Grab your tulip glass, because it’s time to celebrate Cognac. Every June 4th, National Cognac Day, is celebrated worldwide. No one knows who originated the holiday. We may never know, let’s just be glad that they did.
Cognac is produced in a charming French town with the same name. The brandy is known as the “king of brandy”. While you may have only heard of Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell or Courvoisier, there are around 200 Cognac producers. It may be harder to find the small batch Cognac, but it’s out there. You will find the brandy in four grades: VS, VSOP, or XO (Napoleon). Other grades may include Reserve, Extra, or Vintage. Long story short, the darker the Cognac, the older it is. Once you have a good XO, there’s no turning back. It's smooth and sexy!
In the past few years, Cognac has become a popular spirit to use in cocktails. The following Cognac cocktail recipes are from a charming book called Delicious Dessert Cocktails by Barbara Scott Goodwin. The book includes 70 recipes for libations to sip after dinner. It would be a nice table book and of course the recipes are great when you are entertaining, even if you are a party of one.
The Cognac Sour is a cocktail that can would be great for a pre-game drink or digestif, while the French Sorbet is great as a dessert by itself or with a baked treat. Santé !
Cognac Sour
If whiskey sours are your thing, then this one should please your palate. I would also have this during dinner and not just during dessert.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Cognac, lemon juice, and syrup and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and serve.
Makes one drink.
French Sorbet
This tart and fizzy dessert is divine and can be served with biscotti or your favorite cookies.
1/2 cup Cognac 1/4 cup kirsch 1 pint lemon sorbet 1 750-ml bottle of champagne 4 lemon twists, for garnish
Divide the Cognac and kirsch among four champagne coupes. Add a generous scoop of sorbet to each dish and stir together. Fill the glasses with champagne, garnish with the lemon twists, and serve.
Makes 4 servings
La Vie Pompette
Cognac has been the libration for emperors, kings, aristocrats, not to mention the rich and famous. That being said, it means that the libation has a very interesting history. Before all the rules and regulations, it was just simply known as a brandy. It wasn’t until 1617 that the term “Cognac” began to be attached to the spirit.
Holy Cognac Batman! Martell is unleashing a new VSOP Cognac finished in Kentucky bourbon casks. The brown juice is called Martell Blue Swift with notes of vanilla, plums, and candied fruit. The bottle looks pretty chic. Sounds like a bottle that’s perfect to add to your brandy collection.
