The French say that the Cognac is made from l’eau de vie, which translates to “the water of life”. It draws its name from the area in France from where it was produced. It certainly is the most popular brandy variety and is velvety, smooth and delicious. It is delicious by itself. And by combination and complexity, it makes a great ingredient to work with. It adds a decadent and delicious flavor and flair to many drinks. You can add light touches or go for the full and rich flavors-whatever way you choose to have your cognac, the outcome is bound to be delightful and tickle your taste buds.
This grape-based brandy from Cognac in France can be made in a variety of styles from the classic age-old Sidecar to modern, refreshing tipples. If you want to shake things up a bit and shine as a mixologist, we have gathered some delicious and easy-to-do cognac recipes that you can try at home.
Sidecar
The origin of the dish dates back to the prohibition era by Harry MacElhone, circa 1919 from Harry’s New York bar, Paris France. This is one of the most famous cognac cocktails today.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml cognac
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml Cointreau
- 15 ml Pineau des Charentes
Preparation Method:
- Combine all the above ingredients into a mixing tin, add ice and shake.
- Strain it into a chilled glass.
You can also drink this in a sugar-rimmed glass for sweetness. The use of lemon juice and the Cointreau which is nothing but orange liquor along with the sugar creates a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. The style of this drink is straight up and sour and looks vibrant and sunny – like a glass of sunshine. If you are new into cognacs and want to try something unique, the Sidecar should be your pick.
Between the Sheets
Add a little rum to the Sidecar and with a few changes, you will get this provocative drink called “Between the Sheets”. The style of this drink is the same as Sidecar- straight up and sour.
Ingredients:
- 45 ml Cognac
- 15 ml Dark Rum
- 35 ml Triple Sec
- 15 ml of lemon juice
- 10 ml of sugar
Preparation Method:
- Combine all the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupette glass.
- You can garnish the dish with 2 orange peels spray on top of the drink.
French 75
This is a drink with a history that dates as far back as 1925. It is made with the combination of gin and champagne and this connotation is wickedly delicious and supremely intoxicating.
Ingredients:
- ½ oz. Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 oz. London dry gin or cognac
- Champagne, chilled
Preparation Method:
- Add the first 2 ingredients to a shaker tin and mix.
- Now add the gin, fill with ice and shake.
- Finally, strain into a flute chilled glass. Top up with Champagne slowly.
Moscow Mule:
The Moscow Mule is a classic Vodka-based cocktail that is long and spicy. By custom, it is drunk in a copper vessel or mug. It is incredibly easy to whip up a glass of Moscow Mule in no time.
Ingredients:
- 35 ml Cognac
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml of sugar syrup
- Ginger Beer top
- 2 dashes- Angostura Bitters
Preparation Method:
- Add all the above ingredients into a Highball glass over ice and stir.
- Top up with Ginger Beer and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Sazerac
The Sazerac was primarily a New Orleans drink and even today it is very popular in New Orleans. The first Sazeracs made use of Cognac and were very prevalent in the 1800s in New Orleans, which was heavily French-influenced during that time. It belongs to the Golden Cocktail era.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Cognac
- 5 ml of sugar syrup
- 1 lemon zest
- 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Preparation Method:
- Rinse a chilled rock glass with absinthe and fill with crushed ice.
- Add the other ingredients into a mixing glass and add ice. Stir.
- Add the cognac into the mixing glass. Stir well until chilled.
- Discard the ice and excess absinthe.
- Now strain the drink into the absinthe glass.
- Garnish with the lemon zest
You can stir the drink with the lemon peel inside the mixing glass while stirring other ingredients as well. This will preserve the aroma of the absinthe and will cut through the sweetness in an amazingly delicious way.
Royal Manhattan
This drink was one of the most beloved drinks in the world, shortly after its invention in the 1880s. It is a lovely blend of Italian Vermouth and American Whiskey, and it prepped up with just a few dashes of aromatic bitters. The orange bitters that go into the drink and the orange zest that is used for garnishing brings both the bourbon and vermouth together beautifully and gives a lovely edge to the drink.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml bourbon
- 25 ml Sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Preparation Method:
- Pour the bitters and liqueurs in a mixing glass with cubed ice
- Stir and strain into a chilled coupette glass.
- Garnish with a cherry or orange zest.
You can garnish either with cherry or orange zest. Adding cherry for garnishing will add a touch of sweetness and create a beautiful blend of sweet, tart and other flavors that the liquors bring.
Corpse Reviver No 2
The corpse reviver is the most popular and arguably the tastiest of all the Corpse Reviver drinks. It dates its origin back to 1930 when people loved their gin-based drinks. The recipe is very simple: gin, wine, absinthe liqueurs, orange liqueurs and fresh lemon juice. The resulting combination is simply fascinating. And from its name, it is said to revive people from the previous day’s hangover. If you have had one too many the previous night, then go for this drink! Either way, it is a drink you must have at least once in your lifetime!
Ingredients:
- 25 ml Gin
- 25 ml Lillet Blanc
- 25 ml Orange Liquor (Cointreau)
- 25 ml freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- A dash of absinthe, to rinse.
Preparation Method:
- Rinse a chilled coupe or mocktail glass with absinthe and set aside.
- Add the above ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake well.
- Strain into the prepared absinthe-rinsed mocktail glass.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
French Connection
This aromatic sipper can be prepared with just 2 ingredients. Cognac and Amaretto come together in this unique and delicious drink. The 2 are a match made in heaven and come together seamlessly to create that perfect after-dinner nightcap. The cognac adds warmth to the chilled drink and the nutty flavor of the Amaretto adds an edge to the drink.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml cognac
- 25 ml Amaretto
Preparation Method:
- Build up all the ingredients in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
- Stir well and serve.
Vieux Carre
Cognac pairs with Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth in this classic New Orleans Recipe. The Cognac flavor really comes out in this recipe that was invented at the Carousel Bar in New Orleans in 1930. The Brandy is from France, Sweet Vermouth from Italy, Rye Whiskey from America and the bitters from the Caribbean region. As a result, the sweetness, bitterness and booziness all combine together to create such a deeply flavored drink that will be really appreciated by those who enjoy a depth of flavors in their drink. So try this out at home and enjoy this classic and timeless drink after a long workday.
Ingredients:
- 22 ml rye whiskey
- 22 ml cognac
- 22 ml Sweet Vermouth
- 15 ml Benedictine Liqueur
- 1 to 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
- 1 to 2 dashes aromatic bitters
Preparation Method:
- Take all the ingredients and combine them into a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Strain well into a chilled rock glass
- Garnish with a cherry or lemon zest
