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. 

Food & Wine: 7 Cognacs for Sipping, Mixing Into Cocktails, and Gifting, From $50 to $700

Cognac is still one of the most exciting spirits on the market.

Walking into the cellars of the Château de Cognac is as close to time travel as I’ve ever come. The structure traces its roots back to the 10th century, when it was built as a fortress overlooking the Charente River in southwest France; half a millennium later, King François I was born there. Today, it’s home to the Cognac producers Baron Otard and D’Ussé, and the cellars, with their arched ceilings and stacks of age-darkened barrels, feel somehow apart from time.

Still, Cognac is far from stuck in the past. In 2023, Fawn Weaver, spirits-industry powerhouse and founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, acquired Domaine Saint Martin in Grande Champagne; the brand is among the few Black-owned Cognac producers, an example of how this ancient region is still evolving.

Cognac is arguably the most famous brandy in the world. It’s a highly regulated spirit, distilled twice in copper pots from wine produced primarily from Ugni Blanc grapes. Other varieties are permitted, but Ugni is king, thanks to its ability to retain its freshness through both fermentation and distillation. Like all wine regions, Cognac is broken up into smaller zones, and each of those six specific crus has its own particular terroir and microclimate that shape the grapes that grow there. 

What’s the Difference Between VS, VSOP, and XO Cognac?

The best Cognacs, like the region itself, seem to both defy and embody the graceful passage of the years. “Not only in the aging of the liquid — but in the fact that Cognac is not traditionally born from a single eau-de-vie. Rather, it is a blend of different estates, ages, and crus,” explains Vincent Chappe, the longtime global ambassador for Bisquit & Dubouché. “Blending a unique and rich Cognac is a complex and delicate art, executed by the master blender to yield a liquid that is an alchemy of time and place."

Blending, in general, is one of the keys to Cognac’s success. And unlike most other spirits, Cognacs can be aged in both dry and humid cellars; in the former, more water evaporates through the porous wood staves, which leaves a different imprint on the liquid inside than those passing their years in damper cellars receive.

As for those letters adorning bottles across brands, they’re simply an indication of the age of the youngest spirit in the blend. VS (Very Special) means at least two years old; VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), a minimum of four; XO (Extra Old) is a minimum of 10 years.

But it’s important to note that older is not necessarily better. As with all aged spirits, both older and more youthful expressions can be excellent. The key is to drink broadly, across a range of producers and styles — perhaps starting with these seven choices.

Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend XO premier Cru de Cognac Grande Champagne

Layered with character and complexity, this XO comes from estate-grown grapes that were crushed, fermented, distilled, and aged in humid cellars by Frapin. The result is sweet with cooked honey, baked apples, and dried apricots, plus light peppermint and cedar accents.

Vinepair: We Asked 12 Bartenders: Which Cognac Offers the Best Bang For Your Buck?

There’s a longstanding visual that’s often associated with drinking Cognac. It involves an old, rich white guy in a smoking jacket sitting by a roaring fireplace, slowly and joylessly swirling the liquid in the broad-based snifter in his palm. Despite the category’s efforts to distance itself from this stuffy stereotype, it persists. This assumption does more than convey pretentiousness — it implies that Cognac is the forbidden fruit of the spirits world, unattainable unless you have deep pockets.

This is untrue: Cognac is for everyone, and for every budget. There are plenty of cost-effective Cognac options to enjoy with friends in your living room, either on its own or in a Sazerac or a Sidecar — you can even swap it in for the gin in a French 75 if you’re feeling saucy. Here, we asked a dozen bartenders to share their thoughts on the Cognacs that punch above their price tags — and punch a hole through its perceived stodginess.

