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David on Technical Topics – Keeping Cognac

Posted / in Brandy Education and tagged

We are often asked how long you can keep a bottle of cognac once it has been opened and the answer is for quite a long time – provided the bottle is stored upright and the cork replaced firmly every time you take some out.  Cognacs deteriorate in the bottle over time for many reasons, the most common being that the bottle has been stored lying down.  Strong spirit affects the cork to a far greater extent than wine does stored in the same position; this action compromises the flavour and allows air into the bottle.  The more air there is in the bottle, the faster the cognac will deteriorate, however, cognac’s minimum strength is 40% abv so, providing that the cork or stopper is replaced firmly, there is no reason why it should not last up to ten years or even more.

Of course there is a limit as to how long you can store any spirit in a bottle, even unopened, and so much depends on the quality of the seal and the condition of the cork. Ultimately, even with the bottle in an upright position the seal around the cork will fail, air will enter the bottle and the alcohol will escape rendering the cognac with a completely unacceptable flavour.  This often happens with some very old cognacs from previous centuries and so the level of cognac in the bottle is important. We believe that cognac corks should be changed every twenty years but there are some in Cognac who recommend changing them every ten.  Perhaps the safest option is to drink and enjoy it!

How to make a Sidecar and who invented it?

Posted / in Cocktails and tagged

Traditionally made with 1 1/2 oz Cognac, 1 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier) and 1/2 oz lemon juice, the Sidecar is thought to have been invented around the end of World War I, most likely at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. It was made famous by Harry MacElhone’s, a bartender at the Ritz who in 1922 included a recipe for the cocktail in his book, Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails, listing the cocktail as having equal parts of Cognac, triple sec and lemon juice. In the book, MacElhone cites its inventor as Pat MacGarry, but in later publications claims himself as its inventor. Its name is thought to have been inspired by an American Army captain, Ritz regular, during World War I, who often travelled by sidecar. MacElhone later opened Harry’s New York Bar – the birthplace of the Bloody Mary.

Original article published by the drinks business.

Toasting The Tour of Britain

Posted in News and tagged

There was great excitement in Bradford on Avon on Friday morning as the Tour of Britain came through our small, Wiltshire town for the first time.  Even more excitement ensued when we found that the cyclists would be racing straight past our front door with Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish among them.  The Tour of Britain, which was revived in 2004, is now Britain’s biggest professional cycle race so, to celebrate its success over the last 10 years and cheer the riders on, we joined our neighbours with a toast of Hermitage 10 year old Grande Champagne Cognac – Award winning cognac for award winning cyclists.

 

Scallops on skewers with Blanche Armagnac and Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

Posted / in Recipes and tagged

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lime
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 passion fruit
  • salt & pepper
  • 12 beautiful scallops
  • 20ml Blanche Armagnac

Make the vinaigrette by mixing the zest and juice of the lime with the olive oil and passion fruit seeds.  Season with salt and pepper.

Compile 4 skewers by skewering the scallops through the thickest part.  Season with salt and pepper.  Gently cut the scallops on 2 sides crossing the incision.  Heat some olive oil in a pan until very hot then add the skewers.  Sear on both sides and flame with Blanche Armagnac.

Serve hot with the passion fruit vinaigrette and a few salad leaves.

David on Technical Topics – What is Cognac?

Posted / in Brandy Education, How to make Cognac and tagged

The other day, I was talking to a barman in a hotel and he, like so many other people, wanted to know “what is the difference between brandy and cognac?” Certainly in the trade we all assume that we know the answer to this, so was our barman an exception? I don’t think so.

