Brandy or Cognac? Use
Brandy or Cognac?
As the saying goes, all Cognac is Brandy, but not all Brandy is Cognac.
For a traditional Brandy Alexander Recipe use Cognac since Brandies can be made
with other fruits. Some examples include brandy falvored with Blueberries, Peaches or
Blackberries. Using a plain brandy like Hiram Walker or E.J. Brandy, while not official, can be
substituted for Cognac.
Cognac is a town and region in France that gave its name to the local Brandy. Cognac
starts with this regions white wine distilled from grapes grown in the Charente and Charente Maritime
departments.
Cognac is double distilled in copper pot
stills. Next it is aged at least two years in oak barrels made from 60 to 100 year old Oak trees
of the Limousin or Troncais forests. The oak barrels made from Limousin oak has coarse grains and is used
for short-aged Cognacs. The oak barrels made from Troncais oak has a tighter grain with less tannis more suited
for lengthy aging.
Popular brands of Cognac include Marie Brasstad, Martell, Hennessy, Remy Martin and
Courvoisier (roumored a favorite drink of Napoleon).
Brandy is a liqueur distilled from wine or other
fermented fruit juice aged in wood.
The word Brandy comes from the Dutch term ‘brandjiwin’ – fire
wine - that means to burn or distill. Brandy is usually 40-60% ethyl alcohol by volume.
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