Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Cognac

As you already know the blog is still new and we would like to first cover all the beginner basics. We want you to be comfortable with cognac before we delve into any other details or plan on building a bigger community. Last week we did a short slide show that talked about the history of cognac and the production process. Today we would like to talk a bit about drinking cognac.

Before we get into the procedure we need to know that “All cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac.” Brandy can be made from any fruit from any region but cognac is made only from grapes from the Cognac region in France. There are several ways to drink cognac, personally I prefer to drink it neat at room temperature. Let’s get started with the guide ,

1. The first and one of the most important thing when it comes to drinking cognac is to select a proper glass. A Tulip-Shaped wine glass is an ideal choice or a snifter. A snifter is a glass that has a wide bottom and a narrow top which is mostly used to serve brandy. The reason snifter is ideal while drinking cognac is because the narrow top of the snifter will help trap the aroma of cognac inside the glass so you can enjoy each sip. There are quite expensive snifters out there but an inexpensive one will do the trick as well. If you would like to see what they look like or where you can purchase one, please follow this link which will take you to google results page : Buy Snifter .
2. Now that you have the proper glass its time to get the aged cognac age a little bit more on your hands. Most people pour cognac and start drinking it immediately which is a wrong approach to drinking cognac. To truly enjoy the taste of cognac pour a small amount, preferably 20-25 ML into the snifter and hold the glass for about 6-10 minutes. This allows the cognac to warm slowly and aroma stays in whereas if you start sipping right away it evaporates the aroma.
3. If you buy cognac yourself you can certainly tell how long it has been aged. But if you are served cognac at a party or a gathering you might not know how long it has been aged. There is a simple trick to it. Once you have warmed the cognac, take a look at it and you should be able to tell the age of cognac by looking at the color  (not exactly but pretty close). Lighter colors usually symbolize that the cognac you are holding isn’t aged for too long where as stronger colors such as amber, gold and red suggests that the cognac has been aged longer.
4. Now its time to smell it. (You are probably thinking why go through all this when you can simply pour it and start drinking but if you truly want to enjoy one please do follow the procedure.) Now that you are able to tell the age of the cognac you are holding its time to smell the aroma that the snifter has been holding in for you. Life up the snifter slowly close to your nose and smell the aroma which is generally known as “montant odors” (however we prefer using the word “aroma” instead of “odor,” but thats our personal preference ).
5. Now slowly bring the snifter down and swirl the cognac in the snifter. This will help you unleash any aroma that has been trapped and bring the snifter up and smell once again. You will most probably find the smell to be a little stronger than before. Usually cognac has fruit or floral aromas such as rose, pear, cherry, apricot, plum, fig, quince, grapefruit, etc.
6. Now you are ready to take the first sip of the cognac that you have been eagerly waiting for. Make sure to take a small sip and let it slowly pass over the palate. If it is a younger cognac you will feel that the taste is much stronger whereas older cognacs are much smoother and warmer. Once you develop the taste for cognac you will be able to tell what kind it is with your very first sip.

You can drink cognac with tonic, ice and there are many other ways you can mix it, but like I said in the beginning I prefer mine without any mixtures. If you really want to learn and develope a liking for cognac make sure to drink it slow, the key is to sip it not gulp it down. There are no bottoms up when you are drinking cognac. I personally like my cognac with a cigar and once in a while with chocolate. As you get used to cognac your taste buds will tell you what would go perfect with your glass of cognac.

Hope this guide is helpful and we certainly hope that you give cognac a try (if you are 21 and over) if you haven’t already. We look forward to hearing from you through your comments.

Cheers!

If you would like to download this guide please follow this link : Download The Beginner’s Guide To Cognac

Related posts:

1. 5 Reasons To Try Cognac
2. A Comprehensive Guide To Cognac
3. 15 Things You Should Know Before Trying Cognac
4. The Day Cognac.com Came To My Rescue
5. Guide : Reading a Cognac Label

14 Responses to “Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Cognac”

1. PRJack says:

   January 14, 2009 at 11:06 pm

   I love the fact that you mention ‘mixing’ as there are some purists who will claim that you ruin a good spirit by doing that. I had the good fortune of talking with the Distilling Manager from Bushmills (400 year old producers of fine Irish Whisky) and he was of the mind that the drink tastes best the way that you like to drink it, not the way that someone tells you to drink it.

