Brandy in the Mix
The majority of brandy consumption on-premise these days is in cocktails, both classic and new wave.
“Brandy still has an air of luxury, and you can play into that and talk about a Cognac cocktail in a different light than a rum or gin drink,” says Sam Treadway, bar manager and co-owner of Backbar in Somerville, MA. Most of Backbar’s brandy sales are from cocktails. He cites the Sidecar, Vieux Carre, Champs Elysees, Scaffa, Brandy Alexander and Sazerac as prime examples.
“Brandy adds a fruitiness to cocktails that isn’t as obvious as adding, say, strawberry puree. In this way, you can make refreshing and interesting sours that have a more complex flavor.” It also brings depth and richness to a drink, he says. The Vieux Carre, made with Cognac, rye, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and bitters, “has definitely stood the test of time,” says Treadway.
What’s more, brandy lends itself to modern mixology. Treadway, for example, infuses Cognac with foie gras and then mixes the result in cocktails such as a brandy Manhattan or a Brandy Sour with red currants and lavender.
“At Celeste, brandy is more cocktail-driven,” says Horocki. A new creation is Mr. Yuzu’s Cognac Dreamsicle, made with Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, El Dorado 5-Year Rum, Pineau des Charentes, a house-made vanilla-yuzu cordial and Grand Marnier.
The frozen Electric Pisco Colada Kappa was a summer fave: a creamy blend of pisco, roasted pineapple, coconut milk and Crème de Noyeaux. All cocktails are $13.
Totally dedicated to the spirit of the grape is The Cognac Room in San Francisco. The intimate bar tucked away on the second level of Gaspar Brasserie is part of Franck LeClerc’s four-restaurant group.
“We have the largest brandy-based cocktail program on the West Coast—perhaps nationally,” says lead bartender John Codd (pictured atop in lead photo).
Formerly with The Slanted Door Group, Codd was brought in to create the bar program at The Cognac Room, which opened in June.
Codd perused hundreds of vintage cocktail books for inspiration, gleaning 50 brandy-based recipes for The Cognac Room. “I found a lot of hidden gems, some pre-Prohibition cocktails I’d never heard of, some of which have become my favorites—and my customers’.”
A leather-bound menu lists drinks such as the Depth Bomb, with Calvados, Cognac, grenadine, demerara syrup and lemon bitters; and the Sahara Glowing Heart, with Citadella gin, apricot eau de vie, grenadine and absinthe; and a Calvados Negroni. All cocktails are priced at $12.
Pisco Poised to Conquer
One trend in the imported brandy sector is the increasing popularity of pisco. Although both Chile and Peru make the grape spirit, more Peruvian pisco is exported to the U.S.
Most craft cocktail lounges have a bottle or two on the backbar. But the average consumer still doesn’t know much about pisco—including that it is a member of the brandy family. More education is needed, say proponents.
“It’s been a crusade of ours, teaching our customers about pisco and getting them to try cocktails,” says Nathan Dalton, bar director of Felipe’s Taqueria, a casual-dining Mexican concept in New Orleans. “We are converting one person at a time.”
When the first Felipe’s Taqueria opened in 2008, no one in the New Orleans area was offering much in the way of Latin American spirits. After some research, the owners decided to focus the beverage program on that underserved niche.
Although Felipe’s, which now includes five units and one Tiki Tolteca bar, offers tequila, mezcal, cachaça and other Latin spirits, pisco is the star.
Felipe’s restaurants carry all the piscos Dalton can get his hands on; about 15 different kinds, made from different grapes and in several styles, including both Peruvian and Chilean. Most of the consumption is via cocktails, of which the most popular is the iconic Pisco Sour.
“A few years ago, all bartenders knew how to make was a Pisco Sour,” Dalton says. “Now there is more experimentation.”
Cocktails at Felipe’s, priced from $7 to $13, are served in colorful, hand-blown Mexican glassware. A good starting point for newcomers is the Chilcano ($9), a refreshing mix of house-made ginger beer, pisco and lime juice. Other popular calls are Pisco Punch ($13), made with Italia Mosto Verde pisco, house pineapple-infused gum syrup and Key lime juice; and El Capitaine ($9), a pisco Martini with sweet French vermouth.