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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/737871
www.cheersonline.com 22 • October 2016 22 • October 2016 EXPENSIVE TASTES The overall brandy market has changed considerably since the opening of the Brandy Library in 2004. For one, cheap French brandy has disappeared from the well of most bars where cocktails are served, replaced by VS Cognac. Price has been the main factor in holding back Cognac from fully participating in the cocktail explosion, Desoblin says, a thought echoed by most operators. When American whiskeys are still such a bargain, it's hard to justify the higher cost of using Cognacs. "The biggest problem for Cognacs and Armagnacs is, quite frankly, there are a lot of very good options for dark spirits that aren't that expensive to use in a cocktail," says Benjamin Schiller, beverage director of The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group in Chicago, which operates cocktail bars The Berkshire Room and The Sixth. "There's just not the quantity of high- quality, inexpensive Cognacs out there that you can use and still be profi table." But those who do choose to use Cognac have good things to say about the results. Franky Marshall, beverage director at Le Boudoir in Brooklyn, opted to put the Cognac version (vs. gin) of the French 75 on the cocktail bar's menu "because that's the one I prefer, and I have to say it's been very popular," she says. Marshall says she will add more Cognac cocktails on the menu, and not just in cold weather. "There is a Cognac for all seasons, it's just a matter of choosing the right expression and perhaps changing up as the weather evolves." As with many spirits, the key to introducing guests to Cognac is "education and enlightenment," she adds. "Many people, bartenders included, are not as familiar with Cognac, or only consider it an after-dinner sipper. It's important to introduce guests to Cognac, have them taste, maybe sub it into their cocktail of choice." UNIQUE BOTTLES Thaddeus Vogler, owner/founder of Bar Agricole and Trou Normand in San Francisco, builds the beverage programs at both around carefully selected spirits. He travels annually to France to select Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados barrels for their private use. And once the brandies are bottled, processed and make their way to California around the time of the operation's anniversary in late August, Bar Agricole puts on its own Brandy Fest. "We invite people in to taste our selections, and importers and wholesalers we work with pour their stuff as well as some local producers," says Volger. "Mostly it's hardcore fans and followers of ours and of brandies, although it defi nitely reaches new people." Brandy still intimidates a lot of people the way wine does, he notes. "And since we show some interesting, grower-produced brandies as opposed to the upper-price, prestige bottlings, people get very curious about them." Now that many consumers have spent years getting into less-understood spirits, such as rye and mezcal, and paying attention to the source ingredient and regions of origin, the complexities of the various French brandies may become an entry way, Volger says. "I think brandies are gaining a little more momentum for those same reasons." Guests that are more familiar with the category tend to be eager to explore it. At Brandy Library, most brandy and Cognac seekers are likely to seek brands they've never tried, different marques or unknown iterations. "We are seeing more smaller houses come into the U.S. market, even though it is tough for them to penetrate, given the massive spending the largest houses make," says Desoblin. "But there is a lot to offer when they do try, and the range of quality is remarkable." At the Brandy Library and his low-key operation Copper and Oak, Desoblin fi nds customers today look to sample rather than stick with a favorite brand. "They don't come here to drink what they know, but instead want to learn something about what they don't know." At Copper and Oak, where there are no cocktails served except for highballs, Desoblin stocks nearly 1,000 spirits. These include about 75 Cognacs, 95 Armagnacs, 25 types of Calvados and 30 other brandies such as fruit-based eau de vies. Customers can order spirits in 1-oz. and 2-oz. pours, portions that fi ts perfectly with the avid sampling experience Millennials are said to favor. Prices range from $6 for numerous Benjamin Schiller, beverage director of The Fifty/50 Restau- rant Group in Chicago, enjoys mixing brandies with fl avors associated with the fall season. "There is a Cognac for all seasons, it's just a matter of choosing the right expression and perhaps changing up as the weather evolves." — Franky Marshall, beverage director at Le Boudoir in Brooklyn.