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Ingredients:
Chill all the ingredients in the fridge for a few hours then place in a large bowl and mix together. Serve with plenty of ice.
Original recipe by The Cognac Expert
Ingredients:
Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap ham completely with parchment-lined foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Transfer ham to oven and bake 1 1/2 hours.
Unwrap ham; discard parchment and foil. With a large, sharp knife score fat in a diamond pattern, making the lines about 3/4 inch apart. Transfer ham to a large roasting pan.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and Cognac. Brush ham evenly with 3/4 of the brown sugar mixture and return to oven; cook ham 1 hour. Brush ham with remaining brown sugar mixture and continue cooking 30 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter until ready to carve; garnish with watercress and parsley.
Ingredients:
Method: Pour all of the ingredients, except for the Sambuca, into a mixing glass with ice and stir, before straining into a chilled cocktail glass. Using either spoon or a metal cocktail stirrer, dip a mini Christmas pudding into a small liqueur glass filled with Sambuca and soak, before lighting your pudding and dropping it into the prepared cocktail.
Original recipe published by the drinks business
“Christmas” we say with a sigh of disbelief, we have only just recovered from the last annual triumph of food and drink only to be confronted with identifying that special and very personal present for the person in our lives who means so much to us. This year, they say Christmas is for sharing, it is the 2014 theme for retailers so I thought I would share some trade thoughts with you, our unique and individual customers.
Cognac has always been a favourite of ageing fathers and grandfathers, I know, I fit the category myself, but did you know that the majority of our website customers are younger people seeking to find a present that offers a personal and individual offering of thanks or love to those near and dear to them. We recognised more than twenty years ago that customers could easily buy a bottle of highly blended VSOP or XO with all the additives necessary to make the young cognac taste reasonable. But finding a bottle which is really special and different is a little harder and that’s where we can help.
When you’re buying cognac for someone else it’s sometimes difficult to know what style they prefer so I suggest taking a look at some of our most popular cognacs – Hermitage 2000 (toffee and mocha), Hermitage 1999 (mocha and roasted walnut), Hermitage 10 year old (fruity) and Provenance 30 (chocolate and roasted walnuts) – each one has been individually selected by me for their rich, smooth flavours and as a gift, never fails to please. Each has been awarded a Cognac Master Medal proving that it is not just us who think they are delicious, the judges did too! But, if you’re buying for a connoisseur, we recommend trying something more complex. The Hermitage 43 year old is a triumph of complexity which has matured in a barrel for 43 long years and the Hermitage 1975 is another unique complexity of delicious aromas and flavours, just a little stronger than the minimum of 40%. These too make really special, thoughtful gifts for the cognac lover.
But if Christmas is for sharing this year, how about the Raymond Ragnaud Vieille Reserve Cognac presented with two tulip glasses, ideal for sharing with that special person? And for those with differing tastes, I have something to share with you. Pineau des Charentes is made from cognac and grape juice and aged in much the same way as cognac. At 17% abv it’s the perfect aperitif and its sweet, rich flavour will go with your Christmas pudding wonderfully. So to help you share this Christmas we are offering a bottle of Chateau de Beaulon 5 y.o. Pineau with 25% discount, with every bottle of Hermitage Cognac you buy.
Cheers and Happy Christmas.
Ingredients:
For the Cake: 1 cup unsalted butter, 3 cups sieved plain flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 large eggs, 2 tsps. baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup milk, zest of 2 lemons. For the Glaze: 1/3 cup Cognac, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar. For Decorating: 24 Candied Lemon Slices, Candied Kumquats
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour two 6-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest.
4. Place 2 3/4 cups batter in each prepared cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly in pans; invert cake onto a wire rack.
5. Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together Cognac, lemon juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Brush glaze over cake and let cool completely. Serve with candied lemon slices and kumquats.
We know how popular brandy is in North America by the number of Americans who visit our site. Last year the value of cognac sales to the USA grew by over 5% whilst in some countries, cognac imports fell. Particularly popular are our vintages where the year of distillation is printed on the label. They make unique and thoughtful gifts to celebrate anniversaries or birthdays.
As you ponder over presents for your American friends this Christmas, try adding some of our cognacs and armagnacs to your list – no one will be disappointed. It takes just 7 days to deliver to the USA* – but don’t hang about, all of our cognacs and armagnacs with age statements are in limited supply.
* Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for those States which prohibit the importing of alcohol.
I am not too sure that I should be writing about age as I have just had a rather significant birthday but I wanted to answer some of the questions that regularly come up about a cognac’s age. Many people ask me “what is the age of my VSOP or XO cognac” and the answer is that unless it is stated on the bottle, I simply do not know. I can tell you what the minimum age should be – a VSOP must be at least 4 years old and an XO, a minimum of 6 years old. However, these products are blends of cognacs of differing ages so it is impossible to quote a specific age. At Hermitage our cognacs come from single estates so we can clearly state the age on the label and our customers can be reassured about what is in the bottle.
Cognac distillation starts around the end of October when the wines are poured into the copper stills and boiled. This happens twice and after the second distillation the water clear eau de vie is put into a barrel and the ageing process commences. The distillation process must be finished before the 31st of March every year. At this point the cognac is regarded as being nought years old; the following year on the 1st of April it becomes 1 year old. Cognacs, especially those from the top crus known as the Champagnes, may take as long as fifty or more years to fully develop their characteristics. Of course the majority is bottled when much younger so, to help hide the fiery, pale qualities of the young cognac, the big houses add sugar syrup and caramel.
So you see, I always want to know the precise age of the cognac – but as for mine, I will be keeping that under wraps!
Cognac is The King of all Spirits and Hermitage Grande Champagne Cognacs sit with the greatest of all. They are not multi-blended brandies with generic XO descriptions, they are single estate cognacs aged in oak with age statements. Moreover, they come from the top cru, Grande Champagne, where only the very finest cognacs are made. They are the ultimate reward – is there a better way to reward your staff, valued customers or perhaps even yourself this Christmas?
These are magical cognacs that have won numerous awards. They have individual tastes, they are easy to drink, not aggressive but smooth and welcoming and they come with different ages and styles. They are Hermitage, a range of exceptional vintage cognacs from 1999 to 1900, a range that can be found in some of the world’s finest hotels and restaurants; Golden Nectars from a past century, quite simply, Le Siécle d’Or.
If 
you are still in any doubt have a look at the Hermitage 1999 Grande Champagne, smooth with an aroma of mocha, coffee and roasted walnuts, or perhaps the 10 year old Grande Champagne, sometimes called the Ladies Cognac for its soft apricot style. You might be looking for something a little more individual such as the Provenance 25, a complex 25 year old Grande Champagne or the Provenance 30, a chocolate and mocha Petite Champagne that flows so well you will be wanting more before the last has gone. The Hermitage 1975 at 47% abv is a real connoisseur’s cognac and the 1914 Borderies has been described by a famous cognac writer as the finest he had ever tasted.
Prices start at £38.62 so don’t take our word for it, try them for yourself………. you will be back for more!
Directions
A very grown up version of a classic winter pudding accompaniment by Martha Stewart:
Ingredients:
9 large egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, 4 1/2 tablespoons plain flour, 3 cups milk, 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons Cognac
Method: