Cognac in cocktails

I enjoyed the article on Cognac in your January edition, and was hoping you could advise on the best quality level of Cognac to use in cocktails? Ashleigh Harding, by email Julie Sheppard replies: If you’re mixing Cognac cocktails, expressions that fall under the younger categories of ageing will work best. Choose VS and VSOP Cognacs, which are made with eaux-de-vie that have been aged in barrels for at least two and four years respectively. These younger Cognacs have a lighter flavour profile that will mix better with other ingredients to produce a balanced drink, rather than dominating the mix (they will also be cheaper than older, rare expressions).

Helpfully, some Cognac houses have also created blends specifically for use in cocktails, which may not have the traditional age categories on their labels. Try Courvoisier VSOP Exclusif, Frapin 1270 (£36.75-£40.04 Chester Beer & Wine, The Drink Shop, The Whisky Exchange) and H by Hine (£36-£45 Widely available). These more modern expressions are blended to be light and smooth, but aromatic and expressive enough to give distinctive Cognac character to classic mixes such as The Sidecar, Vieux Carré, Crusta or Brandy Old Fashioned.

green notes, gooseberry and asparagus, but the flavours you’ll find now can often be richer and more tropical than they may have been 20 years ago. As well as the climate changing, winemaking techniques globally have changed, with grapes harvested at lower yields and changes in picking dates (often earlier in warmer climates to preserve acidity) creating riper fruit and a different range of flavours to those we consider classic.

As a result, we have shifted the focus slightly, when teaching, from being able to identify countries of origin precisely to articulating the winemaking techniques used in a wine, and the cause and effects of climate and viticultural practices.