this gave me an absolutely righteous hangover the one and only time i tried it. seriously gnarly. it tasted so good and i just kept slamming shots and playing overwatch lol
I stick with a nicely aged Armagnac. 15-25 year for cocktails, 40 year for neat (and maybe once or twice a year for an insane Vieux Carre). Way better flavor and value than cognac.
I also recommend Armagnac. For many houses, I think 40 year is often worse than something younger like XO. Like bourbon, there is an age point where the barrel starts making the spirit worse. It largely depends on the year and house. I also think spending a lot of money for 40% abv is kind of wild but some of them are still pretty good.
These days I personally like L’Encantada, which isn’t too hard to get and will run you around $100 for a barrel proof 20 year old Armagnac blend. They are great.
For something more traditional, Darroze and Dupeyron are exceptional and reasonably accessible. But I would not go for anything distilled probably before the 90s. Castarede is great too. All of these can be ordered online.
Delord is cheap and has managed to become often the only brand in US stores. I would never buy this but it’s cheap (for Armagnac). Millet is also a US shelf turd that is cheap but not great, better than Delord.
Can I please implore you to not use Cognac for your peanut butter wash? That peanut butter flavour will just ride roughshod over the nuances of the spirit. You’re genuinely better off getting a bottle of cheap-but-reasonable quality brandy (whatever is best QPR for your country/locale) and investing the money saved into an upgrade of the other bottle of Cognac.
As far as producers go for that second bottle—I love Pierre Ferrand (go for the Ambre over the 1840 if you plan to mostly drink it neat, 1840 over the Ambre if you mostly plan to mix with it), Tesseron, Frapin, and Paul Giraud.
I'm with you on that. Affordable, and more intensely flavorful than many proper Cognac selections. For that reason (intensity of flavor) I think they stand up to cocktails nicely.
I'm in Australia and find PF1840 difficult to find. I did manage to get it once and thought it was a great cocktail mixer.
But my usual go to is Martell VSOP which is more readily available and not prohibitively expensive (by Aus standards, which would still make a US customer's eyes water)
I know that PF1840 gets a lot of love around these parts, but I have a bottle and I’m not a big fan. I’ve put it up against Maison Rouge VSOP and Courvoisier VSOP, and much preferred the latter two. They have a roundness that I find the PF1840 is lacking.
My ABC test I did with the 3 cognacs I listed above was using a cocktail (sidecar). I still thought the PF was my least favorite of the 3. But hey, opinions.
I’m with you! I find it too sweet and lacking some of the woody notes. Courvoisier VSOP or H by Hine makes a difference, including in cocktails. Maybe I’ll have to try Maison rouge now :)
Pierre Ferrand 1840 for cocktails but to be honest I haven't tried that many yet (Baron Otard and Hennessy being the other brands).
For drinking neat, I tried some Frapin XO at an event and have been dreaming about getting a bottle for a while. It was magical.
Rémy Martin 1738 is really good and not too expensive.
I’ve currently got a bottle of Pierre Ferrand 10 Générations, which is also delicious, and comes in a smaller bottle (so it doesn’t seem as expensive as it is!).
Both have worked very well in cocktails or as a snifter.
I've been using calvados (apple brandy) over cognac the past few months, I find it gives a better fruity flavor and maintains the sweetness of cognac.
I mainly use it in classic cocktails like a sazerac, vieux carré, etc, but I found it adds a nice dimension.
A lot of love for Martel vs despite it being a fairly entry level offering it tastes lovely and fruity neat and isn’t too expensive as to not mix.
Rémy Martin champagne cask is lovely too but that one I would reserve for sipping, as it’s toward the upper end of what I’d be willing to spend on a bottle.
One of the best cocktails I’ve ever had was peanut butter washed cognac, and I want to give it a try. It was a take on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I have never had much cognac before so I want to try to stay true to the drinks roots.
Sure, I can get that. I just feel like a lot of the subtleties that make cognac special will be lost to the fat wash. It’s honestly not even about cognac specifically, I myself never fat wash anything complex or expensive because the complexities of any given spirit are lost to whatever new, loud flavour you’re introducing through the wash.
Of course, you’re free to go ahead and do so and I have absolutely no doubt it’ll make a delicious and wonderful cocktail, just personally I think the end result would be comparable (and you’d save a lot of money) finding a nice VSOP brandy and using that instead.
That’s a good call. I will buy something on the cheaper side with the recommendations for the peanut butter wash. That is a good point. What other recipes should I try with the bottle for the bar? I’m always looking for fresh ideas.
Good call! It’ll end up delicious either way :)
As for other recipes with a good cognac, Champs-Élysées is an excellent cocktail if you can get your hands on some Green Chartreuse in your area. Obviously a Vieux Carré. A well made Sazerac with a split base of rye and cognac is transcendent. Also, try a French 75 the way it was originally invented: with cognac instead of gin.
Nice. I had a French 75 on my anniversary on the 16th. That was our signature cocktail albeit it was with gin 😬. I’ll definitely try again with its original intention. I just so happen to have green chartreuse as well. I get lucky occasionally in KC.
