Cognac serving
For professional tastings and in operations with professionally trained staff, a tulip shape glass is used to taste and enjoy cognac. However, this is far from the only way to serve cognac to the thirsty neck of consumers.
So how do you enjoy your cognac? Which cup to use? Warm up, don't warm up? Mix, don't mix? And what about ice? Interesting questions, even more interesting answers. Cognac is an extremely flexible drink. For many, this statement is not popular, as it is in stark contrast to the conservative image, which unfortunately still prevails among the laic as well as professional public.
Therefore, let's try to summarize a few facts at the beginning of the clarification:
Cognac is a distillate produced by double distillation of wine and is aged for at least 24 months in oak barrels
Cognac ageing is a process that changes its properties according to the type of oak and the time the distillate spends in the oak
The maximum recommended aeging time in wood is estimated at 60-70 years. In the case of Grande Champagne cognacs even 80 years.
After being transferred from wood to glass, cognac does not change its properties, with the exception of the consequences of incorrect storage in a bottle lying on a shelf in the cellar, resp. in the shop
Minimum alcohol content is 40%
90% of the cognac sold worldwide is in VS and VSOP categories, ie young cognacs
If we know all the above listed facts, then it is understandable that young cognac is primarily a fresh distillate, which, in a short time, did not have the opportunity to develop its taste and olfactory properties to more pronounced qualities. And so it must be approached when serving. The worldwide sales of young cognacs have been reflected in the different ways in which they are served and consumed in different parts of the world.
Cognac on ice - On the rocks
For many experts in the world of drinks, unimaginable barbarism. What then do we expect from a lay consumer? Of course, rejection. However, if we respect the fact that just by maturing/ageing cognac becomes better, finer, rounder, then in young cognac it is useless to expect these nuances. It is simply a young distillate that contains alcohol and its effect is mitigated by the addition of other ingredients. In this particular case, young cognac (I mean VS and VSOP cognac with a minimum age of 2 and 4 years, respectively) is usually served in a tall tumbler or in a classic whiskey glass by pouring on two or three ice cubes. By slowly pouring on ice, the distillate cools down and after a while the sharper presence of alcohol typical of young cognacs softens. My advice - do not condemn this way of consumption until you have tried it. If you are a whiskey consumer, try confronting your favorite whiskey (s) with cognac served on ice. Believe me, it's an interesting experience. Finally, this way of consuming young cognac was supported by the BNIC - Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, a large-scale campaign in France at the end of the 1990s.
Schweppes - Cognac tonic
The name, which does not sound French, is a tax on globalization, which, as an accompanying feature, brings the same drinks to the consumer's table, regardless of whether the table is in America, Europe, Asia or even in Australia. In a simple way, a cognac-based drink is created, which has been adopted by more and more of its producers. In many cognac houses, I met his offer during numerous visits to the Cognac region.
Its preparation is again very simple.
Put three ice cubes in a glass - usually a high or low tumbler - slowly pour cognac and pour two to three times the amount of tonic (according to taste). According to availability resp. use any tonic on the market according to your taste. Based on their own experience with several brands, manufacturers prefer the brand from the title. However, a general rule applies here - your personal taste is decisive, ie good is what suits your taste.
Cognac orange
Until I tasted this mix, I couldn't imagine this combination of drinks. An extremely tasty combination with the right dose of ice, but I would like to draw your attention to its treachery in case you will not control your hand movement hands when dosing cognac into this mixture.
Put ice according to taste in a tall tumbler, pour cognac according to taste and add orange juice again according to taste. In principle, the ratio of 1 part cognac to 3 parts orange juice is served on 3 ice cubes.
Cognac & Canada Dry
Is that so. Cognac also found a partner in this soft drink. A strange combination at first glance, but it has undoubtedly found its consumers all over the world. Those with more developed taste canals have also found that Canada dry is better suited for cognac mixing than American Ginger. According to many consumers, American Ginger is too sweet and suppresses cognac below tolerable levels. Again, however, the old acquaintances apply here - against taste ... you already know the end.
Cognac cocktails
So we got through a simple mix of cognac with ice and soft drink to a higher level of beverage service. A cocktail is a way of preparing and serving a beverage so that it is a successful attempt to highlight the taste properties of each raw material used to prepare it. The same applies to cocktails in which cognac is used as the main or supplementary ingredient.
BNIC regularly organizes a competition of world bartenders, where interesting drinks are born and their recipes gradually get into the offer of top bars and thus complement the classic cocktails with cognac.
If these 10 things have started you and questions come to your mind, feel free to send them to me or keep an eye on mycognac.sk where I will gradually publish my other knowledge, observations and experiences I gained during countless visits and tastings in the birthplace of the drink, which this is all about.