How to Drink Cognac
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Basil_A]Basil A
First, it is necessary to choose a proper wineglass. The specialists of cognac blending recommend a tulip-shaped wineglass, but the low, spherical wineglass will be OK too. 20-25 ml of cognac pour into the wineglass and heat in a palm for 8-10 minutes. If you warm up the wineglass in another way, for example by burn-in lighter, all aromatic matters will evaporate.
Take the wineglass and … Look at the surface. The cognac color can tell you much. For example, the light-straw color points to young cognacs, straw-yellow, amber, golden and auburn-red - to older. Always look at the color – it characterizes the age of cognac.
Then you should smell cognac. Put the nose to the edge of the wineglass and inhale " montant odors". It’s usually floral or fruit odors: violets, iris, rose, pear, cherry, apricot, plum, fig, quince, grapefruit, jasmine, chestnut, orange zest, nut, or peach. Come off and shake up cognac, now bring the wineglass to the nose again, inhale ...
...
Now you are ready to try cognac. Make a small sip. The cognac will pass and make you to estimate all complication and individuality. We drink cognac in a circle of close friends and in pleasant atmosphere. Cognac perfectly combines with coffee (preferably with cognac XO), cigar (special cigar cognac) and chocolate (preferably with cognac VSOP or XO).
There is a great variety of ways how to drink cognac. Cognac is mixed with soda water or tonic. There are some recommendations how to obtain an excellent aperitif wine:
use cognac VS or VSOP for blending;
20 ml of cognac + 50-60 ml of tonic (or soda water) + pieces of ice;
combinations of cognac with citric or orange juice are possible.
Cognac is popularly used as the cocktails fundamental:
use cognac VS or VSOP for blending;
possible combinations with tonic, fresh juice;
a drop of liquor or syrup;
shake up in a shaker, add pieces of ice.
The dictionary of the terms used during tasting
Odor - all feelings outgoing from cognac.
Aroma - pleasant odor felt by a nose.
Bouquet - variety of odors and aromas combining in cognac.
Montant aroma - first odour, which the drink presented to you.
Duration - duration of montant aroma.
Smack - feel on the tip of tongue and palate.
Taste - mixture of continuous feelings in the mouth (smack + aroma).
Termination - taste, which remains on the palate, after drinking cognac.
Rancio - an exposition of taste, which belongs to very old cognacs matured in oak casks. It is the visiting card of cognac once tasted that impossible to forget.
For more detailed information on http://cognacguide.ru/eng/index.php
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Basil_A http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Drink-Cognac&id=440952
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Cognac whit desserts
Dessert - Cognac Coffee with Sesame Wafers
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shauna_Hanus]Shauna Hanus
Cognac Coffee
1 Pot Strong Coffee or 1 shot espresso per person
Cognac, ¼ Cup per cup of coffee
Ground Cardamom, ¼ tsp per cup of coffee
Ground Cinnamon, ¼ tsp per cup of coffee
1 Cup Heavy Cream
¼ Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, and then add in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
Pour one cup of strong coffee or espresso for each person; add to each cup ¼ cup Cognac, ¼ tsp. ground cardamom, and ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon. Top each cup of coffee with whipped cream and serve with cooled Sesame Wafers.
Sesame Wafers
¾ Cup Softened Butter
1½ Cups firmly packed, light brown sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Cup Toasted Sesame Seeds (seeds can be toasted in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes)
1¼ Cup Flour, sifted*
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg, beat until well blended. Stir in sesame seeds.
In a separate bowl sift* together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the cream mixture.
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shauna_Hanus]Shauna Hanus
Cognac Coffee
1 Pot Strong Coffee or 1 shot espresso per person
Cognac, ¼ Cup per cup of coffee
Ground Cardamom, ¼ tsp per cup of coffee
Ground Cinnamon, ¼ tsp per cup of coffee
1 Cup Heavy Cream
¼ Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, and then add in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
Pour one cup of strong coffee or espresso for each person; add to each cup ¼ cup Cognac, ¼ tsp. ground cardamom, and ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon. Top each cup of coffee with whipped cream and serve with cooled Sesame Wafers.
Sesame Wafers
¾ Cup Softened Butter
1½ Cups firmly packed, light brown sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Egg
1 Cup Toasted Sesame Seeds (seeds can be toasted in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes)
1¼ Cup Flour, sifted*
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg, beat until well blended. Stir in sesame seeds.
In a separate bowl sift* together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the cream mixture.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
the best cognac in the world
Cognac - The King of Brandy
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan]Jennifer Jordan
Before I got into wine, I didn't know much about it: I thought Bordeaux was used to make bread, I assumed wine in a box was as good as any, and I figured that Cognac was the name of the guy who wrote On the Road. It turns out, I was wrong on all points.
Even as I learn about wine, write about wine, and drink all kinds of wine, I still must admit that I don't know everything. Truth be told, wine is such an extensive subject that it's nearly impossible to possess every single seed of knowledge. Take for instance, Cognac. While maybe not an accomplished author, it is still a drink rich with complexity and sophistication.
Essentially the king of brandy, Cognac is produced in the Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France; it gets its name from a local town. The anal-retentive drink of the alcohol industry, Cognac must be made under extremely precise regulations. Deviating from these regulations even slightly turns Cognac into regular ol' brandy.
