The Perfect Finale
sarah's space canada
(Apr.16.09)
When you’re invited to a party celebrating one of the world’s most renowned authorities on Cognac, the answer is simple; whatever will I wear?
So on Tuesday I hopped in a cab with my hubby and headed over to Tappo Restaurant in the Distillery District for my Cognac debut. The invitation from the makers of Hennessy promised the experience would be “The Perfect Finale” and I cannot say I was disappointed. The dapper and charming Monsieur Cyrille Gautier Auriol (the evening's guest of honour) addressed the packed restaurant walking us through our pairings for the night. Then the talented, Juno-award winning Miss. Divine Brown took the stage to perform an intimate, acoustic (my favourite) set. I wish every Tuesday could end that way.
So what did I learn? Let’s start with Cognac 101:
- Cognac is named after a town in France.
- Similarly to Champagne, while all Cognac is brandy not all brandy is Cognac.
- This divine golden liquid is made from grapes, must be twice distilled and then aged for a minimum of two years (some bottles are well over 200 years old) in oak barrels.
Now I’ll be honest, that’s about as deep as my education went. My mission was to taste not to talk. So we were started with a high ball of Cognac “neat” (aka straight up). We were instructed to follow wine tasting protocol, so we observed the golden colour, swirled our glasses, inhaled in the almost fruity aroma and (finally!) took a sip. Heaven. The flavor was peppery and sweet. That first mouthful went down smooth and had the most satisfying warmth. Tip: When enjoying neat, hold the base of your glass to warm the Cognac.
After neat, we tried Cognac on ice. Served over one large ice sphere (overheard to be called boulder by some) the Cognac had a completely different taste when cold and ever-so-slightly diluted. It tasted lighter and fruitier this way, but I missed the pepper and warmth my first glass had. Back to neat, we sampled luxury dark and milk chocolates and for me the evening’s theme completely came together. Now this is how I would like to end all of my dinner parties (maybe even all my meals, is that so wrong?). The simple combination was perfection.
Definitely worth the splurge (Hennessy XO retails for $104.95 for 350 ml), this is one dessert your guests won’t soon forget. After all, there’s always room for chocolate and Cognac, isn’t there?