To serve:
WITH
½ cucumber, half peeled, deseeded and diced
2 spring onions, very finely sliced
A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped Kimchi (shop bought or make your own)
Stack of small soft white corn taco shells
100g Japanese mayonnaise
METHOD
1. For the pickled red onions, put the vinegar and sugar into a pot and bring to the boil. I’M GOING to enthuse you about cognac, which you might think is odd in the middle of June.
Cognac is for Christmas, you might be saying... or it’s for men wearing dinner jackets and smoking cigars!
But oh, no, not indeedy. I’ve discovered that cognac creates delicious summer cocktails.
Cognac underwent a revival because of American hip-hop music in the 80s and 90s and now enjoys star-billing at many cocktail bars around the world.
Michelle Brachet, cognac expert and writer, is spreading the love of the spirit here in the UK as an official educator for the BNIC, cognac’s professional body.
She told me: “Cognac cocktails have been around for ages now.
“The mint julep cocktail was around in the 1800s and the original one has cognac in it as an ingredient. This later inspired the mojito cocktail.
“Cognac is diverse and exciting and there’s a cognac out there for everyone, all people have to do is try it.”
Here are three simple cognac cocktails to enjoy this summer:
MINT JULEP
LIGHTLY muddle one sprig of mint with 10ml of sugar syrup in the bottom of a highball glass. Remove the mint, fill the glass
PINK LIFE
POUR 20ml of cognac and 10ml of raspberry liqueur into a champagne flute. Fill the glass with chilled champagne and garnish with a raspberry. I made this with Chambord and a basic champagne and it was delicious.
COGNAC SUMMIT
a couple of times with a muddler then half fill the glass with ice. Stir well for five seconds then add 60ml of traditional lemonade and a long strip of cucumber peel. Stir well for another five seconds. This is oh-so summery. Photo © BNIC - Konoisseur
For more on cognac, check out cognac.fr and michellebrachet. co.uk. Search for more cognac cocktails on social media using #cognaccocktail
■ IF YOU’RE looking for a glass of wine to sip in the garden and want good value for the price, these two wines have been given a nod in the latest International
Wine Challenge awards.
Morrisons The Best Languedoc 2016 (£7, 13% abv) picked up the gong for Great Value Red under £8 and is a blend of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre. Judges say it has a “bright succulent berry flavour with aromas of violets and chocolate with a smokey black peppered finish”.
The award for Great Value White between £8 and £13, meanwhile, went to the Co-op’s Irresistible Gavi (£8.49, 13.5% abv) which was praised for its “apricot and almond aromatic with hints of seashell”.
■ Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.