Cognac
Also called cognac brandy, eau-de-vie de Cognac
Grape brandy from the delimited Cognac region of western France, distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged in French oak for at least two years. VS, VSOP and XO mark the youngest spirit in the blend. It is the original base of the Sidecar and the Sazerac.
- dried apricot
- orange peel
- vanilla
- toasted oak
- honey
- floral
- warm spice
- rancio in older blends
Origin
Cognac comes from vineyards north of Bordeaux around the Charente river, mostly ugni blanc with some folle blanche and colombard. The base wine is low in alcohol (around 9%) and made without added sugar or sulfites, then distilled in batches twice in Charentais copper stills, finishing by Mar. 31 after harvest. The spirit ages in oak for years and the cellar master blends and reduces it with distilled water. Age labels count the youngest component: VS at least two years, VSOP four, XO ten and XXO fourteen.
Common uses
- sidecar
- sazerac in its original cognac form
- french-75 in its brandy variation
- brandy crusta
- neat after dinner
Pours that use it
- Classic
French 75
Gin, lemon and champagne, named for a field gun
A sparkling gin sour from the 1920s: gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar shaken, then topped with chilled champagne. A cognac version is also traditional.
GinShakenEasy - Classic
Sazerac
Rye, sugar, Peychaud's and an absinthe-rinsed glass: New Orleans in one pour
The official cocktail of New Orleans: rye whiskey, a sugar cube, Peychaud's bitters, stirred and served neat in a chilled glass rinsed with absinthe, with a lemon peel expressed over the top.
WhiskeyStirredIntermediate - Classic
Sidecar
Cognac, orange and lemon: the brandy sour in evening dress
A shaken cognac sour from the early 1920s: cognac, Cointreau and fresh lemon juice, served up in a coupe with an optional sugar rim.
CognacShakenEasy
Sources
- Celebrate the diversity of Cognac (BNIC press page), Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Cognac production (BNIC), Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11