The best bang-for-buck Cognacs, according to bartenders:

• Hennessy VS

• Frapin 1270

• Ansac VS

• Monnet Cognac VS

• Pierre Ferrand 1840

• Martell VSOP

• Remy Martin VSOP

• Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal

• Cognac Park “Carte Blanche”

“I’d never been a fan of Cognac until one of my trusted liquor reps insisted I try Cognac Frapin 1270. It was life-changing; I immediately fell in love with it. The delicate yet well-rounded flavors of vanilla, dried fruits, and nuts have such a smooth finish. It makes it almost impossible for me to not want to enjoy a nice cigar and conversation while sipping it slowly to savor every taste.” —Ravin Buzzell, general manager & bar director, Argyle Restaurant, Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.

UPROXX: Can’t Miss Cognacs For Fall, According To Bartenders

If you’re a bourbon or dark rum drinker and you’re not on the cognac bandwagon by now… what are you possibly waiting for? Fall is an especially great time to start enjoying this flavorful French, grape-based brandy. Grab a bottle, drink it neat, and enjoy the warming, rich, sweet flavor profile on a cool autumn night.

The spirit — which gets its name from the city of Cognac and the surrounding wine-growing regions — is well-known for its complex flavor profile, featuring caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, spices, and other notes that all appeal to whiskey and dark rum drinkers. It even has various levels (VS, VSOP, XO, etc.) letting you know how long it spent aging in oak Limousin barrels.

Don’t take our word for it though. The folks who bide their time behind the bar love this nuanced, exciting spirit even more than we do. That’s why we asked a handful of well-respected bartenders and mixologists to tell us the best cognacs to drink this fall. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks so you’ll know which bottles to add to your home bar cart.

Frapin 1270 Cognac

Steven Dinsmore-George, bartender at The Pembroke in Washington, DC

ABV: 40%
Average Price: $55

The Cognac:

Frapin 1270 Cognac is a can’t-miss fall cognac. This single estate, Grande Champagne cognac is well-known for its indulgent, almost dessert-like palate that makes it an exceptional drink to finish a heavy meal on a cool fall evening.

Tasting Notes:

It has a wonderful smoky start and a spiced finish that will highlight any fall spirit-forward cocktail such as a Sazerac or a Japanese Cocktail. It also makes for a delightful after-dinner drink by itself.

Barrel Hunting in Cognac: Unearthing Hidden Treasures in Dusty Old Cellars

There’s a popular vision of Cognac that’s all blinged out and dripping: crystal decanters, tasting rooms that look like jewelry stores and five-figure bottlings. This image is dominated by a handful of huge brands everyone recognizes: Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier—the so-called Big Four, which sell nearly 90% of the Cognac consumed worldwide, according to the International Wines and Spirits Record. But there is another side of Cognac, too. One that’s based more on the gritty agricultural reality of the region.

I saw it on a cold, gray day last winter at an unassuming farm in the small village of Verrières. This was probably the last place I’d expect to find pricey Cognac, but I was on a barrel hunt with Guilhem Grosperrin, among the new wave of négociants whose limited-edition releases are quickly becoming the most coveted bottles in Cognac. We visited one of the 150 small producers in his network, where Grosperrin crawls around old cellars looking for rare brandies.

When we arrived at the farm, four barking dogs rushed out to us, followed by a ruddy-faced septuagenarian who was still dressed from his boar hunt earlier in the day. Cognac is a secretive, rivalrous place and I was introduced to the man in hunting attire as only Marcel, no last name. Marcel eyed me suspiciously, then asked, “Well, does he like to drink?” Grosperrin chuckled and told Marcel that, yes, I liked to drink very much. With the ice broken, we stepped into his dark, dusty cellar to taste from his barrels, which had been aging since as early as the 1980s. “Sorry it’s dirty in here. I haven’t distilled since 2012,” Marcel said.

The nonstop luxury messaging from the Big Four makes people forget Cognac’s origin as wine. We sipped liquid from Marcel’s barrels that had begun as grapes in the family’s 10-hectare vineyard, which he picked, pressed, fermented and distilled. It’s a similar story for the roughly 4,300 winegrowers in Cognac, most of whom grow less than 20 hectares specifically for Cognac production. During his career, Marcel sold most of his stock to one Big Four house or another. But he always saved a few special barrels for himself. “What they keep is for pleasure, or patrimony, or as souvenirs, or for reasons that are not necessarily logical,” Grosperrin told me.

