Financial Times: Make mine a Stinger… why cognac cocktails are trending

Forget the Spicy Margarita – here’s what the mixologists will be ordering at the bar

The Spicy Margarita is everywhere – in plenty of bars I know it now accounts for half of all drinks sales. But what would we all be drinking if the bar world’s top tastemakers had their way? In my survey, brandy won by a landslide, with cognac, Armagnac and apple-based calvados all getting plenty of votes. “Cognac is the king of spirits, it’s got so much going on,” says Jake Burger, proprietor of Portobello Star in London’s Notting Hill. He recommends the 19th-century Cognac Cocktail – essentially an Old Fashioned made with brandy – “which is what we’d all be drinking today if phylloxera hadn’t wiped out all the French vineyards and turned America into a whiskey-drinking culture”. For a really authentic Cognac Cocktail, he says, use Sazerac de Forge & Fils cognac, which is modelled on pre-phylloxera recipes (£121, masterofmalt.com). Under the £80 mark he also likes Merlet XO, Fanny Fougerat Iris Poivré XO and Prunier VSOP. Armagnac comes highly recommended by Sipsmith co-founder and master distiller Jared Brown and Sebastian Tollius, beverage director of Eleven Madison Park’s new Clemente Bar. “It’s rustic, full of character and versatile,” says Tollius. He favours the small batch bottlings by French specialist PM Spirits (from $62.50, pmspirits.com). “Perfect [as a sub for whiskey] in classics like Manhattans or as a stand-in for cognac in a Vieux Carré.” Ennismore’s head of bars Robert Simpson makes the case for calvados, “which has flavours from crisp fresh fruit through to apple strudel”. Punch editor Talia Baiocchi agrees: “I love a simple calvados and tonic.”

PM Spirits VS Overproof VS Bas Armagnac, $62.50 for 75cl, pmspirits.com

Liqueurs were another strong performer – and particularly crème de menthe. Which would have shocked me had I not, uncharacteristically, found myself ordering a Stinger in the Spy Bar at Raffles London just recently. This minty digestif sees cognac laced with white mint liqueur; it’s typically shaken and served “up” in a coupe or over crushed ice. Spy Bar makes its own After Eight-infused crème de menthe, but Tempus Fugit (£31.50 for 70cl, bbr.com) is also excellent. Another liqueur due a revival, according to drinks writer and co-owner of the Pacific Standard in Portland, Oregon, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, is the monastic nightcap Bénédictine DOM (£31.25, thewhiskyexchange.com) – he favours the “sweet, peppery, herbal French liqueur” in a rye whiskey-based La Louisiane cocktail. NoMad London’s Leo Robitschek, meanwhile, pleads the case for amaretto, particularly in a sour. If there’s a common theme in all of this, it’s the after-dinner drink. Perhaps 2025 will see the red-hot Margarita make way for something a bit more smouldering. 

Stinger

Some might find this old-school 3:1 formula a bit heavy on the crème de menthe. If in doubt, start with less and then work your way up.  60ml VSOP cognac or armagnac 20ml white crème de menthe (such as Tempus Fugit) Method: Shake with ice and then either strain into a cocktail glass, sans ice, or serve over crushed ice in a rocks glass. 

The Ultimate Guide to Aperitifs

From bittersweet to botanical, there’s an appetite-stimulating aperitif out there for everyone in this growing category

by Tyler Zielinski Mar 10, 2022, 10:04am ESTPhotography by Michelle Min

HumansHumans are creatures of habit, and that’s especially true when it comes to our drinking rituals. We drink coffee for its ability to wake us up, herbal tea for relaxation, and wine to pair with food. But to stimulate the appetite before a meal, there’s one drink category most Americans tend to forget about: the aperitif.

The aperitif — a word derived from the Latin verb “aperire,” meaning “to open” — is a category of low-ABV beverages defined by when they’re consumed rather than how they’re produced. An aperitif can be a liqueur, fortified or aromatized wine (e.g., sherry or vermouth, respectively), or an aperitivo bitter (e.g., Aperol or Campari), making the category diverse and approachable for both bon vivants and novice drinks alike.

While the mindful and ritualistic consumption of aperitifs is slowly catching on in the U.S., in Europe, especially Italy, France, and Spain, aperitifs have been at the center of late afternoon and evening drinking rituals for decades — and, in some cases, centuries.

In Italy, aperitifs are consumed during the pre-dinner aperitivo hour — a time when family and friends gather to enjoy low-ABV tipples along with small bites (cicchetti, in Italian) to unwind from the day. In France, they practice apéro (short for apéritif) with French tipples such as pastis and Pineau des Charentes. And in Spain, sherries and vermut (vermouth) whet the appetite during “el aperitivo,” with new vermuterias, or vermouth bars, experiencing a renaissance among millennial drinkers.

Although a culturally ingrained drinking occasion such as aperitivo hour has not yet gained a permanent foothold in the U.S., interest in low/no-ABV drinks is expanding. The segment grew by 30 percent in 2020, and became a nearly $10 billion industry in 2021. As a result, the Aperol spritz has become as ubiquitous as the vodka soda in most major cities around the country; new sober bars and bars that strictly serve low-ABV aperitif-style cocktails are popping up; and a new wave of aperitifs is flooding the market at an unprecedented pace.

To kickstart your personal aperitivo hour practice, I’ve scoured the world of aperitifs to put together a list of some of the hottest bottlings from both domestic and international producers, broken down by flavor characteristics. Whether you’re a hardcore spritzer looking for an alternative to Aperol, a G&T lover open to trying a low-ABV botanical spirit to replace the gin, or a bon vivant who is just looking for the next hot low-ABV product, there’s a must-try aperitif for everyone.

PM Spirits Oloroso Sherry 2021

PM Spirits is one of the most exciting U.S. importers and distributors of geeky spirits. The brand’s Project Sherries came to be after Nicolas Palazzi, owner of PM Spirits, and Eduardo Ojeda, co-owner of cult sherry bottlers Equipo Navazos and senior advisor to famed sherry producer Grupo Estévez, collaborated to release some of the finest sherries that Jerez has to offer.

The Oloroso sherry is aged for an average of 19 years, and is full-bodied and structured with notes of toasted hazelnuts, sesame seeds and walnuts, brown butter, leather, toffee, candied orange peel, and cinnamon. The flavor profile is balanced with a delicate acidity and salinity that makes it perfect for contemplative sipping. While it would also shine in a simple sherry cocktail such as a highball or Sherry Cobbler, at its price point, you’ll want to be sure your bartending skills are quite sharp.

Tximista Vermouth

As far as vermouths go, the Basque-produced Tximista is truly one of a kind. It’s the world’s first and only vermouth made with 100 percent Getariako Txakolina wine from sustainably farmed hondarrabi zuri grapes. The brand has two styles, rojo and blanco, both aromatized with local herbs, roots, and botanicals. The high-acid, mineral-driven Txakoli base makes these vermouths incredibly drinkable while also standing up beautifully in a vermouth and tonic or martini. The product made its debut in Spain in 2018, and it’s currently only available in New York, California, and Florida, with more states being added for distribution in the near future.