Brandy, and its upscale French cousin Cognac, have been going through something of an identity crisis of late. What was once a sipping drink of the older set turned trendy when Hip-Hop embraced a select handful of brands. However the category is being rebuilt thanks to innovative operators and refreshing cocktails.
Now, bar managers suggest, may be just the right time for Cognac to reinvent its image with a public that can be reintroduced to the spirit in various both classic and innovative cocktails around the country.
“I think the Cognac industry is trying to get itself out of two holes—the stoic snifter and the Hip-Hop crowd,” says Todd Appel, a bar consultant based in Chicago. “They need to appeal to a broader range of the U.S. Going after the mixology world is a good focus.”
Given Cognac and brandy’s slight decline last year—0.4% according to the Beverage Information Group: Cheers’ parent company—the industry seems to be sending out more ambassadors out into the field to educate accounts, say some bar managers. The top five brands for both remain E. & J., Hennessy, Paul Masson Brandy, Christian Brothers and Rémy Martin, which are the same as last year.
“Brands are making a huge effort to get out there and tout their products,” says Tammy LaNasa, beverage director of Sullivan’s Steakhouse, with 20 Sullivan’s, nine Del Frisco’s and two new concepts called Del Frisco’s Grille in New York and Sully’s Sidebar in Austin.
“Cognac ambassadors are on the streets a lot to really assist the units.” LaNasa also explains that, “They are doing consumer tastings and promotions in our bars to educate the consumer and help us sell more. They are also doing pre-shift meetings with our staff to taste them and train them to sell.”
The dip in sales has been linked to numerous things—including the economy. Some bar managers note that the high price point for both brandy and Cognac has definitely been somewhat of a barrier to the spirit in recent years. “I think the economy has an impact on all luxury brands, but we are seeing that come back strong,” says LaNasa.
Fernando Salazar, vice president of food and beverage at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, a Parsippany, New Jersey-based chain with 98 properties worldwide, adds that brandy and Cognac sales have also decreased due to the smoking bans across the country and the overall decrease in cigar smoking.
Despite the cause of the decline, bar managers agree that brandy and Cognac are posed to make a comeback—and cocktails are likely to be the driving force.
Classically Neat
Cognac is still enjoyed by many as a sipping drink, according to bar managers. “It is a beautiful spirit that gentlemen like to have with a cigar and ladies like to sip,” says LaNasa.
At Wyndham, Cognac is definitely preferred neat or on the rocks, says Salazar. Top Cognac brands are the iconic names Rémy Martin, Hennessy and Martell.
LaNasa notes that they sell a tremendous amount of Cognac at Sullivan’s—especially in the winter months. “Most people are requesting a specific brand and drinking their Cognac straight up,” she says. The top brands are Hennessy, Rémy Martin (Louis XIII) and Courvoisier.
The commitment to Cognac at Sullivan’s means in-depth training for the staff before the prime winter season. “It’s literally our focus for an entire week of training—tasting different Cognacs, learning about the history and having stories about the brands and the aging process,” says LaNasa. “This gives them the tools in their belt to recommend it to our guests.” Sullivan’s offers 30 brands, priced from $12 to $300.
Though Cognac brands have been experimenting with flavors and other niche items, bar managers agree that the focus should remain on the quality spirit. “The flavors aren’t going to sell in my opinion,” notes LaNasa.
Ted Kilgore, mixologist at the one-location cocktail-centric Niche Taste Bar in St. Louis, agrees. “I stay away from the flavors. If I were going to take Cognac and flavor it, I would probably do it myself. With most spirits if I want them flavored, I do it myself.”
Meanwhile, Appel thinks there might be a market for the flavors. “There are many layers to the market and the flavors might work well on the target they are going after, without hurting the markets that want traditional and quality Cognacs,” he says. The challenges, he admits, is balancing the new entries with the hard-core fans.
Classic Cocktails
The classic cocktails trend that is fueling much experimentation in the cocktail scene is also helping Cognac’s image. “Putting Cognac in a cocktail is a good way to recreate the Cognac image,” says Salazar. “It’s a waste of money to put an XO in a drink, but VS and other Cognacs are good for mixing.”
