Changing the cognac culture in India - article featuring Remy Martin and LOUIS XIII - by Karina Agarwal - Liquid magazine - Jul-Aug 2012 - India

1. cover story
The grand
Think cognac and immediately
your mind drifts to an image of
a wood panelled room with a
cognac
distinguished gentleman sitting
in a red leather, high back chair
beside a toasty flame, with a
cognac-filled balloon glass in
one hand and a cigar in the
other. To most of us, that’s the
culture
right way to drink cognac, isn’t
it? Not anymore.
Text : Karina Aggarwal
C
ognac has always been
associated with a sense
of prestige, and rightly
so. Much like Champagne, this
choice brandy is a product of its
appellation. To be worthy of the
title, the grapes used and the
distillation of the spirit have to be
within six specified districts called
crus, each with its own unique
characteristics.
Divided into roughly concentric
circles in 1938, the most
significant of these crus, Grande
Champagne, lies in the heart of
the area. Particularly desirable
because of its chalky soil, the
grapes here are considered the
finest. Beyond the circumference
of Grande Champagne lies Petite
Champagne, which has the second
highest chalk concentration and
then onwards to Borderies, Fin
Bois, Bon Bois and Bois Ordinaires.
Fine Champagne Cognac requires
©Andia / Alamy
JULY-AUGUST 2012 17

2. at least 50% of its grapes from While some drinkers still subscribe
Grande Champagne and the rest
from Petit Champagne. Rémy
to the notion of cognac as a ‘winter
Martin—one of the ‘Big Four’ drink’ or a middle-aged man’s
cognac producers in the world prerogative, others have shattered
along with Courvoisier, Hennessey
and Martell, produces 80% of all
such illusions.
Fine Champagne Cognac.
Times a changing
While some drinkers still subscribe
to the notion of cognac as a ‘winter
drink’ or a middle-aged man’s
prerogative, others have shattered
such illusions. Napoleon’s preferred
nightcap is no longer just an after-
dinner affair.
Cognac with additives may
make the purists cringe, but it has
broadened the base of cognac
drinkers considerably. In fact, if
some traditionalists skipped the
cries of heresy to delve instead into
how V.S.O.P is drunk in the land of
Cognac; tonic water, ginger ale and
even cranberry juice would make a
frequent appearance in all reports.
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3. decades. After a struggle through
the doldrums of the 1990s, cognac
found resurrection in the United
States from an unlikely source.
Rappers Sean “P. Diddy” Combs,
Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, Ludacris and
others melded the prestige of
cognac with the ostentation of their
hip-hop lives. From references in
their lyrics, to being ambassadors
for brands, they opened up a
Vincent Cleme, Brand
Ambassador, Louis XIII, India, says
that in Cognac, France, the brown
spirit is had over ice from 10 am to
10 pm, in tall glasses, mixed with
juices and sodas, as people lounge
by the pool on a hot summer’s day.
It is a simple fact—cognac has so
much character and flavour that it
holds its own no matter what you
add to it. To everyone who brushes After a struggle
it off as a winter drink, Cleme has
one question, “Single malt and
through
cognac are both aged, brown the 1990s,
spirits with 40 per cent alcohol cognac found
content, yet people drink single
resurrection in
© Juri Bizgajmer | Dreamstime.com
malt through the year. So, why the
difference?” the UNITED STATES
The patterns of cognac drinking from an unlikely
have been changing around the source.
world, especially over the past two
JULY-AUGUST 2012 19

