Cognac is a noble alcohol, which is often a table decoration. But not everyone is interested in what the strength of a real drink should be and what it depends on. Such information is very important, especially if you are going to present such alcohol as a gift.
On the shelves of stores you can find a product of both a standard strength and a higher degree. This happens for several reasons. One of these reasons is the place of origin of alcohol. What is the percentage of alcohol in cognac from different countries?
This - French alcohol, which is assigned the name "cognac" at the legislative level - is sold with a strength not exceeding 40 °. This applies to both sales within the country and abroad and is regulated by the "National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognac". By the same bureau, the rules may be revised in some individual cases. According to general rules, alcohol, whose degree exceeds 40, is.
The CIS countries have their own trade agreement, in which products manufactured according to certain technical conditions can be called “cognac”, but in fact it is all brandy. The value of the degree of such products can reach 60.
It is worth remembering that real cognac is produced only in France and only in certain regions.
How exposure affects cognac strength in degrees
If we talk about the production of alcohol within the CIS, then it is made according to technical specifications, in which, in addition to the percentage of ethyl alcohol, some more details are taken into account. So, for example, the drink is made on the basis of young dry wines made from white grapes.
How many degrees are there in brandy alcohol on this basis? With double distillation of such raw materials, alcohols of 60-70 ° are obtained. They do not have any aromatic features. To give "nobility" they are enclosed in oak barrels. Then everything depends on time.
How many degrees are in cognac with 3 and 5 stars? With rare exceptions, alcohol usually has 40 degrees. Alcoholic beverages labeled "KV" and "KVVK", which are aged for 7 and 10 years, respectively, can have from 42 to 45 °. Alcohol labeled "KS" and "OS", aged for more than 10 years, may have a strength above 50 degrees.
During the aging process, real noble alcohol gradually loses its strength, approximately 2% per year.
The French call such vapors the "angels' share", and its amount depends on many factors - the duration of storage, humidity, temperature, the depth at which the alcohol is stored and the barrel itself. In new barrels, for example, losses can be up to 15% per year, and in very old barrels, evaporation may not even reach one percent.
Features of real French millesimes
If you suddenly come across an extraordinary French product on the shelf, the strength of which is more than 40 degrees, do not rush to attribute it to fakes. Usually the year is indicated on bottles with such a drink, and its price is incredibly high. In this case, you have a real millezim. What it is? Millezimny, or, as it is also called, vintage, cognac is alcohol produced from the grape harvest of a certain year. The "old age" of such a drink can be up to a hundred years or more. For example, the Francois de Jussac of 1814 has an ABV of 42.8°.
Of course, the number of bottles of such real vintage alcohol is small, only five pieces, but it has all the documents confirming the status. Younger is the alcohol Lheraud Cognac 1975 Petite Champagne, whose strength is 47 °. The highest degree representative of the real French cognac series, whose status is also confirmed by the "National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognac", is Daniel Bouju Royal, with a record strength of 60 °.
There are exceptions in the history of millesime liquor. For example, the 1858 Napoleon III Empereur of the cognac house A.E. Dor is only 37°, but this does not deprive him of the status of a real noble alcohol.
Brands of cognacs of different strengths
Real cognacs with a strength of 40 °
It is the best-selling in the world, it is also the most famous and popular alcohol. The assemblage of alcohol consists of cognac spirits of the best wine-growing regions of the Cognac region. Hennessy is a real benchmark among spirits.
Belongs to the Creation series. This series also includes Extra, XO Fine Champagne, Superieur Fine Champagne, XO Tubes Cigare. The spirit of this collection is an opportunity to evaluate the blend of spirits from various wine-growing regions. A feature of the series is also the fact that all alcohol has the same aging period, which is equal to eight years.
VSOP includes exclusively old cognac spirits aged from 8 to 12 years, thanks to which its taste has a multifaceted structure and a velvety base, and the smell is soft and rich in bouquet.
VSOP was created in honor of the 160th anniversary of the cognac house and appeared on the market in 1874. The very same house "Martel" dates back to the reign of Louis XIV. Today Martell is one of the leading houses in France and one of the world's largest producers of this spirit.