   Another aspect to the tasting process is to check out the cognac’s legs. When you swirl the cognac gently in the snifter some will stick to the sides. When you stop swirling the cognac slides down the inside of the glass but does so in lines. The formation of these lines is caused by (and please correct me if I’m wrong!) the sugar & alcohol content of the spirit. More sugar, wider legs.

   I know that a separate blog will be coming up about casking, but it might be worth noting that you may also be able to detect some subtle woody flavours in the cognac as well. These aren’t as noticeable as in whiskies, tequilas and such, but they’re still there.
2. admin says:

   January 15, 2009 at 2:00 am

   Thanks for sharing with us PRJack and adding to what we missed.
3. Terry says:

   January 16, 2009 at 1:39 am

   Excellent guide and good info from PR Jack as well.
   It would be great to know what your favorites are in two or three different price ranges.
4. admin says:

   January 16, 2009 at 4:09 am

   @Terry : Thanks for stopping by. Actually we will soon be doing a post on price ranges as well. Stay tuned
5. jlabean says:

   January 16, 2009 at 6:17 pm

   Awesome info. I am intrigued and I cannot wait to try cognac for the first time. I would have messed it up before reading this but now I have the procedure down. *big smile*
6. LadyLike says:

   January 28, 2009 at 9:10 pm

   This was a great article! i know its not the best strategy but i usually go by bottle design : ) one of my faves is Landy Desir, the bottle is so pretty!
7. bwill says:

   January 29, 2009 at 2:14 am

   I’ve tried the Landy Desir at a party actually and it was my first time drinking cognac. It’s really good, but it would’ve also been nice to read this post first to get a real appreciation for it.
8. John says:

   March 22, 2009 at 9:39 pm

   I’ve got a nice bottle of cognac that I have been approaching in a very incorrect manner. Because of that, I haven’t liked it one bit. I’ve been following this and a few other guides and have completely changed my fondness of cognac. I’d been inhaling too hard, taking sips that were far too large, using the wrong glass, and not warming it properly. I have gone from a person who couldn’t appreciate the rewards that can be found with experiencing a fine cognac to one who can.
9. Lauren says:

   May 24, 2009 at 5:56 am

   Call me crazy – but with the lower level cognacs I mix in a bit of the Scottish liquor Drambuie. Usually I use plain ol’ Hennessey for this combo.

   Here’s a guess: the florals and botanicals in the Drambuie bring out that aspect of the Cognac. I began drinking Cognac at a friends house not having any idea what it even was but I do know it was VERY nice and VERY aged. I can imagine this would make is smoother and more complex, thus making the Drambuie mixture moot. (Although tasty!)
10. Philip says:

    August 5, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    We just purchased our first bottle of cognac. When shoud one drink it. Is it an after dinner drink like Ameratta,Tia Maria
    Creme de Mint etc. ??? Thanks Philip
11. Kanye and Cognac : It’s The Class, Not The Glass | COGNAC Your Guide To The Finest Drinks says:

    September 15, 2009 at 5:14 am

    [...] his friend that cognac isn’t a drink that you drink straight out of the bottle (here are some tips on drinking cognac Mr. West). Second, we would like to tell the entertainment industry that since celebrities are [...]
12. The Best Cognac Guides You Will Ever Find On The Web | COGNAC Your Guide To The Finest Drinks says:

    September 22, 2009 at 5:32 am

    [...] Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Cognac Before we get into the procedure we need to know that “All cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac.” Brandy can be made from any fruit from any region but cognac is made only from grapes from the Cognac region in France. There are several ways to drink cognac. [...]
13. Ando says:

    November 6, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    That was Mintox!! Cheers
14. The Best Of Cognac.com In 2009 | COGNAC Your Guide To The Finest Drinks says:

    December 29, 2009 at 8:10 am

    [...] Beginner’s Guide To Cognac [...]