bringing drinks to life

When it comes to cocktails for some reason cognac is not the first spirit that springs to mind. I suppose that’s partly due to the fact that when most people think ‘cognac’ they picture a super expensive liquid, enjoyed by the wealthy few, after a meal in a fine dining restaurant. It’s a fact that cognac is generally more expensive than most other spirits; the price point even of a VS cognac makes it one of the more expensive products in any bars speed rail, but that doesn’t mean that it’s inaccessible to the average cocktail lover.

Historically, cognac has been a popular base for cocktails, and without breaking the bank, offers good entry-level varieties that can be fantastic to play with in drinks. In fact in the mixing room at b&t head quarters we stock fine examples from Martell, Coirvoisier and Hennessey that all offer something different when used in cocktails. Recently I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Cognac as a guest of the Merlet family learning about both their liqueurs and their cognac, the ‘Brothers Blend’ and, after spending an hour watching Tony Conigliaro make cocktails in the sunshine, outside the family home I felt inspired to play around with this versatile and tasty ingredient myself.

So for a change I’m not going to go into great depth about production methods and history, I’m simply going to recommend some simple drinks that I hope will inspire you to give this often overlooked spirit a second look. I’ve chosen to use Merlet for a couple of reasons, obviously for the respect I’ve gained for the family who make it, but also because the product itself is exceptional. I should point out though that I've chosen this product simply because I like it; as always the brands featured on the blog are simply those we're enjoying at the moment. So if you'll indulge us we're going to sing the praises of Merlet, but in the hopes that you will embrace cognac as a category, as it has lots to offer.

The Merlet family has been growing grapes in Cognac for seven generations, of which the last five have been distilling cognac. They are still a small, family run business that remains passionate about producing the highest quality cognacs and liqueurs. Their cognac contains no additives, neither wood chips nor oak extracts are added to give an impression of aging (as with some other products), and only a small amount of caramel is used, just to stabilise the colour of the finished product. In other words Merlet cognac is a pure and simple product, made by a family who believe that if it has their name on it, then it should be the best they can make it!

Merlet Brothers Blend Cognac is light and crisp on the nose, and offers dry floral notes as well as a hint of dried grass. Underneath these top notes are the fruit aromas as you might expect from a cognac: sultana, apricot and citrus peel come through with a hint of dry wood on the finish, as well as a gentle spice. On first sipping, you’ll find it almost restrained, with a gentle sweetness and the delicate flavours of brioche and dried straw. The alcohol makes itself known in the middle of the tongue, bringing the cognac to life with crisp fruit notes to wake up your taste buds. There are green notes of apple and grape skins as well as soft fruit flavours of peach and ripe pear. Before the fruit flavours can get too carried away though, the flavour profile starts to dry out and you’re left with a lingering almost creamy finish with hints of dried spices and wood shavings. This is a cognac that can be enjoyed neat but that is lively enough to be calling out to be mixed in cocktails too. Ultimately though, the Brothers Blend leaves you wanting to take another sip.

So with that in mind, and armed with some of Merlet’s fruit liqueurs, which I have to say are some of the finest I have ever tasted, I set about making three simple cognac cocktails. I wanted an easy summertime refresher, which anyone could make at home with the minimum of effort. Then I thought I’d try to come up with something in a classic style that would really showcase the base spirit. Finally I thought I’d recreate something that Tony made for me while I was at the Merlet family home in Cognac; a drink that made me want to put my feet up and just enjoy the afternoon sun. If you don't have a bottle of Merlet, then Coivoisier Exclufis, Martell VSOP or any other good quality VS or VSOP cognac will do nicely.

VINEYARD FIZZ

50ml Merlet cognac

20ml lemon juice

20ml Merlet crème de poire

Soda water top

In a shaker combine all the ingredients other than the soda water and shake with plenty of cubed ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with cubed ice and top with a splash of soda and garnish with a lemon twist and a pear fan.

What I love about this recipe is that it can be changed to reflect your mood, simply by changing the liqueur you use. For example use crème de fraise (strawberry) and you could be in Wimbledon watching Andy Murray lose again; change it to crème de peche instead and you’ll be transported to the south of France; crème de mure makes for a more autumnal flavour profile; crème de melon makes a drink so mouth-watering you won’t be able to resist having a second.

This brings me onto a subject that I’ll be writing about in more depth very soon, but as far as I’m concerned having a good range of fruit liqueurs at home is a must for any cocktail enthusiast. Of course the downside is that buying so many bottles of an ingredient that you tend to use in small measures can be rather costly. Fortunately those good chaps at Merlet thought of this and offer their range of liqueurs in 20cl bottles as well as the more traditional 70cl, so buying the full range needn’t break the bank!

REMEMBER MERLET

60ml Merlet cognac

15ml sweet vermouth

10ml Merlet crème de frambois

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of cubed or cracked ice, and once diluted and chilled, strain into a cocktail glass that has first been rinsed with absinthe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

This is a twist on one of my all time favourite drinks, the Remember the Maine. Cognac has replaced the bourbon and crème de mure has replaced the cherry brandy, creating an altogether more lively and elegant drink. Once again playing with the liqueur can transform this drink, with crème de peche being particularly good as an alternative to the frambois.

The healthy slug of cognac in this drink means that although the other ingredients are all full flavoured, the base spirit remains the focus, with the other flavours playing a supporting role so if you like the taste of cognac, the Remember Merlet is for you.

SPITFIRE – created by Tony Conigliaro

40ml Merlet cognac

10ml Merlet crème de peche

25ml fresh lemon juice

10ml gomme

1 egg white

25ml white wine

Shake all the ingredients other than the white wine, with plenty of cubed ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and top with the white wine leaving it ungarnished.

This drink was inspired by the New York Sour, a whiskey sour with a float of red wine on top, but is taken to a whole different level through the use of lighter and more refreshing ingredients. This is summertime in a cocktail glass, and the pleasure of sipping one while overlooking the rows of vines, is something I’ll remember for a long time.

I hope that I’ve gone some way to show that Cognac isn’t just a luxury that should be sipped after a rich and expensive dinner. It’s a fantastic spirit that can be used to bring cocktails to life, so don’t be shy, invest in a bottle of Merlet Brothers Blend Cognac and some of their fruit liqueurs and let us know what you come up with, or tell us about your favourite cocktail cognac and how you use it.