Cognacs with a strength of 40-50 °
5 stars, 42°. Yerevan Brandy Company embodies the true spirit of Armenia, and its products showcase the skillful work of Armenian craftsmen. Ararat is the most famous Armenian drink both in Armenia itself and in many countries outside of it.
Family Collection, 42°. Premium alcohol. The brand's blends are created by the talented Bulgarian master Radostin Klinkov. He focuses on an unusual recipe in cooking. For the manufacture of cognac spirits, grape varieties grown in ecological zones on exceptionally fertile soil are used. Blending is done by hand. "Klinkov" Family Collection is blended from spirits that have been aged in French oak barrels for a period of at least five years.
Single Barrel, 45°. Distillates for this drink are aged in one barrel for seven years. The barrel itself is made of white American oak, charred on the inside. Alcohols are of exceptionally high quality. It is bottled in designer blue glass bottles, which emphasizes the uniqueness of the product.
"Ekaterinodar" OS 30-year-old, 45°. This Russian brand is made from aged spirits distilled between 1971 and 1976. Thanks to aging in barrels made of different types of wood, the drink has a seasoned character and a velvety structure. Alcohol has a huge number of awards, which emphasizes its status and exclusivity.
Cognacs with a strength of 50 degrees and above
50°. Exclusive alcohol from the Ararat collection, created in 1945 by Markar Sedrakyan. The average age of spirits used for blending is at least ten years. For a long time, the production of alcohol was abandoned. In 2011, it reappears on the shelves of stores in Russia, Armenia and many CIS countries. "Dvin" is prepared according to the original recipe and is famous for the highest quality and unusual taste.
"Yerevan", 57°. Vintage alcohol from the Yerevan plant "Noy". It has been produced since 1957 and is rightfully considered the strongest drink among the cognac products of the former Soviet Union. At one time it was made from spirits aged for at least ten years, but now there is practically no information about it. "Yerevan" is a real collectible alcoholic drink, which is produced from European grape varieties that are grown on the territory of Armenia.
It would seem that it could be easier than to find out the “degree” of this noble alcohol? It turned out that this “simple” value has many nuances. I hope that thanks to the information provided, you will be able to find exactly the alcohol that suits your taste and degree. Be sure to tell us in the comments if you have met such drinks and whether you dared to try them.
cognac drink
Alternative descriptionshot alcohol
English drink, a mixture of strong hot tea, sugar and rum
A hot drink made from rum or cognac mixed with water and sugar
Hot punch variety
Hot drink made from vodka, rum, cognac
What happens if you add sugar (to taste), a teaspoon of cognac and a tablespoon of rum to a glass of freshly brewed strong tea?
hot drink
Rum drink
diluted rum
Rum with water
Heated rum
Rum diluted with syrup
Hot vodka drink
Hot rum with sugar
Cognac with sugar and hot water
Hot rum drink
Heated rum with cinnamon
alcoholic drink
Rum drink
Rum plus sweetened boiling water
hot rum drink
Heated rum cocktail
Hot alcoholic drink
alcoholic drink
Rum with hot water
Type of hot punch
A mixture of rum and boiling water
Rum with boiling water
A drink made from rum, sugar and boiling water
Hot drink from rum
Rum strong drink
Drink of the chilled
A sweet diluted hot drink made from rum or cognac
A drink made from rum diluted with hot water and sugar
Or grok m. eng. rum with water; sailors' drink
What happens if you add sugar (to taste), a teaspoon of cognac and a tablespoon of rum to a glass of freshly brewed strong tea
Drink for the cold
Hot "rum on three waters"
And in the comments, what we are trying to proudly put on the table under the name “homemade cognac” is not such an alcoholic drink, if we adhere to the accuracy of the definitions. Nor is it actually a special drink produced in the province of Cognac and what we can see on the shelves of our stores, because, as you remember, in fact the right to use the famous name is limited by the relevant laws. But these nuances of jurisprudence are of no use to you and me: as we called cognac, and not cognac drink, an infusion of various herbs and oak bark diluted with alcohol will be so. And it is hardly worth breaking spears (or keyboards) about this. And it’s better to master the preparation of such wonderful liquids and drink to the health of everyone who put a part of their health, trying to protect information from encroachment in the information age :)
Okay, enough reasoning rather abstract from our topics.
