drinking cognac

[chef koo]

so what's the best way to maximize the flavor and aroma of cognac. i bought my bottle of XO hennesey. i bought my snifter. i tried it and i got that lovely butterscotch flavor i love so much. but i'm wondering if there's a technique to it and if i got it just by chance. i know for sure that you try and make as much of your palm touch as possible. but what else. do you swirl it in the glass? do you sip as you go?

[pedro]

IMHO, the snifter is not the best glass to drink cognac, neither is a good idea to heat it with your palm. Cognac, as other distilled drinks like armagnac, calvados or whisky, has enough content of alcohol. If you heat it, you'll only get alcohol in the nose losing other nuances of flavor. Just swirl it gently in one of those glasses that has a tulip shape.

Coming back to temperature, Michel Couvreur recommends sipping a glass of very cold water (with lots of ice in the american way) before sipping the licquor. It compensates very nicely the sensation of heat brought by the licquor and avoids the need to put ice or water in it. Give it a try. I did and it worked for me.

[nimzo]

Give the Reidel cognac glasses a try, you will never go back and the cost isn't too bad when spread over the number of bottles you are likely to use them for.

[chef koo]

IMHO, the snifter is not the best glass to drink cognac, neither is a good idea to heat it with your palm. Cognac, as other distilled drinks like armagnac, calvados or whisky, has enough content of alcohol. If you heat it, you'll only get alcohol in the nose losing other nuances of flavor. Just swirl it gently in one of those glasses that has a tulip shape.

Coming back to temperature, Michel Couvreur recommends sipping a glass of very cold water (with lots of ice in the american way) before sipping the licquor. It compensates very nicely the sensation of heat brought by the licquor and avoids the need to put ice or water in it. Give it a try. I did and it worked for me.

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that's very interesting and contrary to what i've heard. if you leave it un warmed will you still get that butterscotch aroma to it? now that you mention it after a bit of holding it in my hand the flavor did seem a bit different. but the aroma was definatley still there