Cognac Is My Pumpkin Spice

Up here in New England, if you can believe it, leaves have already started to fall. A couple of storms ripped through town and took the muggy heat with them as they left. Even though it is not officially autumn, it sure feels like it now.

Just...no. The craze has gone too far.

And as the fall season takes effect, oftentimes well before it does, the pumpkin spice folks start getting very excited for said flavors to infiltrate every food and drink imaginable. Pumpkin spice is an option in every coffee drink available. And syrup. And Peanut butter. And waffles. How about yogurt pretzels, tea, and chocolate. Pumpkin spice is in your beer and Jell-O pudding. Hell, it's even in the things you don't eat: candles, soaps, perfumes, and so on.

Here's a hot take for you: I'm not into ANY of the above, especially in my coffee. This is also not a criticism of you if you are a pumpkin spice lover; eat and drink what tastes good to you, I am all for that. However, you know what my job is for my profession and here at Flight School. I am here to show you a beverage that you may not have given consideration to or perhaps forgot about. So for all you pumpkin spice champions out there, I have something for you that I absolutely love at this time of year: Cognac

Yes...Cognac! This is MY pumpkin spice. While it is something I like to use in cocktails such as a Sidecar year-round, in the fall I am all about sipping this spirit of power and delicacy. It's not an easy spirit to generalize, but fine aged examples of Cognac give me dried orange, apricot, apple, and figs fruit flavors. With increased age, Cognac becomes more savory and earthy, all while preserving delicate floral notes that give Cognac its finesse and elegance. Accompanying flavors and aromas give you the range of baking spices you love in that pumpkin spice latte: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and anise. Throw in a little pipe tobacco and dead leaves, and you have all the smells of fall in one glass!

The regions of Cognac. Image credit: Cognac Expert Blog

Additionally, if you are a wine-lover and you have never tried Cognac before, give it a shot; this type of brandy is actually a distilled white wine! The region of Cognac is located north of Bordeaux, whose vineyards almost form concentric circles as it spreads from the central heartland and top area of production. Each region and choice of grape variety brings something different to the final spirit. For example, Grande and Petit Champagne (not to be confused with the sparkling wine region of Champagne) give Cognac the combination of floral notes and ageability. Fins Bois is fruity, with faster maturing spirits. Borderies is rich, earthy and full-bodied. When it comes to grapes, Ugni Blanc (also known as Trebbiano in Italy) is a popular choice as it provides high acid necessary for quality distillate, as well as floral, spicy, and fresh-baked pastry aromas. Two other grapes, Folle Blanche and Colombard, provide body and depth of flavor, along with additional acidity and intense aromatics.

As for barrel aging, which is required to produce Cognac, here are some helpful labeling terms and their definitions.

• VS or ***: Minimum of 2 years

• VSOP: Minimum of 4 years

• Napoleon: Minimum of 6 ½ years

• XO: Starting with 2016 vintage, Mininum of 10 years (previously 7 years minimum)

• Hors d’Age: For very old Cognacs, usually an age statement (as in Scotch whisky)

Now let's get down to business. Let's hook you up with a flight of the three most popular styles of Cognac: VS, VSOP, and XO. It often pays to try these three styles from one producer to see the effect of age, but I will share three different producers for you to seek out that offer outstanding quality. When you are done with this flight, you will be saying it with me: Cognac is my pumpkin spice.

Camus VS Cognac ($30): Fruity and floral. Lively, but mellow on the palate. This is a great way to get introduced to Cognac. Use this as part of a cocktail, or if it is still warm in your location, this will be great on the rocks.

Thomas Hine Fine Champagne Cognac VSOP ($55): "Fine Champagne Cognac" means all the Cognac comes from the Grande Champagne and Petit Champagne regions, with Grande Champagne making up over 50% of the blend. Rich with a creamy texture, it is fruity with cloves, nutmeg, and ginger spices.  

Delamain XO Pale & Dry ($100): Powerful and deep, with dried figs, vanilla, smoke, and the entire range of baking spices, but still retains an orange blossom character and fragrance that is hard to achieve from a Cognac subjected to extended aging. A special bottle!

Classic Cocktails: No Alterations Necessary

Let me share something with you. You know me to be a wine guy, or someone who likes to drink whiskey neat. I really enjoy those things, but we have a tradition that was built over the last few years at Castello d'Ambrosini: the Sunday four o'clock cocktail. After a beatdown of a workweek, baseball games and afterschool activities, we reward ourselves with a good pre-dinner drink and snacks. Get some music on and we are off and running. 

If you are a cocktail-lover and want to know about the classics, you better tell me why you don't have this book on your shelf.

The Best Wife In The World and I keep an eye out for interesting mixed drinks, check our favorite references, and solicit some ideas from friends. But you know what? We have a staple that we can always fall back on when we have too many options to choose from, or if we are not finding anything that jumps out at us.

"Hey, how about a Sidecar?"

According to Vintage Cocktails: Authentic Recipes and Illustrations from 1920-1960 (authored by Susan Waggoner and Robert Markel), the Sidecar came to be when a World War I officer was dropped off at his favorite drinking establishment in Paris after riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle. Feeling cold, he asked the bartender for something to warm him up, and just like that the Sidecar was born.

This is not the time to splurge for the rare Cognac. Keep it simple...and flavorful. Image credit: Liquor.com

All you need are three ingredients: your favorite brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice. These are three items that should always be in your home bar; they are always in stock here. We use a VS-level Cognac most times; Remy Martin VSOP adds a little depth and richness. That being said, rather than use this drink to warm us up, we like it all year round. It's a lively and mouthwatering drink; right after the first sip, we are immediately looking to eat something.

If you have triple sec on hand, that's fine, but Cointreau has the magic combo of bitterness, sweetness, and smooth orangey flavor that adds a great dimension to many cocktails, including a Sidecar.

What's beautiful about the Sidecar is its straightforward simplicity. Yet there are recipes out there claiming to be Sidecars that use lime juice or sour mix in place of the lemon juice. Rum is sometimes added to the equation. Proportions are messed with that take the drink out of balance (too much lemon juice makes it overly tart, too much booze makes it overly, uh...boozy). If you want make a variant, be my guest. If you want the authentic recipe, just shake up the following ingredients into a cocktail shaker full of ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. As with all cocktails, use the best ingredients you can, but no alterations are necessary.

1.5 oz Cognac (Remy Martin or Hennessy VS work very well)

0.75 oz Cointreau

0.75 oz fresh lemon juice