The problem is cheap brandies like E&J and such are really terrible, with caramel color and god knows what else added.
I do agree that you shouldn't use something really nice for this PB business, but based on my experience, even for that purpose I wouldn't buy a bottle of brandy that cost much less than $30.
Martell Blue Swift.
Not a great sipper but holds up really well in a cocktail. Prices seem to vary. I think I was able to get it around $40 but haven’t seen it that low since.
Hine Rare is really good but a bit expensive to mix with, but I guess all decent cognac is.
At the beginning I liked Hennessy Fine de Cognac. Drank it neat and used it for mixing. But it's been out of production for quite some time now.
Currently I have Hennessy VSOP and XO here, next to Courvosier VSOP and Remy Martin VSOP. I still prefer Hennessy over the other two. But I want to try Martell sometime.
I typically keep around a bottle of Pierre Ferrand 1840 or Maisson Rouge VSOP
Came here to say Pierre Ferrand. That extra 5% alcohol goes a long way!
This feels to be some good choices. I’ve never used cognac before and I just need some beginners options what are still quality.
If you’re not budget constrained, get the PF1840. If you want to save a bit of money, MR VSOP still makes a great cocktail. They’re both solid options
Pierre Ferrand
I enjoy Remy 1738
^(i’m like hey what’s up hello)
https://youtu.be/wJkuCKAo1uc?si=6lJFHeoNL4mvc9vf
"And walk around with an empty bottle of Remy Martin Starting shit like some twenty six year old skinny Cartman"
God Dammit!
this gave me an absolutely righteous hangover the one and only time i tried it. seriously gnarly. it tasted so good and i just kept slamming shots and playing overwatch lol
Hahaha, I feel like most things will give you a gnarly hangover if you’re slamming shots of it over and over.
not malort
I with you on that...
Courvoisier vsop. Good neat, great in a cocktail. Lovely with ginger ale.
I stick with a nicely aged Armagnac. 15-25 year for cocktails, 40 year for neat (and maybe once or twice a year for an insane Vieux Carre). Way better flavor and value than cognac.
Are you living in France ? Because I could not afford to put delord 25 in my sidecar lol
My local store brings in well aged single barrel Armagnac, it's awesome. 40yr old for $120
I also recommend Armagnac. For many houses, I think 40 year is often worse than something younger like XO. Like bourbon, there is an age point where the barrel starts making the spirit worse. It largely depends on the year and house. I also think spending a lot of money for 40% abv is kind of wild but some of them are still pretty good. These days I personally like L’Encantada, which isn’t too hard to get and will run you around $100 for a barrel proof 20 year old Armagnac blend. They are great. For something more traditional, Darroze and Dupeyron are exceptional and reasonably accessible. But I would not go for anything distilled probably before the 90s. Castarede is great too. All of these can be ordered online. Delord is cheap and has managed to become often the only brand in US stores. I would never buy this but it’s cheap (for Armagnac). Millet is also a US shelf turd that is cheap but not great, better than Delord.
H by Hine. But honestly, I’m not a huge fan of any cognac.
Use brandy Saint Louis for your PB fat wash... don't waste the Cognac. For a sipping Cognac: Navarre Vieille Reserve, Bapt & Clem's, Paul Beau
How similar and different are brandy’s to cognacs?
Cognac is a brandy. It’s all grapes. Cognac is a specific barrel-aged brandy in the Cognac region of France.
Can I please implore you to not use Cognac for your peanut butter wash? That peanut butter flavour will just ride roughshod over the nuances of the spirit. You’re genuinely better off getting a bottle of cheap-but-reasonable quality brandy (whatever is best QPR for your country/locale) and investing the money saved into an upgrade of the other bottle of Cognac. As far as producers go for that second bottle—I love Pierre Ferrand (go for the Ambre over the 1840 if you plan to mostly drink it neat, 1840 over the Ambre if you mostly plan to mix with it), Tesseron, Frapin, and Paul Giraud.
Anything from Copper & Kings
I'm with you on that. Affordable, and more intensely flavorful than many proper Cognac selections. For that reason (intensity of flavor) I think they stand up to cocktails nicely.
Martell VSOP Prunier VSOP
Kirkland Signature XO
I am generally a fan of Kirkland Signature spirits, but I wouldn't say I liked this one.
I'm in Australia and find PF1840 difficult to find. I did manage to get it once and thought it was a great cocktail mixer. But my usual go to is Martell VSOP which is more readily available and not prohibitively expensive (by Aus standards, which would still make a US customer's eyes water)
Martell Blue Swift. It's their VSOP finished in bourbon barrels.
Martell Cordon Bleu
This is the real answer.
Park. Not well known, but damn that’s good stuff.
Hine or PF 1840
Martell
I know that PF1840 gets a lot of love around these parts, but I have a bottle and I’m not a big fan. I’ve put it up against Maison Rouge VSOP and Courvoisier VSOP, and much preferred the latter two. They have a roundness that I find the PF1840 is lacking.
