Crazy for Cognac Cocktails
Posted by Alayne Gardner-Carimi on
Swanky Cocktails
It’s time to break out the cognac for cocktails! Cognac can be mellow and the perfect base to add an elegant dimension to even your simplest mixed drinks. Or it can be a sophisticated sipper. Like other dark spirits, Cognac spends time in aged in wood. But, unlike whiskies, rums, or tequila, cognac is made from a much more delicate, seasonal raw material – grapes – making it a fantastic ingredient for summer cocktails ranging from high-end classics to stately spritzers.
Cognac provides initial fruity notes from its distilled grape essence and smooth, rounded bass notes from the wood as it is aged. It is this balance that has made cognac one of the most popular spirits to create delicious drinks since the beginning of cocktail history. Tasty summer cocktails made with cognac give a creative edge at any brunch, dinner party, weekend picnic, or holiday BBQ! We've started your line-up with some sprightly recipes below.
Palate Appeal
If you like the vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon, you’ll enjoy the gentle sweetness of cognac. If you appreciate the subtlety and refinement of Scotch, you’ll find them in a different guise in cognac. The aroma of cognac is both spicy and sweet. The robust jammy bouquet of this spirit gives way to a flavors of chocolate and sweet grapes which smoothly transform into rich notes of spice and oak, with a lingering sweet finish.
Younger Cognacs work well in cocktails, and pair with hard cheeses, oysters, or caviar. The longer a Cognac ages, the more rich, fruity, nutty notes it will have. Older cognacs work beautifully with chocolate, mushrooms, and even game meats.
Pedigreed
Cognac is brandy specifically from the Cognac region of France. Cognac territory is divided into six distinct appellations. Whereas brandy is broadly defined as a liquor distilled from any fermented fruit wine, cognac must be made from
at least 90% Ugni Blanc Grape. These grapes are fermented into wine. It's then distilled twice in copper pot stills, to create what's known as an eau-de-vie, or "water of life." This un-aged brandy is then aged in oak barrels from only the Limousin or Troncais forests of France.
An aged cognac is likely to be among the longest-aged spirits you'll ever drink. A bourbon on the older end spends 10-12 years in the barrel. An older rum, less time. It's rare, if not unheard of, to see a Scotch much older than 18 years. Cognac? Sky's the limit.
The minimum age for cognac is at least two years (V.S. designation). The Napoleon designation is used to specifically denote those blends with a minimum age of six years, and XO is for cognacs with a minimum age of 10 years. In keeping with our commitment to bring you Only the Best—Always, vomFASS Cognac Fernandez and Cognac XO are aged twice as long the minimum requirements and vomFASS Gran Cuvée Paradis has been aged for 40-50 years!
What's in a Cognac House?
Cognac houses are responsible for purchasing wine spirits, aging, and blending. The art of making cognac is combining different eaux-de-vie to create a blend that is unique. vomFASS has the distinct pleasure of working with the Cognac House of Gérard Seguinot, which produces rare handcrafted cognacs from some of the finest vineyards in the heart of the Grande Champagne area of the Cognac region. The percentage of chalk in these soils is very high, producing the purest, finest, and most intense cognac. We proudly carry expressions of hand-selected, rare blends of cognacs from estate-grown grapes with vines originating in 1890. We offer tastings daily.
Cognac Napoleon, 12 year, Premier Cru de Cognac
Our Cognac Napoleon was matured at least 12 years in high-class oak barrels resulting in a rich and creamy spirit with lots of character.
Our Cognac Napoleon was matured at least 12 years in high-class oak barrels resulting in a rich and creamy spirit with lots of character.
Cognac X.O., 20 year, Premier Cru de Cognac
This Cognac X.O. is a rare specialty. It is a blend of specially selected barrels, the youngest of which matured 20 years in the cellar of the cognac house. It is a Premier Cru de Cognac with a rich, complex, and exceptionally fine taste that lasts for minutes on your palate.
This Cognac X.O. is a rare specialty. It is a blend of specially selected barrels, the youngest of which matured 20 years in the cellar of the cognac house. It is a Premier Cru de Cognac with a rich, complex, and exceptionally fine taste that lasts for minutes on your palate.
Cognac Cuvée Paradis, 40-50 years, Premier Cru de Cognac
All good cognac producers have a paradise (a locked part of the cellar) in which they mature the best and oldest cognac. Gérard Seguinot released this rare cognac from his own paradise. This is a sipper and should be savored, not made into cocktails!
All good cognac producers have a paradise (a locked part of the cellar) in which they mature the best and oldest cognac. Gérard Seguinot released this rare cognac from his own paradise. This is a sipper and should be savored, not made into cocktails!
Visit us and taste what all the "FASS" is about.
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