By age eight, Marcel was able to light the still, which he did in the morning while his father tended to the cows. Marcel remembers a wealthy neighbor who’d been a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II. That man wrote to his family from prison: “Cut down all the trees if you have to, but don’t stop distilling. Distill, distill, distill.” After the war, this guy’s cellar was full, and he became rich. Meanwhile, Marcel’s family had to rebuild its stocks. “The value of money is just in your head,” he said. “But the value of Cognac is solid, and you don’t lose it.”

To whiskey drinkers, single-cask offerings may seem like old hat. But it’s a relatively new phenomenon in brandy. Cognac is actually following a model that’s already been successful for Armagnac. Single-barrel Armagnac from négociants like L’Encantada are catching the fancy of American whiskey connoisseurs tired of paying whiskey prices. The problem in Armagnac is that the existing stock of barrels is small and shrinking.

That offers an opportunity for Cognac, where there is seemingly endless stock. Though, as Grosperrin points out, “It’s much more complicated to buy a cask here than in Armagnac. In Cognac, the producers are richer, and they don’t need small independent bottlers. They have contracts with the big houses.”

It’s still the early stages for the single-barrel Cognac revolution, and we’re just beginning to see these bottles in the U.S. La Maison du Whiskey’s “Through the Grapevine” series was one of the first to appear. PM Spirits has done several limited-edition bottlings, and this year has released rare single-cask offerings from renowned producers Frapin and Remi Landier. Last spring, Grosperrin released bottlings in the U.S. for the first time in several years. Importer Heavenly Spirits has released two single-barrel bottlings from the famed estate Jean Fillioux. Vallein-Tercinier and Jean-Luc Pasquet have plans to bring more of their single-cask offerings into the States.

To be clear, at the moment, single-barrel Cognac is still the domain of aficionados, with prices running more than $200 per bottle. But they’re still a fraction of something like Rémy Martin Louis XIII or Hennessy Paradis Imperial (both more than $3,000). Much of the price of those blingy brand names is wrapped up in specially designed decanters. The new wave of single-barrel offerings is something rarer and scarcer. “This is for people who want the unexpected. It’s a different philosophy. It’s outside of the current market,” said Vingtier.

BRANDY - From Cognac to California, the historic spirit’s influence runs deep.

JUICY FRUIT

From vineyard or orchard to bottle and bar, brandy’s influence runs deep.

Cognac, Armagnac, applejack, schnapps—in whichever form brandy is found, these spirits made from fruit have no parallel in the glass. While whisk(e)y, tequila, and rum get lots of love these days (deservedly so) from cocktail lovers and spirits drinkers, brandy is evolving and emerging on its own terms, slowly building a fan base to take this timeless spirit into the future.

We’re taking a closer look at today’s world of brandy—the ways it’s made and appreciated around the world, the details behind its complex production, and the reasons it should be the next bottle you reach for when cocktail hour rolls around.

Nicolas Palazzi

Bordeaux-born and Brooklyn based, Palazzi is the importer behind PM Spirits, specializing in independent spirits such as L’Encantada Armagnac, Cognac Frapin, and Cobrafire eau-de-vie de raisin.

“Something that’s really cool is when you’re in a brandy cellar, with 50, 60, 100 casks in front of you; even if they’re from the same batch of distillation, every cask is its own world. You could taste 15 casks distilled the same day, and you’ll find tremendous differences between them—whereas something like bourbon would be very consistent. There’s so much aroma and flavor profile available in brandy. If someone thinks Cognac is just one thing and it’s boring or they don’t like it, I assure you, I can find a single-cask Cognac that’ll blow your socks off. It’s a world that deserves to be discovered, for sure.”