4. Generally considered one of the
large new demographic of young most aromatic spirits, cognac has
African-American drinkers who always been an important part of
called for cognac-based cocktails
named ‘Thug Passion’ and ‘French
the history of cocktails.
Connection’. The hip-hop kings
Generally considered one of Art of Mixing Cocktails mention this
might have been a stark contrast to
the most aromatic spirits, cognac amber spirit as a base for many a
the audience the French grape-
has always been an important classic cocktail including the original
growers envisioned for their brands,
part of the history of cocktails, Sidecar, a blend of VSOP Cognac,
but they caused a tripling of sales in
and a favourite of mixologists Triple Sec and fresh lemon juice.
America in 2005, compared to the
because of how well it lends itself Now, there are a host of new ones.
decade before.
to concoctions. Early cocktail bibles The popular Rémy cocktails include
A cognac cult
such as Robert Vermeire’s 1922, the French Mojito with Rémy V.S.O.P
Today, the United States continues
Cocktails: How to Mix Them and and the Gingertini (Rémy Martin
to be cognac’s largest market,
David Embury’s 1948, The Fine V.S.O.P with Angostura bitters).
while Asia’s voracious appetite for
aspirational products has led to
thriving markets in China, Vietnam
and the Philippines as well. Cleme
says that the current club trend
amongst the young Chinese
working population is to party the
night away sipping on a cognac
cocktail or a cognac with Red Bull.
“In China, an increasing number
of 25- to 30-year-olds are picking
© Orlando Florin Rosu | Dreamstime.com
cognac. Beer is what they drank
at 16, tequila and vodka they had
as students, single malt is their
parent’s drinks, so cognac is their
choice—sophisticated and fresh,”
he explains.
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5. © Ben Goode | Dreamstime.com
Changing with time
Rémy Martin cognac has been
available in India for long, but it’s
just two years since their Rémy
Cointreau subsidiary was set-up
here. Since then, they’ve been
working to make people discover
alternate ways of drinking cognac.
The Rémy Iceboxx, part of the
‘Chill with Remy’ initiative, has
been their most standout attempt
at revolutionising the way to enjoy
cognac. The Iceboxx serves a shot
of Rémy Martin V.S.O.P at -18°C.
A single shot is priced at `700 in
Mumbai. It delivers an astonishingly
aromatic explosion of vanilla, peach
and orange, and has managed
to create quite a buzz in the bars
across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru,
Chennai and Goa.
While the V.S.O.P gains
popularity with young drinkers,
the XO remains the bastion of
the connoisseurs and Louis XIII
continues to be the most desirable
cognac from the house of Rémy.
One of the great distillates on the
planet, from snifter to a shot glass,
Rémy Martin shows how cognac
can lend itself to any occasion.
JULY-AUGUST 2012 21