What are cognac drinks?
Speaking quite simply and primitively simplifying, you add something else to cognac, you get a cognac drink. But, if, again, we try to follow some requirements, it turns out that this “something else” can be alcohol of grape origin, that is, it can be contained in wine - grape or, at worst, fruit and berry. Moreover, a tenth of the cognac drink should fall on grape wine and cognac spirit.
In order for this future cognac - cognac drink to have a richer, beautiful, deep color, the so-called sugar color can be added there. And after aging the entire mixture for three to five months, filter and bottle.
Let me remind you that real cognacs are aged much longer: three to five years - ordinary, up to ten years - vintage, more than ten - the so-called which are made from cognac spirits, whose age exceeds the honorary two five-year periods. Well, plus all the other conditions - aging in special barrels, the use of special grape varieties for the preparation of cognac wine material give a real branded drink with a characteristic shade and smell only for it. Real cognac. And not artificial, which we do.
By the way, a non-specialist is unlikely to distinguish a good artificial cognac from a real one. I even dare to say that I can't tell for sure. And if he does, then he is a specialist 🙂 Do you want to check your friends? Prepare a cognac drink from a good rectified product, even from simple - but, of course, high-quality - alcohol from bread and potatoes, getting a decent cognac drink that has excellent taste and recognizable, and by no means moonshine, aroma, in practice is not so difficult. And the results of tasting such a drink by the test subjects for the title of “cognac specialist” will be quite satisfactory, especially since in many countries cognac, including artificial cognac, is considered a therapeutic agent at the official pharmacological level, so to speak. 🙂
Here, for the manufacture of so-called artificial cognacs, the so-called cognac essences are also quite officially used. Now let's deal with them.
What are cognac essences?
I will immediately give several recipes, according to which any person (having all the necessary components) can easily prepare them - cognac essences - and subsequently use them for production at home and - do not forget also about the volumes - in home quantities - cognac drinks, or artificial cognacs, or homemade cognacs. About quantity separately. Remember that now we are preparing brandy essence, which we will use as needed and not all at once. So there is no need to make huge stocks of it.
Cognac essence recipe number one. We need ten grams of cognac oil, one gram of essential bitter almond oil, twenty milligrams of rectified vinegar, ten grams of vanilla essence and sixty grams of oak bark essence. This last one can also be prepared in advance and on your own, for which you need to take ten grams of crushed oak bark for one hundred grams of eighty percent alcohol and insist for a month. When all the components are ready and at hand, we dissolve them in a liter of rectified grape alcohol, and after three days we filter and pour into a vessel with a tight lid and ideally made of dark glass, in which our cognac essence will be stored until it is used in the preparation of strong cognac drinks.
Cognac essence recipe number two. You need ten grams of cognac oil and balsam essence, five grams of violet root essence, two to three grams (we can use a pipette) of benzoin tincture, one milliliter of essential oil of bitter almonds and orange flowers (can be replaced with bitter orange essential oil). We dissolve all this in a hundred grams of real good, the older, the better, cognac. And in a day we mix it with a liter of rectified alcohol, after another day we filter it and pour it into a glass vessel in which the essence will be stored.
Actually, by turning on fantasy and common sense at the same time (which, I agree, is not always easy), you can create your own recipes for cognac essences. Do not forget that the presence of substances coming from oak bark, grape spirits, which are contained in any grape wine, aromas and flavors of various spices, herbs and essential oils, is essential for cognac drinks. Creating your own is actually much more interesting than refusing to prepare the desired drink due to the absence of any component indicated by someone in HIS recipe.
Cognac is a drink that many people love, but not everyone knows how to drink properly. "Culinary Eden", of course, is not Chip and Dale, but still rushes to the rescue. This material contains the history of cognac, a few words about the technology of its production and, of course, the basic rules for drinking.
Where is cognac made?
It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the news that cognac comes from France. You, our readers, are undoubtedly aware of this. As well as the fact that the name of the drink comes from the name of the town - Cognac (Cognac), located in the South-Western part of France, 120 km north of Bordeaux, in the region of Poitou-Charentes (Poitou-Charentes).