20 BEST COGNAC BRANDS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Cognac is the perfect aperitif, it’s rich, complex, aromatic, and ideal for aiding digestion after a delicious, filling meal. It’s also an excellent addition in classic cocktails like a sidecar or as a twist on others like a French 75 or Old Fashioned. The Cognac region, in southwest France, is the only place in the world where it can be produced. Within it, there are six growing regions, known as crus. Strict laws dictate that the specific grape varietals (Ugni Blanc is the most common) must come from here. Plus, producers must also adhere to distillation processes and time and aging protocols to bear the name Cognac. Many Maisons (houses) have been making cognac from these vineyards for hundreds of years. They’ve passed knowledge down from generation to generation, perfecting every drop of the amber liquid that gets bottled.

20. Guillon Painturaud

Patience is the key ingredient that makes the cognac from Guillon Painturaud so good. It’s a small, family-owned producer, who’s Grande Champagne estate has been in the family since 1610. The youngest offering in their collection of nearly ten styles is the VSOP, which has aged for five years and is bold and balanced, displaying all the unique terroir characteristics. There’s also a Reserve, or XO equivalent, with toasted, vanilla, and spice notes with a deep finish. It ages for ten years. Decades of aging go into the Hors Age, resulting in candied apricot and citrus notes, with touches of wood and chocolate. The oldest in the collection is the Cognac Mémoires, which marks the generational change and transmission of knowledge from grandfather to grandson in 1965. It’s limited and rare but boasts and deep intensity and aromatic complexity.

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Cognac Hommage a Yves & Jean-Noel Pelletan 

This limited-edition, single-cask cognac (along with a few demijohns) consists of a blend of eaux de vie that was distilled between 1925 and 1965, so this is truly a taste of cognac history. Just 870 bottles were released this past October, and it was named after a father and son cooperage team who hold the title of Maitres Artisans Tonneliers and are important figures in the cognac category. This is truly a legendary spirit that will not reappear.

The Best Cognacs to Stock in Your Home Bar

Don’t have a bottle of Cognac on your bar? You should.

Cognac—which is a type of brandy (we'll get to that)—has always had an unfairly snooty image. It’s the building block for the Sidecar and the original Sazarac—real down-to-earth cocktail classics. As a result of the French embrace of Black servicemen in World War II, they drank it often. Before it was getting shouted out by everyone in rap, from Tupac to Drake, Hennessy became the first spirits company to place ads in Ebony and Jet magazines. (It was also was omnipresent at my cousins’ weddings at Chinese banquet halls, where there was a bottle of Hennessy on every table, right next to a two-liter of 7-Up for mixing.) Cognac has history, and it's not just pinched-face old white guys in smoking jackets swirling snifters, is what I'm saying. So yes, while you can easily shell out thousands of dollars for aged Cognac in Baccarat crystal, there are great bottles at every price point.

Best Bang-For-Your-Buck Cognacs

Paul Beau VSOP

None of the Cognacs in this category are what you would call cheap, but the idea here is value. “Paul Beau VSOP is an exquisite spirit that sells for around $60, but what makes it a great value is that this VSOP is really an average age of 15 years old,” says Thorn. “This could be labeled as an XO, which would typically fetch at least $100.”

Guillon-Painturaud VSOP Grande Champagne

Similarly, Guillon-Painturaud VSOP Cognac is also an average age of fifteen years old, far exceeding the VSOP designation. “Line Guillon-Painturaud produces on her family’s 18 hectare estate, and she is one of the few female master distillers in Cognac,” Thorn says. “Her Cognacs are elegant and fruit forward, and they are ridiculously good value considering the ages that are in the bottles.”

Navarre Vieille Reserve

“Navarre Cognacs are such a treat. Jacky Navarre is a fourth-generation distiller, and his production methods are slow and old-school. He hand-harvests the grapes, distills in small batches, and does not reduce with water, but instead allows reduction to take place only in barrel over time. The average age is 40 to 50 years old. Navarre Vieille Reserve is around $250 retail, and it is worth it.” —Kellie Thorn

Straight From the Barrel

“...Hommage a Yves & Jean-Noel Pelletan, the rare cask-strength Cognac, has a boldness that belies the softly nuanced quality its category is known for.”