With the help of Phoenix-based cocktail consultant Kim Haasarud, Salazar plans to offer a bunch of Hennessey cocktails. For example, the Whiskey Clover ($9 to $12) is made with Hennessy Cognac and Knob Creek Bourbon, honey water, fresh squeezed orange juice and lemon, and the Black & Blue Hennessey Smash is made with Hennessy VS, lemon, blueberries and Monin Blackberry. Women are mostly drinking these types of cocktails, according to Salazar. “It’s been great to see more and more women who enjoy drinking Bourbon, Cognac, scotch and other brown spirits whereas just a few years ago, many of them were drinking only vodka. So, as awareness and appreciation for whiskey grows, so is the need to have more whiskey cocktails on menus.”
Appel says that most Cognac consumption he’s seeing is in classic quaffs. “Classic drinks that use Cognac as a base work really well,” he says, adding that he uses Cognac in various menus because he likes the spirit.
For example, he makes a take on a Manhattan, which mixes Camus VSOP, Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters. Appel’s Washington Island is made with Pierre Ferrand Amber Cognac, Angostura Bitters, Fenitman’s Ginger Beer and orange slices.
“Cognac has been turned to as a base spirit,” explains Kilgore. He notes that while popular, Hennessy or Courvoisier are generally too expensive to be mixed. Kilgore uses Camus, who he admits having a relationship with, in various cocktails, including the popular Cognac Old Fashioned.
“I’m surprised at how many people drink Cognac as a base spirit,” he says. “Cognac is the bridge between rum and Bourbon because of the smokiness and slightly sweeter style.”
Kilgore notes that he uses Cognac as a mixed base. “As an undercurrent of base spirit with rum to bring out more of the fruit flavors in a cocktail.”
“I think it’s just a matter of people being more adventurous,” says Kilgore. “Cognac is lesser known than rum, which is slowly growing. It’s been a long haul. People think of rum as sweet and Cognac as expensive.”
His Continental Sidecar ($10) is made with Camus VS, St. Germain, Aperol, lemon, Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters. “When I came up with that drink, I was looking to pull the floral notes from the Camus by combining it with the St. Germain,” explains Kilgore.
Another popular drink is the Black Market Fizz ($10), which is made with Earl Grey infused-sweet Vermouth, lemon, egg whites, Camus in a fizz.
Brandy
Some bar managers agree that brandy is becoming a harder sell, though many say it’s also due for an image makeover.
“The best Brandies are actually more expensive [than Cognac] —the price point is just too hard,” says Kilgore, adding that there are a few new entries being made with pinot noir or chardonnay, like Germain-Robin.
At Niche, the Western Paradise is made with W.L. Weller twelve-year-old Bourbon, Laird’s Apple Brandy, Drambuie, Dolin Blanc and Bitter Truth Cajun Bitters.
Brandy, Salazar says, is called for less and less—it is primarily used in cocktails. Popular brandy brands at Wyndham include Christian Brothers and Korbel.
“For brandy, it’s a lack of education and maybe effort for educating the consumer,” says Salazar. Though he didn’t have any available to share for this story, they are planning to create some brandy cocktails for the winter season.
As the winter months fall upon us, it’s clear that bar managers are excited about the opportunity to reinvent brandy and Cognac through cocktails— classic or otherwise.
“We need to get Cognac as a day-to-day thing,” says Kilgore. “Cognac needs to become something you can have after work while sitting on your back porch or in a long drink.”
SIDEBAR
Sophisticated Cocktails
By Liza B. Zimmerman
Many brands and their ambassadors are taking the lead in crafting cutting edge cocktails that appeal to operators and have found their way onto many lists. At Foreign Cinema, in San Francisco’s hip Mission District, and Lazlo’s, the cocktail lounge right next to it, head mixologist Bryan Ranere is serving up two refreshing Hennessy-based drinks that are similar to the ones below served at the Château in Cognac.
The Hennessy Ginger and the Hennessy Berry are part of the brand’s Hennessy remixed lineup of drinks. They are simple and refreshing quaffs that can also pair well with food.
The Hennessy Ginger
1 ½ ounces of Hennessy
1 ½ ounces of ginger ale
1 lime wedge, for garnish
Stir the ingredients in a shaker over ice and garnish with a lime.
The Hennessy Berry
1 ½ ounces of Hennessy
1 ½ ounces of cranberry juice
1 lime wedge, for garnish
Stir the ingredients in a shaker over ice and garnish with a lime.