It all started with wine. The "Vineyards of Poitou", created at the direction of the Count of Poitiers, have been known since the 12th century. Dutch ships entered the town of Cognac, which transported salt and wine made from grapes grown in the vineyards of Poitou from France to the Nordic countries. Gradually, due to the good demand for wines, the vineyard areas are expanding significantly. In the 16th century, there was even a crisis of overproduction of wine, its quality was declining. It becomes problematic to bring not too high-quality wine to its destination - to Northern Europe. Then the savvy Dutch begin to distill wine with the help of distillers - the distillate calmly endures a long sea voyage. However, gradually the locals master distillation themselves and even improve the process - for the first time they produce double distillation. By chance, it turns out that the wine distillate becomes better if kept in oak barrels. Moreover, it turns out that it can be drunk undiluted (usually, after delivery to the destination, the wine distillate was diluted with water). Actually, this is how cognac appeared.
In 1936 cognac was recognized as a drink under the Controlled Name of Origin (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée). Prior to this, geographic marking of cognac production zones was made. Now only a drink born in six French districts of the Charente region: Great Champagne (Grande Champagne), Petit Champagne (Little Champagne), Borderies (Borderies), Thin Forests (Fins Bois), Good Forests (Bons Bois) and Ordinary Forests (Bois Ordinaires) ) can proudly be called "Cognac". All other similar drinks, even French, but from other areas - "Brandy". For the Armenian, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Dagestan, Moldavian alcoholic drinks known to us, obtained by distilling grape wines, the name “cognac” can only be applied on domestic markets, but never internationally (they are also “Brandy” on it).
Today, all "cognac" issues in France are in charge of the "National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognac". This most authoritative organization can be simultaneously considered both the trade union of cognac producers and the control body; it often resolves disputes that arise.
How is cognac made?
Next - a few words about the technology of cognac production. October is coming. Gathering white grapes. Usually this is the ugni blanc variety (in 90% of cases it is he). In addition, for the production of cognac are also used, but to a much lesser extent, the varieties "colombard" (colombard), "folle blanche" (folle blanche) and "montil" (monthil) - they are less resistant to diseases, more difficult to grow, although spirits from these varieties are more aromatic and have a richer flavor palette.
After harvesting, the juice is immediately pressed from the grapes. And this is done carefully - the bones should not be crushed. For this, special presses are used. Then the juice is sent for fermentation (fermentation). Adding sugar during fermentation is strictly prohibited by law. Three weeks later, those wines with an alcohol content of 9%, with high acidity, are distilled.
The distillation stage for real cognac is strictly regulated (as, indeed, all other stages of its production). Only certain equipment is used (the so-called "Charentes alembic"), all the characteristics and design features of which are described in the relevant documents.
Distillation takes place in two stages. Firstly, raw alcohol is obtained. Its strength is from 27 to 32%. But it's not cognac. Secondly, the resulting alcohol is sent for re-distillation. It is her result that is high-quality (if everything is done without violating technology) cognac alcohol with a strength of 62-72%. It is he who is poured into oak barrels in order to become real cognac after spending some time in them.
By the way, in order for alcohol to really turn into cognac, it will have to spend at least two years in the “oak prison”. This, in accordance with French law, is the minimum possible time. Naturally, you can keep him "in captivity" and more. The production rules do not limit the maximum period. However, long-term observations have shown that aging grape spirit in oak barrels for more than 70 years is pointless: this will not affect the taste of the final product in any way.
Special mention should be made of the oak barrels in which the cognac spirit is aged. They are made only from tree trunks that are at least 80 years old, growing not anywhere, but only in some forests. Such scrupulousness is explained by the fact that "sorcerer oaks", suitable for "correct" barrels, must have a certain wood structure. During the manufacturing process, the inside of the barrel is always fired. The degree of firing is different, depending on the requirements of the manufacturer. Roasting is needed to soften the structure of the tree, increase the extractive capabilities of the wood. It should be noted that as a result of roasting, a layer of burnt sugar appears on the inner surface of the barrel. Having filled the barrels (their capacity is usually from 270 to 450 liters) with grape spirit, they are sent to the “cellars” - “to ripen”.