Seven areas in France are designated for Cognac production. Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and Borderies produce the majority, but Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and Bois Communs tend to squeeze out a drop or two. Each area creates a unique drink, but all are of high quality: they each have a knack for Cognac.
The grapes used for Cognac are very exclusive: no matter how many beg to be picked, only certain ones are. First of all, Cognac must be at least 90 percent Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes. Ugni Blanc carry the most weight (some Cognac is made solely of this grape), with Folle Blanche and Colombard grapes minimally represented. The remaining ten percent may, by law, include other varieties of grape. These varieties are typically specific and, like a grape involved in drama club, highly eccentric.
Dissimilar to other brandies, Cognac must be distilled twice in copper pot stills. After the second distillation, the heart of the Cognac, or the eau-de-vie, is placed into barrels made from the oak trees of the Troncais or Limousin forests. Here, the eau-de-vie must be aged for a minimum of two years, though most is aged for much longer. Still, Cognac isn't allowed to get too old: it's usually not kept barreled up for more than five or six decades; it does, after all, have things to do.
The age Cognac can be somewhat confusing (cutting open the brandy and count its rings doesn't work). A system does, nonetheless, exist to help you understand the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. A VS (very superior) or three star label is for the youngest, meaning that all the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least two and a half years old. A VSOP (very superior old pale), a VO (very old), and Reserve label is for the middle child, meaning that all the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least four and a half years old. A XO (extra old), Napoleon, Extra, Vieux, and Vielle Reserve is for the eldest, meaning all of the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least six and a half years old.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that this system of labeling is used only to determine the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend and not the average age of the Cognac. For instance, a Cognac could be blended with a two year old eau-de-vie and a sixty year old one, possessing an average age of twenty nine years.
Whether young, old, or somewhere in between, Cognac produces a smooth, rich, and well balanced taste with flavors of smoke, soil, fruit, vanilla, and honey. It's a drink people tend to nurse: chugging it, shooting it, or sipping it through a straw just doesn't seem to do it justice.
One of the more expensive drinks, Cognac isn't something you will ever find on the clearance racks of your local liquor store. For this reason, it's not something you're likely to find yourself drinking frequently: it may just be reserved for special occasions……like pay day.
Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Jordan]Jennifer Jordan
Before I got into wine, I didn't know much about it: I thought Bordeaux was used to make bread, I assumed wine in a box was as good as any, and I figured that Cognac was the name of the guy who wrote On the Road. It turns out, I was wrong on all points.
Even as I learn about wine, write about wine, and drink all kinds of wine, I still must admit that I don't know everything. Truth be told, wine is such an extensive subject that it's nearly impossible to possess every single seed of knowledge. Take for instance, Cognac. While maybe not an accomplished author, it is still a drink rich with complexity and sophistication.
Essentially the king of brandy, Cognac is produced in the Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France; it gets its name from a local town. The anal-retentive drink of the alcohol industry, Cognac must be made under extremely precise regulations. Deviating from these regulations even slightly turns Cognac into regular ol' brandy.
Seven areas in France are designated for Cognac production. Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and Borderies produce the majority, but Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and Bois Communs tend to squeeze out a drop or two. Each area creates a unique drink, but all are of high quality: they each have a knack for Cognac.
The grapes used for Cognac are very exclusive: no matter how many beg to be picked, only certain ones are. First of all, Cognac must be at least 90 percent Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes. Ugni Blanc carry the most weight (some Cognac is made solely of this grape), with Folle Blanche and Colombard grapes minimally represented. The remaining ten percent may, by law, include other varieties of grape. These varieties are typically specific and, like a grape involved in drama club, highly eccentric.
Dissimilar to other brandies, Cognac must be distilled twice in copper pot stills. After the second distillation, the heart of the Cognac, or the eau-de-vie, is placed into barrels made from the oak trees of the Troncais or Limousin forests. Here, the eau-de-vie must be aged for a minimum of two years, though most is aged for much longer. Still, Cognac isn't allowed to get too old: it's usually not kept barreled up for more than five or six decades; it does, after all, have things to do.
The age Cognac can be somewhat confusing (cutting open the brandy and count its rings doesn't work). A system does, nonetheless, exist to help you understand the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. A VS (very superior) or three star label is for the youngest, meaning that all the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least two and a half years old. A VSOP (very superior old pale), a VO (very old), and Reserve label is for the middle child, meaning that all the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least four and a half years old. A XO (extra old), Napoleon, Extra, Vieux, and Vielle Reserve is for the eldest, meaning all of the eau-de-vies in the blend are at least six and a half years old.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that this system of labeling is used only to determine the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend and not the average age of the Cognac. For instance, a Cognac could be blended with a two year old eau-de-vie and a sixty year old one, possessing an average age of twenty nine years.
Whether young, old, or somewhere in between, Cognac produces a smooth, rich, and well balanced taste with flavors of smoke, soil, fruit, vanilla, and honey. It's a drink people tend to nurse: chugging it, shooting it, or sipping it through a straw just doesn't seem to do it justice.
One of the more expensive drinks, Cognac isn't something you will ever find on the clearance racks of your local liquor store. For this reason, it's not something you're likely to find yourself drinking frequently: it may just be reserved for special occasions……like pay day.
Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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