How to Drink Cognac

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Things To Do

Published on Monday, 16 May 2011 05:00

Written by Barney Lehrer & Jesse Nash

The word "drink" is too narrow if one really wants to understand how to fully enjoy the cognac experience. Perhaps a better term is "savor."

First, one needs the right equipment. Most people mistakenly believe that a snifter, a glass with a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top, [is the correct glass].

As Charles Brastaad-Delamain points out in an excellent YouTube clip, the snifter actually "prevents" the full enjoyment of cognac.

This is because the narrow top forces the smell of alcohol into the nose, preventing the drinker from savoring the various floral and fruit smells. The correct glass to use is a tulip glass, developed by RiedelThe Wine Glass Company of Austria especially for Hennessy.

 As the Williams-Sonoma shops describe them, "The tall, narrow bowl brings out the delicate bouquet of caramel and perfumed fruit, while understating the high alcohol content. The flared rim delivers the flow of liquid to those areas of the tongue that allow you to appreciate the harmonious balance of spiced wood and luscious fruitiness."

And indeed, this description is also a good guide to enjoying cognac. A good cognac requires 30 – 60 minutes, in a peaceful environment, best after a good meal.

One starts by looking and appreciating the color of the liquid, moving it back and forth a bit, but not swirling as you would a glass of wine.

Then you smell from the top of the glass, sensing the delicate floral scents. After that, you move your nose to the bottom of the opening, where the fruits appear.

After considering this for a few minutes, you take a small sip, balance it on your tongue before swallowing very slowly.

Enjoy!!

To view Brastaad-Delamain‛s YouTube clip, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kahTqs61-QA

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