Spirits

Cognac’s Comeback

The worldwide food and beverage industry was in retreat, but a distinctive spirit from France led palates back to quality. By DARIUS AMOS

When the lockdown of 2020 sent cocktail bars and restaurants reeling, few knew how the industry would recover when “normal” times returned—if they ever did. But if there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s to count on the classics—and cognac is perhaps the most timeless of the world’s great spirits.

This smooth, subtly fruity brandy, named after a wine-growing region in France and famously distilled twice, has long been connected with the good life. It’s often depicted in pop culture as the preferred sip of silverhaired business execs—and of the brightest stars in the hip-hop world. But now that the dust of the pandemic has mostly settled, especially in the U.S., new generations of pleasure seekers are emerging, and cognac has been the drink of choice for their epicurean lifestyle. While some of its appeal comes from at-home bars, where folks quarantining during the global health crisis perhaps sipped cognac straight or shook their first sidecar, much of the spirit’s recent popularity has been triggered by the interest of modern mixologists. For instance, Sazerac, the famed New Orleans beverage company that owns and operates several hundreds of acres of vineyards in France, is expanding into new U.S. markets such as New York and California to make cognac more readily available—and share its signature cocktail. (See recipe at right.) And then there are initiatives like the Cognac Connection Challenge, the Cognac Bureau’s bartending competition aimed at encouraging mixologists to ponder all things cognac.

Ready to get reacquainted with this dandy brandy? Visit your favorite cocktail bar and demand it—or flex your own bartending muscles and craft one of the cocktails that follow.

Cognac Old Fashioned

n 2 oz. Aqua Ignis Cognac n .5 oz. white crème de cacao n 3 drops bitters n orange peel for garnish

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir for 20 seconds. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Cognac French Connection

n 4 oz. cognac n 2 oz. amaretto n lemon peel for garnish

Combine the cognac and amaretto in a glass and mix to combine. Pour over ice in a rocks glass. Twist the lemon peel to extract some of the oils over the drink, drop it in and stir again.

Cognac French 75 Cognac Sazerac Manhattan

n 1 cup ice n 1¼ oz. VSOP cognac n ¼ oz. lemon juice n ¼ oz. simple syrup n 2 drops bitters n 2 oz. sparkling wine n lemon peel for garnish

In a cocktail shaker add the ice, cognac, lemon juice, bitters and simple syrup. Secure the lid and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty and cold. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass and finish with the sparkling wine and lemon peel. n absinthe, to rinse n 2 oz. cognac n ½ oz. simple syrup n 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters n lemon peel for garnish

Rinse a chilled Old Fashioned glass with the absinthe, fill with crushed ice and set aside. Add the cognac, simple syrup and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Discard the ice and any excess absinthe from the prepared glass, and strain the drink into the glass. Express the lemon peel oils over the top of the drink, and garnish with the peel. n 3 dashes Angostura bitters n 2 oz. brandy or cognac n 1 oz. Vermouth, sweet red n cherry for garnish

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir for 20 seconds. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with cherry.