Brandy is a spirit distilled from a fruit, it can be any fruit, any strength and aged for six days or 60 years, there really are very few rules. Cognac on the other hand is rather more complex and allows experts to differentiate between different crus, grapes, ages, styles and a host of other factors that create so many variations.  It is a great skill and occupational pleasure to identify each of the thousands produced every year.  The term cognac is defined by the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC) as a spirit made from grapes, grown, fermented and distilled in the region known as The Charente and Charente Maritime. The grapes used for the wine can be any of eight different varieties; the principal being the Ugni Blanc followed by Folle Blanche and Colombard and the winemaking must be conducted as per the local custom. Cognac must be distilled twice on an Alembic Still, up to 130 hectolitres can be distilled in the first distillation but only 25 hectolitres may be distilled in the second and the distillation range must be between 67 and 72 degrees.  The minimum strength of cognac must never fall below 40% when sold and every shipment must be accompanied by a gold certificate known as an Acquit Jaune d’Or.   All cognacs must be aged in casks made from the oak trees from either Limousin, or Tronçais, for a minimum of 3 years.

So there you have it, there is a lot more to it than you may think.  As they say in Cognac, “every cognac is a brandy but not every brandy is a cognac”.

Delord Blanche Armagnac

Posted / in Cocktails and tagged

Delord Blanche Armagnac is a truly remarkable armagnac and the best Blanche (white armagnac), we have tasted. Consumed cold, it has all the prune qualities of dark Armagnac.

It has true finesse, surprising as its strength is 42% abv, and can be drunk in a number of ways:

  1. As an Aperitif – to sip over ice.
  2. As a Trou gascon – to drink as a palate refresher in the middle of rich and lengthy dinners.
  3. As a dessert – try pouring over lime sorbet, add a mint leaf and enjoy immediately.
  4. In Cocktails –

 

 

Bastille Day

Posted / in News and tagged

On Monday, 225 years ago, the Storming of Bastille took place.  The medieval fortress and prison in Paris, known as the Bastille, represented royal authority in the centre of the city. The prison only contained seven inmates at the time but the storming was a symbol of the abuses of the monarchy and its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution.

It’s a very special day in France so how about something equally special to drink on 14 July?  This bottle of Jules Robin Cognac was distilled the very same year of the conflict, 225 years ago.

Rémy takeover rumoured

Posted in Famous Cognac Houses, News and tagged

Share price rises despite poor performance

Rémy Cointreau is enjoying a stock market lift after rumours of a takeover bid by Brown-Forman – the makers of Jack Daniel’s and Southern Comfort – raised the group’s share price by 3%. The group has been badly hurt by a Chinese government crackdown on extravagant spending, with sales of the company’s flagship cognac falling 32% in the final quarter of last year, following a 30% drop in sales during the third-quarter.  It is reported that the offer was flatly refused and it is difficult to see how a family run business would be prepared to lose control of it, at any price.  In China cognac is regarded as a status symbol and our evidence shows that in time, the Chinese will find a way around the new ruling.  Remy should and will, we believe, fight hard to keep their independence as the market for luxury goods in China will inevitably return to being a highly lucrative one.

 

Big Cognac Houses Struggle in China

Posted / in Famous Cognac Houses, News and tagged

Phthalate ruling may change

All of the big cognac houses have seen their profits in China fall lately.  This is thanks not only to the Chinese government’s restrictions on luxury gifts but also to its refusal to accept cognac containing even minimal levels of phthalates.  The latter has become a real problem for the industry as most aged cognacs have passed through phthalate-laden plastic pipes at some point in their lives.  The levels allowed in China are currently far more stringent than the rest of the world but according to a member of the BNIC Board, this is set to change.  There is real optimism that by the end of this year the Chinese phthalate regulations will reflect the European ones.  Undoubtedly this will boost the waning Chinese market, which the ‘Big Four’ in particular continue to pursue, as the supply chain will become more accessible.

 

Hermitage Provenance Cognac

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News, The Bottle Story and tagged

Launched recently at VINEXPO 2014 in Hong Kong, our new Hermitage Provenance Cognac range was designed specifically for the Asian market.  All have age statements and bear the hallmarks of luxury, single estate cognacs.  The range currently comprises 6 and 10 year old in our trademark ‘Exception’ bottle,  20 year old in the ‘Helios’ carafe and 25 and 30 year old (pictured) in our new ‘Eden’ carafe.  Following extensive research, the range was launched in a new style of packaging, featuring  the iconic Charantais still, which encompasses the Asian desire for recognisable and regal presentation boxes.