6. Reintroducing the grand
Courting cognac: Cognac is Vintage: Even though cognac is math and it is the equivalent of
made from eau-de-vie, which is made from grapes, unlike wine or more than 20 million bottles a
pure alcohol that is distilled from Champagne, the vintage hardly year—that’s the angel’s share. It
grapes (distilled wine). Watery matters. Since cognac is always sponsors all the parties in heaven!
and transparent, it is the ageing a blend of various eaux-de-vie The grades: Each grade of cognac
of the eau-de-vie in French oak (except for a few limited editions), requires a different ageing of the
barrels that creates the brandy it is the master blender who bears spirit, to soften the harsh flavours
and gives it its rich amber colour. the responsibility of creating the and develop the bouquet. The
Sometimes caramel is added, too, perfectly blended batch every time. V.S (Very Special) or three stars,
but is not very likely. The art of Distillation: The pressed grapes needs a minimum of two years
blending various aged eaux-de-vie are fermented into a wine of about in the casks. Réserve or V.S.O.P.
is the heart and soul of cognac 8 to 9 per cent alcohol and put (Very Superior Old Pale) is a blend
production. While all cognac is into an onion-shaped copper in which the youngest brandy is
brandy, all brandy is not cognac. pot still called alembic, meaning stored for at least four years. For
Grape varietal: Cognacs that carry still, in Arabic. Two distillations XO (Extra Old), Hors d’Age or
the name of the crus are required are completed and the resultant Napoleon, the youngest brandy in
by law to contain 90 per cent of colourless eau-de-vie has 70 per the blend, must be at least six-and-
Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Folle cent alcohol. It is then aged in a-half-years. Come April 2016, the
Blanche grapes. Lesser amounts barrels, blended and brought down minimum storage age for an XO
of Jurançon, Select, Semillon and to 40 per cent alcohol content blend will be 10 years. In general,
Montils grapes can legally be used. before it is bottled. each cognac house uses eau-de-
Ugni Blanc is called Saint-Émilion The angel’s share: With cognac, vie much older than the minimum
Charente in France and Trebbiano time is money in more ways than requirements in their blends, mostly
in Italy, and although it is the best one. The longer it is aged, the spanning a few decades.
candidate for distillation and ageing more refined and premium it is Seduction phase: The correct
of cognacs, the high acidity of the considered. But, while it ages, way of tasting cognac involves the
Ugni Blanc makes it a bad varietal cognac evaporates at a rate of ‘two-fold seduction phase’, which
for wines. about 3 per cent a year. Do the prepares your nose and palate for
what you are about to taste. This
is the Rémy Martin way of doing
it—begin by swirling the Rémy
in your glass in level with your
stomach. Inhale the cognac from a
distance and experience the lift of
aromas. Bring the glass closer to
your nose and notice the different
layers of aromas. Finally, smell for
the third time by burying your nose
within the glass for a complete
experience of the sheer opulence
of the cognac. When you taste,
the first should be just a drop on
the tongue. Wet your lips and let
© Dimasobko | Dreamstime.com
the single drop coat your palate.
This acclimatises your palate and
avoids the ‘burn’ that many people
experience from cognac.
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7. Louis XIII Fine Champagne Cognac
It was first created in 1874 and is a culmination of the skill of four
named after the ‘protector of different master blenders or maître
cognac’—France’s King Louis de chai. The current cellarmaster,
XIII, who was the first monarch to Pierrette Trichet—the only female
acknowledge cognac as a spirit maître de chai at a major cognac
category of its own. With a bouquet firm—blends aged eaux-de-vie
of about 250 aromas including from casks that were selected by
scents of myrrh, honey, plum, her predecessors. Simultaneously,
honeysuckle, wood bark, leather and she casks young brandies that will
passion fruit, it is often referred to be blended by future cellar masters
as ‘The King of Cognacs’—the most long after she has retired.
complex and most prestigious in The mahogany coloured cognac
© Miklyxa13 | Dreamstime.com
the world. is bottled in an exquisite handblown
A blend of up to 1,200 different crystal decanter. A product of 11
eaux-de-vie, which are between different craftsmen, each bottle is
40 and 100 years old, each bottle individually numbered and ringed
At Rémy Martin,
Louis XIII is
considered to be
beyond a cognac
and appreciated
intensely by those
who cherish an
extremely rare fine
wine or single malt.
with 24-carat fine gold. In Mumbai,
a bottle of Louis XIII costs Rs
2,25,000. For connoisseurs, that’s
a small price to pay for a part of
history. Not surprisingly, over the
decades, Louis XIII has come
to be considered a collectible of
sorts. At Rémy Martin, Louis XIII
is considered to be beyond a
cognac and appreciated intensely
by those who cherish an extremely
rare fine wine or single malt. Cleme
© Niderlander | Dreamstime.com
mentions that most of the regular
Louis XIII customers are not cognac
drinkers, but still love it for the
astonishing craftsmanship and
history that it carries with it.
24 JULY-AUGUST 2012

8. Cocktails
RÉMY RED FREEZE COCKTAIL
2 oz Rémy Martin VSOP
¾ cup Fresh watermelon
Simple syrup to taste
Ice
Muddle watermelon and strain.
Sweeten with simple syrup if
necessary. Add Remy Martin VSOP
and ice. Shake and pour into glass.
Réserve or
FRENCH MOJITO
V.S.O.P. (Very 1 ½ oz Rémy Martin VSOP
Superior Old 1 oz Fresh lime juice
Pale) is a blend 1 tbsp Brown sugar
7 to 10 Mint leaves
in which the 3 oz Sparkling water
youngest Place mint leaves in the glass,
brandy is stored add crushed ice, Rémy Martin
VSOP, sugar, lime juice, and
for at least
muddle. Top with sparkling water
four years. and garnish with mint leaves.
JULY-AUGUST 2012 25

9. CENTAUR SPICE
1 ½ oz Rémy Martin VSOP
A few drops of Angostura
Bitters
Zest of orange (in the glass)
Ginger Ale
Pour Rémy Martin VSOP into
a long drink glass over ice and
top with Ginger ale. Add a few
drops of Angostura Bitters and
garnish with the orange zest
and stir.
GINGERTINI
1 ½ oz Rémy Martin VSOP
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
½ oz Simple syrup
Sliced ginger as garnish
Shake all the ingredients with ice and
strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish
with the sliced ginger.
RÉMY RED HOT COCKTAIL
2 oz Rémy Martin VSOP
Cranberry juice
Ice
Pour Remy Martin VSOP into
a glass with ice. Top up with
cranberry juice. Stir and serve.
26 JULY-AUGUST 2012