The Day Cognac.com Came To My Rescue

A while back we ran a contest and the winner was given $100 to taste cognac, for the first time. The winner of that contest went beyond our expectation and surprised us with a cognac tasting party of her own. She got a few of her friends together to let us know what they thought of this drink that we so dearly love here at cognac.com. We have been trying to reach out to people that enjoy a fine drink every now and then. We prefer sips rather than guzzling down, since anything done without moderation isn’t good. And cognac certainly is a drink that is better when taken in little sips.

Every now and then I get a few friends together for a little R & R. Last weekend one of my friends brought along someone who had never tried cognac before. Well, this was a perfect moment for me to introduce someone to cognac. Someone new to the drink, someone who was totally unaware of the history that surrounds cognac, someone who had no idea what it takes for it to be called cognac. It was a golden opportunity for a cognac lover. An opportunity to talk about a drink that I am passionate about, a passion that has been passed on one generation after another.

When I first offered my new friend Rob a drink of Courvoisier he simply took the glass and took quite a gulp. It was my fault. After all he had no idea that there is an art to drinking cognac. This was the moment for me to once again talk about cognac and for the rest of my friends to hear what I probably talk each time we get together and drink. I told Rob that cognac needed to be warmed with his hands for about 6-10 minutes before taking a sip. This allows for the aroma to stay locked in as opposed to evaporating. Rob didn’t like the idea of waiting since he is what he called a “beer guy” who is used to gulping down as soon as the drink is opened or served. Well, you are hanging out with the wrong bunch but not for too long, I said to myself.

Rob was a tough one to give instructions to when it came to drinking cognac. After keeping him engaged in conversation related to his work, family, etc. the drink was finally ready for nosing. If you truly want to enjoy the taste of cognac, the nosing comes before the actual tasting. Once again, Rob didn’t like the idea. After many attempts trying to explain him how to drink cognac, he finally gave it  a try. What happened after that was a disappointment, at least to me. The glass holding cognac rested on the table, Rob got up and went to the liquor store and bought a six pack of beer. I had failed.

I don’t expect everyone to like cognac as much as I do. However, I would like to at least share with them the history and give them a chance to learn how to really enjoy cognac before making any decision. The rest of the night, me and my friends enjoyed cognac while Rob gulped down his beer. Before everyone was getting ready to leave, one of my friends suggested I should give him the link to my site cognac.com. I never even thought of it which was pretty dumb of me. I handed Rob the link to my site and there he went with a gut full of beer. This was on Friday.

Last night I got a call from Rob. I wasn’t ready for a surprise but when pleasant surprises come my way, I am all for them. He told me he went home and bought a bottle of Hennessy V.S.O.P. the next day to give it a try. Although he didn’t seem interested when I was talking, I guess he was listening to what I had to say. I talked enough to make him curious. He told me his Saturday pretty much went on browsing cognac.com. He read every cognac related article, from a beginners guide to cognac to the cognac brands and everything in between. He told me he followed the steps and he gave cognac a try Saturday night and Sunday. Rob was quite happy to have found this resource and said to me that although I had made him curious, it wasn’t me that made him curious enough to give it a try. It was cognac, the blog.

We are planning on meeting again this weekend and Rob promised he won’t be running out to buy beer this time and will know exactly what to do when he stops by for some fine cognac. Sounds like someone is turning int a cognac lover in a matter of days.

Before he hung up he had this to say,

A drink that is sometimes aged over 100 years isn’t just a drink, it’s history in a bottle that we are fortunate to not only see but feel.

Exactly Rob, exactly!

Related posts:

1. 5 Reasons To Try Cognac
2. Cognac Lovers Define Cognac In Their Own Words
3. Cognac Timeline : 3rd Century To 21st Century Captured
4. Cognac Moment : Trying Cognac For The Very First Time
5. Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Cognac