Good cognac is not a cheap pleasure. It is customary to drink it slowly, savoring and warming the glass in your hands to admire the fragrant aftertaste. The French prefer to drink a cup of coffee first, then enjoy cognac and smoke a cigar at the end. But those are the French, and we have different rules on this matter.
Only in Russia
We prefer to snack on this noble drink with lemon, from which foreigners fall into culture shock. It seems to them that the sharp citrus taste completely kills the tart aftertaste, which makes drinking brandy meaningless.
But, as they say, they don’t argue about taste and color, so I don’t see any reason to change the established traditions for the sake of French rules, especially since I really like the combination of cognac with lemon.
Where did it come from
When I decided to figure out where this custom of serving lemon with cognac came from, it turned out that the Russians came up with it. And not just anyone, but Nicholas II himself – a lover of magnificent banquets and a generous feast. There are two versions of the emergence of “fashion” to combine this alcoholic drink with sour fruit.
According to one version, it is believed that the great ruler liked to indulge in a strong drink from the very morning, but in order to avoid unnecessary moralizing from his wife, he poured brandy into a tea cup, which he drank with a slice of lemon sprinkled with sugar.
Either he did it to kill the smell, or to overshadow the strong taste, but in any case, from the outside, everything looked like an ordinary morning tea party and did not arouse anyone’s suspicions.
The second legend says that when Nicholas II first tried French cognac, he did not immediately like it. Unexpectedly, the tart taste seemed excessively bitter to the Russian Tsar, and he asked for a slice of lemon to seize the unpleasant aftertaste.
He liked this combination very much, and he taught all the courtiers to use this drink in this way. After that, it was customary at all banquets to serve brandy exclusively with sliced lemon, and over time this custom took root in Russia.
How to serve lemon with cognac
I have no doubt that drinking cognac with lemon has become a habit since the reign of Nicholas II, if only because this famous appetizer is usually called “nikolashka”. The younger generation of waiters today, perhaps, will be surprised if you ask them to make a “nicolaska” for brandy. But restaurateurs with experience know how to cook it and often do it on their own.
The classic version of the snack looks like this: a lemon is cut into thin rounds and folded onto a flat saucer.
One half of the slice is sprinkled abundantly with granulated sugar, and the second with ground coffee. It is necessary to pour so that the mixture is not completely absorbed into the lemon, but remains on the surface of the slice, that is, generously. After a sip of brandy, “nikolashka” is usually rolled up, clamped at both ends so that the filling does not spill out, and put into the mouth. I absolutely love this combination of flavors.
But those who do not like coffee can replace it with grated dark chocolate. Also an interesting option, but for me too sweet. Although it is worth noting that there are many supporters of snacking on brandy with pure chocolate.
I also met those who put red caviar on a lemon and complement a glass of cognac with such a peculiar snack.
For me, caviar is generally incomprehensible even with champagne, and after tasting it with cognac, I was once again convinced that red caviar only has a place on a sandwich with butter.