In the process of aging with alcohol, various metamorphoses occur. Some of it generally evaporates through the wood pores. As a result, the walls of the vault are usually black in color - mushrooms literally grow on them - microscopic torula compniacensis. And what remains in the barrel absorbs tannins from wood, reducing sugar, lingin (this is a complex polymer compound, it is present in wood). In addition, the tree gives off amino acids, volatile acids and oils, lipids, resins, and various enzymes. The color of alcohol changes - to golden, and over time to dark golden. The aroma becomes woody-vanilla, other shades gradually appear: spices, flowers, fruits.
Naturally, the state of cognac (and this is almost it) in barrels is controlled by "specially trained people." When such a “cognac master” decides that the drink is already “developed” enough, it is poured from barrels into large glass bottles. They are stored in them for some time - in the far corner of the "cellar". Moreover, the shelf life can be calculated in tens of years. In professional terminology, the place where these bottles are located is referred to as "Paradis" (Paradis).
The final stage of cognac production is the mixing of cognac spirits of different aging. The exposure of the resulting cognac is set according to the minimum exposure time of the components. So-called millizyme cognacs are also produced. For them, it is mandatory to indicate the specific age of aging, as well as the year when the grapes were harvested.
How to determine the age of cognac?
Of course - look at the bottle. Everything is written on the label. French cognacs have the following markings:
- V.S. (Very Special), Selection, de Luxe, Trois Etoiles - aged for at least 2 years;
- Superior - aging for at least 3 years;
- V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale), V.O. (Very Old), Vieux, Reserve - aging for at least 4 years;
- V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale), Grande Reserve - aged for at least 5 years;
- X.O. (Extra Old), Extra, Napoleon, Royal, Tres Vieux, Vieille Reserve - aged for at least 6 years.
These are examples of only the main markings that can be found on bottles of French cognac. Of course, there are a few more than what is listed here. Cognacs older than 6.5 years are not classified, because, according to experts, it is not possible to control their blending.
The classification of Armenian cognacs is simpler. They are ordinary, vintage and collectible. The famous stars on the label indicate how many years the cognac spent in the barrel, that is, about aging. But stars are typical for ordinary Armenian cognacs. For example, if there are five of them on the label - cognac from spirits aged for at least five years. If alcohol is aged less than three years, only cognac drink can be made from it. Vintage cognacs have letter designations. So, if you see the inscription "KV" - it means "Aged Cognac". On average, at least six years. "KVVK" - "Aged Cognac of the Highest Quality". This marking is for a drink made from spirits aged for at least eight years. For ten years, alcohol has been languishing in barrels, from which “Old Cognac” - “KS” is made. The “OS” marking means that the “Very Old” cognac - the alcohol for its production was in “oak captivity” for at least 20 years. Collectibles include Armenian cognacs additionally aged in barrels or bottles for at least three more years. Actually, the “Armenian classification” is also used by other manufacturers of the former USSR.
How to drink brandy?
We figured out the markings on the labels. In the final - cognac etiquette: basic postulates.
Cognac (it doesn't matter if it's French, Armenian or Dagestan) is always a digestif. In any case, in the Western European tradition. The French have a famous rule for drinking cognac - the rule of three "C": café, cognac, cigare (coffee, cognac, cigar). First they usually drink coffee, then cognac, and then they smoke a cigar. Smoking a cigar, and even more so a cigarette, while drinking cognac is a bad form.
However, the Americans and Russians, as always, go their own way. Cognac was no exception. In the New World, it is also drunk as an aperitif, moreover, diluted with tonic, mixed with Martini vermouth. Fortunately, these are usually not old cognacs (more often V.S or V.S.O.P.).
