Most cheap domestic cognacs (grape brandies) do not have the original aromatic bouquet or taste. During the feast, they are drunk in piles like vodka. To kill the burning taste of alcohol, such cognac can be washed down with one of the soft drinks. I will talk about the most suitable combinations later.
Aged French cognacs are drunk only in their pure form, washed down with their analogues of a small exposure (3-5 years). Suitable drinks:
1. Car. Despite the skepticism of connoisseurs who believe that diluting good brandy with soda is blasphemy, cognac with cola remains an absolute hit of youth parties in Europe and the USA. Coca-Cola or Pepsi is suitable.
The ingredients are pre-cooled or a few ice cubes are added to the glass. The optimal proportion is 1:1. For many, cognac with cola gives off a taste of rubber, which helps to get rid of a little instant coffee or lemon juice added to the “cocktail”.
Attention! Due to carbon dioxide, which accelerates the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, cognac in combination with cola quickly intoxicates. Be careful.
2. Juice. The owner of the most prestigious cognac house, Richard Hennessy, believes that the juice in cognac not only reduces the strength, but also adds new notes, making the taste richer. Hennessy advises diluting cognac with juice for women and young people who are accustomed to low-alcohol drinks.
Experts explain this shocking statement by a steady global trend towards a drop in cognac sales, especially among young people. No matter what you do to keep your profits.
Cognac is diluted with orange, cherry, apple, lemon, pomegranate or grape juice in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 (one part of cognac to 3-4 parts of the selected juice). The finished mix is best served in a highball glass filled with ice. It turns out a refreshing drink of low strength. Naturally, the taste of cognac is almost not felt.
3. Coffee (tea). Coffee is the only drink whose combination with cognac is recognized even by adherents of traditional cognac culture. The rule is called “3C” (Cafe, Cognac, Cigare). True, cognac connoisseurs do not drink it down. First they drink a cup of coffee, then they move on to cognac, and only then they smoke cigars.
During an ordinary feast, you can drink cognac with cold coffee, but you can’t get carried away, especially if you have health problems. Caffeine combined with alcohol puts a lot of stress on the heart.
Tea with cognac is usually drunk for warmth, insomnia or headaches. By itself, this combination cannot be called tasty, but in extreme cases, when you want to drink cognac, but there is nothing else at hand, it will do.
4. Mineral water. The only reason to drink cognac with mineral water (necessarily non-carbonated, so as not to get drunk quickly) is to reduce the fortress. After diluting with water, cognac becomes cloudy and completely loses its taste.
The same effect is obtained when mixed with soda or tonic. Sometimes ice is added to the glass. The taste of alcohol disappears, but drinking the resulting “burda” is a very dubious pleasure.
5. Milk. You can drink cognac with fresh (not sour) milk, which in this case reduces the load on the liver. Digestive problems arise only with individual intolerance to such a combination. The taste is very specific, but some people like it.