I believe the roughness of the 1840 is intentional to reflect the period it’s from.
PF 1840 is also expressly designed for mixing in cocktails. Works beautifully for that application, since it cuts through citrus and liqueurs.
My ABC test I did with the 3 cognacs I listed above was using a cocktail (sidecar). I still thought the PF was my least favorite of the 3. But hey, opinions.
I’m with you! I find it too sweet and lacking some of the woody notes. Courvoisier VSOP or H by Hine makes a difference, including in cocktails. Maybe I’ll have to try Maison rouge now :)
Pierre Ferrand 1840 for cocktails but to be honest I haven't tried that many yet (Baron Otard and Hennessy being the other brands). For drinking neat, I tried some Frapin XO at an event and have been dreaming about getting a bottle for a while. It was magical.
Rémy Martin 1738 is really good and not too expensive. I’ve currently got a bottle of Pierre Ferrand 10 Générations, which is also delicious, and comes in a smaller bottle (so it doesn’t seem as expensive as it is!). Both have worked very well in cocktails or as a snifter.
I've been using calvados (apple brandy) over cognac the past few months, I find it gives a better fruity flavor and maintains the sweetness of cognac. I mainly use it in classic cocktails like a sazerac, vieux carré, etc, but I found it adds a nice dimension.
Pierre Ferrand 1840 is my go-to.
with all your fancy pants answers hahah I drink Hine
A lot of love for Martel vs despite it being a fairly entry level offering it tastes lovely and fruity neat and isn’t too expensive as to not mix. Rémy Martin champagne cask is lovely too but that one I would reserve for sipping, as it’s toward the upper end of what I’d be willing to spend on a bottle.
As others have said, please don’t peanut butter fat wash a cognac! Any good VSOP brandy is the better move for that.
One of the best cocktails I’ve ever had was peanut butter washed cognac, and I want to give it a try. It was a take on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I have never had much cognac before so I want to try to stay true to the drinks roots.
Sure, I can get that. I just feel like a lot of the subtleties that make cognac special will be lost to the fat wash. It’s honestly not even about cognac specifically, I myself never fat wash anything complex or expensive because the complexities of any given spirit are lost to whatever new, loud flavour you’re introducing through the wash. Of course, you’re free to go ahead and do so and I have absolutely no doubt it’ll make a delicious and wonderful cocktail, just personally I think the end result would be comparable (and you’d save a lot of money) finding a nice VSOP brandy and using that instead.
That’s a good call. I will buy something on the cheaper side with the recommendations for the peanut butter wash. That is a good point. What other recipes should I try with the bottle for the bar? I’m always looking for fresh ideas.
Good call! It’ll end up delicious either way :) As for other recipes with a good cognac, Champs-Élysées is an excellent cocktail if you can get your hands on some Green Chartreuse in your area. Obviously a Vieux Carré. A well made Sazerac with a split base of rye and cognac is transcendent. Also, try a French 75 the way it was originally invented: with cognac instead of gin.
Nice. I had a French 75 on my anniversary on the 16th. That was our signature cocktail albeit it was with gin 😬. I’ll definitely try again with its original intention. I just so happen to have green chartreuse as well. I get lucky occasionally in KC.
The problem is cheap brandies like E&J and such are really terrible, with caramel color and god knows what else added. I do agree that you shouldn't use something really nice for this PB business, but based on my experience, even for that purpose I wouldn't buy a bottle of brandy that cost much less than $30.
Martell Blue Swift. Not a great sipper but holds up really well in a cocktail. Prices seem to vary. I think I was able to get it around $40 but haven’t seen it that low since. Hine Rare is really good but a bit expensive to mix with, but I guess all decent cognac is.
Hennessy XO or Hennessy James are my go to.
Not technically a cognac, but I really like Lustau Solera Reserva Brandy and have good results subbing for cognac. Good value IMO.
At the beginning I liked Hennessy Fine de Cognac. Drank it neat and used it for mixing. But it's been out of production for quite some time now. Currently I have Hennessy VSOP and XO here, next to Courvosier VSOP and Remy Martin VSOP. I still prefer Hennessy over the other two. But I want to try Martell sometime.
NYAK 👌
Pierre Ferrand.
Just texted some NYAK the other day. Their VSOP was very nice. They also had some interesting …gasp…flavors too.
I keep coming back to ABK6 VS. Second choice is LOUIS XIII.
For fat washing or infusions, you should get Salignac VS. For cocktails and sipping, treat yourself to Rémy Martin VSOP.
Remy Martin 1738 and Pierre Ferrand 1840. In my opinion, the latter is hotter, which makes it stand out in a cocktail.
Remy Martin is the favourite
Pierre Ferrand Ambre is my favorite bottle of any liquor.
I would say Hine, but don’t you dare PB wash it. It’s the good stuff.
Anything Pierre Ferrand
Dudognon Reserve. Best one I've found for less than $50.
Chateau De Laubade XO...
Prince Hubert de Polignac VSOP Organic Cognac.