In Russia, cognac is usually eaten with lemon. According to the legend, the founder of this tradition was Emperor Nicholas I, who, having tasted French cognac somehow, found it too strong. “At hand” His Imperial Majesty had nothing but a lemon. And so it went. The sovereign liked it - he taught courtiers to eat cognac with lemon. Gradually the tradition spread. However, it never left the Russian Empire, and later the USSR and the CIS. Nowhere in the world cognac lemon is no longer eaten. The fact is that the strong, sharp taste of citrus completely kills the delicate cognac aroma, drowns out the taste, aftertaste ... In general, everything for which cognac is drunk is sacrificed to the dubious pleasure of eating a piece of lemon. This “barbaric”, according to most Europeans, way of drinking cognac is still called “a la Nicholas”.
As for the very manner of drinking - brandy is a drink, so to speak, unhurried. It is customary to warm it by holding a glass in your hand for a long time, slowly, in small sips to drink during a friendly conversation or during a romantic date. In a calm atmosphere, savor, enjoy the range of taste, and not “clap” in one gulp. When serving brandy should have a temperature slightly above room temperature.
Cognac is not drunk from glasses. Or rather, they drink, but only alcoholics who do not care. They also drink it from plastic cups. But let's not talk about sad things. Nowadays, two main types of cognac glasses can be distinguished. First of all, it is a sniffer (from English to sniff - to sniff). This glass can hold up to 840 ml of cognac (naturally, less capacious specimens are mostly common). But you always need to pour cognac only up to the widest part of the sniffer. The bowl of the glass has a spherical shape, tapering upwards. The leg is short. Actually, the sniffer is considered a classic cognac glass. It is called so because it is customary to sniff cognac - the narrowed upper part of the glass contributes to this. Plus, a spherical shape - it is convenient to hold such a glass with your hand directly on the bowl and warm the cognac. In France, you will most likely be served cognac in a sniffer.
Another option, perhaps no less popular today, is a glass that resembles a tulip bud in shape. It also tapers at the top. The leg of the "tulip" is long. They hold a similar glass just for her, like a wine glass. So it is more convenient to rotate it, distributing cognac along the walls of the bowl, so that it “breathes” oxygen. In principle, from which glass to drink cognac: from a sniffer or from a "tulip" - depends on individual preferences.
Store a bottle of cognac in an upright position. The drink must not come into contact with the cork. If you haven't finished drinking cognac, it remains in the bottle, then it is better to pour it into a smaller glassware, always with a lid: long contact with air is harmful to cognac.
That, in fact, is all that we wanted to tell you about cognac. It seems that the main task - to acquaint you with the main milestones in the history of the drink, the technology of its production and the main rules of use - "Culinary Eden" coped.
Throughout the post-Soviet space, any brandy is still called cognac. By the way, this name is also written on the labels, and a real battle of opinions is raging among the people, whose “cognac” is better: Armenian, Georgian, Dagestan or Moldavian. Such an interpretation is nothing more than a deception of the buyer. This is indicated by global trends that implement the intellectual property rights of product manufacturers by geographical name. So only drinks produced according to a certain technology in the region of winemakers in the western part of France - the province of Cognac can have the right to be called cognac. Even with the observance of technology, but releasing a drink in other places, it can be called, perhaps, brandy.
Distinctive features of cognac
Even such a small part of a country as a province can have a varied climate, soil and topography. That is why, in the production of cognac, they are guided by the zone in which the grapes grow. It is generally accepted that the closer the region is to the city of Cognac, the higher the quality of the alcohol produced from it.
Distillers conventionally divided the growth of grapes into six different zones:
Cognac production
Alcohol is used to make cognac. However, unlike wheat alcohol, which is produced in our country, for 
Cognac production uses alcohol from grapes. For this, 98% of the Ugni Blanc grape variety is used. This is due to the climatic features of the region. Other varieties ripen too late and are much more susceptible to disease. Even despite the fact that the harvest is harvested a month later than the neighboring regions, in rare years it is possible to harvest the grapes fully ripe. On average, one hectare of vineyard yields 100 hectoliters of wine. By distillation, no more than 10.7 hectoliters of alcohol are obtained from it.
To make wine, the grapes are lightly crushed and never pressed dry. It would be possible to squeeze them out with a press, which will lead to an increase in the amount of juice, but then the bones will also choke. And along with crushed bones, unwanted acids and oils will get into the wort.
