a Sidecar sing .

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Top 10 Cognac Cocktail Recipes To Make At Home

Although it is traditionally sipped in a snifter or tulip glass, cognac is an extremely versatile alcoholic spirit that can be used for a variety of cocktails. However, it is often overlooked in favour of bourbon, rye, and whisky.

In this guide, you will discover the top 10 best cognac cocktails to make at home:

Travel To France To Sip A Brandy Manhattan Cocktail

Theres no better way to familiarize yourself with the best Brandy Manhattan recipe then by planning a vacation to visit France.

If youre a brandy lover, spend your holiday skipping through the historic vineyards and castles of Cognac, located on the west coast just north of Bordeaux.

Book a tour of your favourite Cognac house and enjoy sipping Brandy Manhattans at some of the regions most popular cocktail bars, luxury hotels and award-winning restaurants.

Once youve returned home from your Cognac holiday, impress friends and family by hosting a French-themed cocktail party featuring our easy homemade Brandy Manhattan recipe.

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Which Easy Cocktails Use Cognac

Whether you are seeking an original Martell cognac cocktail recipe, or to spice things up with a unique twist, there are many easy cocktails using cognac that can be made in less than 5 minutes.

The Ginger Spice is an easy-to-make cognac cocktail that brings out the delicious fruit and spice aromas of Martell VS cognac. The Julep is an American summer cocktail favourite, while the Robust Coffee made with Martell VSOP is an excellent after-dinner cocktail. Or why not try a Swift Old Fashioned, or Float with Martell VS? Discover our easy cocktails using cognac.

Brandy Cognac Or Armagnac

Cognac and Armagnac are both types of brandy made from white wine grapes in the very regions for which theyre named. While Cognac goes through two rounds of distillation in a pot still, Armagnac undergoes but one, with fewer of its impurities filtered out.

What does that mean for their taste? Cognac will be slightly more subtle in flavor , while Armagnac will have a fuller, more complex flavor.

So which should you choose?

• If what you have is a basic brandy, go for it youre still in the right place.
• Cognac will be better still, with more character and elegance.
• Argmagnac will either be more difficult to find, or not entirely worth the higher price tag it might command, though you may still find it has more personality.

In this recipe, were going with Cognac VSOP for its affordability and quality.

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Mix Up A Piece Of History With These Tried

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Ever tried a cocktail made with cognac? If you answered noand even if you said yesstop right there. This French spirit, known as leau de vie , is the most famous type of brandy and, appropriately, hails from the Cognac region of France.

Theres no spirit as full-flavored when sipped on its own, and a fun exercise is tasting through the various age-related categories, from V.S. to X.O. But if you still need convincing, know that this elixir made from fermented grapes is also among the most complex spirits, lending a distinct flavor to cocktails. See for yourself with these eight classic drinks.

The French Zabaglione Recipe

Winter is really all about comfort food, and whats more comforting than a dessert-inspired cocktail? Influenced by the Italian custard dessert zabaglione, this drink has a smooth mouthfeel with a sweet finish. In a shaker, combine Cognac, banana liqueur, lemon juice, a whole egg, and orange bitters. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon peel.

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Seven Of The Best Cognac Cocktail Recipes For Fall

With temperatures continuing to drop, Cognac is the perfect drink to cozy up with at the end of a long day. The brandy, produced in the Cognac region of France, has a light fruity flavor with notes of nuts, spices, florals, and caramel.

Cognac is often synonymous with images of wooded cabins, fur throws, and cozy nights in. So what better way to enjoy the spirit than by mixing it up in an autumnal cocktail? From dessert-inspired recipes, to riffs on classics like the Hot Toddy, there are plenty of sweet and spiced brandy-based drinks to make at home.

Need some inspiration? Here are seven Cognac-based cocktails from VinePairs recipe library to drink fireside.

Cognac Cocktails To Add A French Twist To Your Evening

Karen is a wine, cocktails, and food enthusiast. She holds a California Wine Appellation Specialist certificate from the San Francisco wine school and a Bar Smarts mixology certificate and bartends for charitable events.

Learn about our Editorial Policy.

Cocktails with Cognac have a warmth and depth that comes from some of France’s best brandy. Aromatic, flavorful Cognac is a delicious sipper by itself, but it also lends itself well to mixed drinks. In the following Cognac drinks and recipes, the French brandy adds complexity and warmth.

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The Rise In Popularity Of The Cognac Cocktail

In more recent times, it was probably in the USA that adding Cognac to cocktails first became truly popular. The trend was soon followed by nations across the globe. Look at the beautiful people of China sipping their Cognac cocktails in the hottest nightclubs and bars, and you instantly appreciate how true this is.

The Easy Eggnog Punch Recipe

Whether gathering with friends or family, try this easy, two-ingredient batch cocktail recipe to really get in the holiday spirit. Stir together eggnog and Cognac in a punch bowl with ice. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top, and garnish with cinnamon sticks. Dont have a bottle of Cognac readily available? Swap it out with bourbon or rum.

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Triple Sec Or Cointreau

The orange liqueurs Triple Sec and Cointreau have a relationship similar enough to that of brandy and Cognac: Cointreau is triple sec, which like curaçao, is made from the skins of bitter and sweet oranges.

While relatively interchangeable in most recipes, Cointreau is better balanced between bitter and sweet, typically of higher quality than your average Triple Sec, and at 40% alcohol , Cointreau better compliments the structural strength of the Cognac.

Another option would be Grand Marnier, an orange-flavored liqueur with a brandy base, and a similarly high ABV, or strength.

The Hennessy Hot Toddy Recipe

There may be no drink better to warm up with than a Hot Toddy especially since it may even cure a winter cold. One of many variations, this riff on the classic winter cocktail uses Hennesey in place of whiskey. Steep a bag of herbal tea in a mug, then stir in maple syrup, the spirit, and the juice of a lemon wedge. For an extra festive feel, add a whole cinnamon stick, and enjoy!

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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.