A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be invited to a tasting event hosted by Remy Martin cognac. Cocktails were provided featuring their VSOP cognac but the star of the show was their Coeur de Cognac, which was available to taste neat or with an ice cube. When I questioned why Coeur de Cognac wasn’t being showcased in the cocktails as well I received a familiar reply, ‘it’s too refined to be mixed in a cocktail, it should be enjoyed as it is’.

 

 

It’s not unusual for a producer to take great pride in the premium products that they have created, or to turn their noses up at the idea that you want to adulterate them by putting them in a cocktail, but when is a spirit too good to be used in a mixed drink? I think there are two schools of thought on that subject.

 

There are times when I wonder what on earth made me think that it would be a good idea to start the bitters&twisted blog. I guess I kind of assumed that writing a blog would be pretty easy… you know, bash out a few hundred words every now and then and snap a couple of pictures, click post and you’re done!

 

How wrong I was! Actually writing a drinks blog is time consuming, frustrating and at times feels like hard work. First you have to come up with ideas, then you have to research them, maybe come up with a couple of cocktails, set up the camera and lights and that’s before you’ve even written a word. That being said it is also incredibly rewarding.