The wine produced in this region is very dry. On average, one liter of wine contains no more than 1 gram of sugar. The alcohol content is low - 8-9 degrees.
Connoisseurs of French wines believe that wine from the Cognac region is no good. However, it is ideal for the production of alcohol.
According to French law, distillation of wine is allowed until March 31. As a result, you have to work in multiple shifts. The requirements for distillation are very strict. Only Charente stills are used. This is a special design with intricate tubes, caps and reservoirs. All parts of the cube that come into contact with alcohol or wine are made of copper. This is due to the fact that copper is practically not susceptible to oxidation and conducts heat very well.
It is these qualities that allow you to achieve the desired result without changing the taste of the product. Another feature of the production of cognac is that boilers with wort should be heated exclusively on an open fire. Gas is used in modern production. Distillation of wine occurs necessarily in two stages. At the first stage, the maximum extraction of alcohol from wine is carried out along with other volatile substances. The result is the so-called bruyi. This is a milky substance, the strength of which is approximately 27-32 degrees.
This is followed by fractional distillation. At this stage, volatile substances are separated from each other due to different boiling points. During the distillation process, the master distiller cuts off the “head” and “tail” (1-2 liters for every 100 liters of bruyi). They cannot be used to make cognac. The “body”, after distillation, contains alcohol of at least 69 degrees. That is what cognac alcohol is. The distillation ends when the outlet temperature drops to 58%. Each of the stages of distillation takes place 24 hours.
The resulting product is not cognac. It must be endured. Exposure takes place exclusively in oak barrels. This process takes at least thirty months. Only after almost three years, alcohol is suitable for assembling and making cognac. The barrel should not contain a drop of metal, glue or anything else, so as not to change the taste and aroma. Oaks aged 150-200 years are used for barrels. Since they are made of porous wood, the process of evaporation of alcohol cannot be avoided.
The rate of evaporation depends on temperature, humidity and tightness of the barrel. Usually 2-3% evaporates per year. In addition, every year there is a decrease in the degree, on average by 0.5% per year. So, after 50 years of exposure, it drops from 71% to 46%. The distillers call this process the “tax of heaven”. Interestingly, in all the cellars of the province, 50,000 hectoliters of alcohol evaporate annually. This would be enough to produce 20 million bottles of cognac. According to technology, the barrels must always remain full. Therefore, they are always topped up with spirits of similar quality. 
To get a bottle of the youngest cognac 0.7 l, 4.2 kg of grapes are required. For a five-year-old cognac, 5.5 kg is already required, and for a 50-year-old - 12 kg. Cognac matures exclusively in barrels. The account of its age stops from the moment of bottling. Therefore, cognac bottled in 1990 at the age of 5 years, on any day of any year, will be the same five-year-old cognac. Interestingly, in the production of cognac, alcohol of the same aging period is almost never used.
Cognac is always "collected" from different types of alcohol from different years. And every year they "collect" in their own way. Age is the age of the youngest type of alcohol. This is done by a professional, and the process is called assembly. In eminent houses, families do this, where skills are inherited. So, for example, in "Hennessy" for 235 years the same Filho family has been "collecting" cognac. In this regard, buying a ten-year-old cognac, you will enjoy spirits aged 30-50 years, but the minimum age of alcohol will be 10 years.
The use of cognac 
The optimum temperature of the drink when serving is 20 degrees. It fully allows you to reveal the taste and aroma of cognac. The drink is served in a special spherical glass. This shape of the bowl allows you to warm the drink with your palms and taste its aroma. The French argue that the rule of four "s" is most suitable for cognac:
- Cognac - cognac
- Cafe - coffee
- Cigare - cigar (in extreme cases, a cigarette)
- Chocolat - chocolate.
Separately, it should be noted the fallacy of the statement about the correctness of the use of cognac with lemon. Gourmets consider this combination a complete lack of taste and ignorance. No self-respecting cognac lover would drink lemon with this drink. Lemon has a sharp taste and smell that completely overrides the best qualities of cognac.
Thus, we have learned a lot of interesting things about one of the most exquisite alcoholic beverages, and now we can safely proceed to practical exercises, taking into account the measure and traditions of its use.