Cocktail Thought for the Day 8-8-2013

In this last year I had the opportunity to head up a new program with Courvoisier USA as one of 8 Courvoisier "Courvoisiologists" from across the nation. We we in charge of executing events, new cocktails for the brand, and education. It was a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of the iconic brand and share it with many others. It all culminated with the Courvoisier lab event here in Chicago on June 5th. Cocktails, cocktails, and more cocktails. I was the featured mixologist and had 6 of my own created cocktails being featured at the event. But with that came the responsibility to really dig deep into the brand and learn about who I was representing. So with that the cocktail thought of the day today is all about Courvoisier Cognac. Anyone who knows me knows, I enjoy a finely distilled grape spirit, namely Cognac. Its a beautiful spirit and very very unique in its taste. So here is a little history about this iconic brand...

Cocktail Thought of the Day

Background and Present day Facts about Courvoisier

The origin of Courvoisier goes all the way back to the 19th with Emmanuel Courvoisier and his associate Louis Gallois running a wine and spirit company. In 1811 Napoleon Bonaparte visited their warehouse in Bercy. The rumor is that Napoleon took several barrels of Cognac with him to St. Helena, which in turn, the ships officers began naming it, "The Cognac Of Napoleon." Courvoisier was also served at the 1889 opening of the Eiffel Tower. As far as the aging process of this fine cognac, the Vs is aged up to 8 years with the majority of it being Fins Bois grapes, the VSOP is aged up to 10 years with a little of 50% of it being Grande Champagne Grapes, and the XO Imperial being a blend of up to 40 different Cognacs. 

So now to present day. Not only does Courvoisier have just Cognac but they introduced a New Blend of Cognac and 2 liqueurs to add to the portfolio. C by Courvoisier, Courvoiser Rose', and Courvosier Gold. 

C by Courvoisier is a small batch Cognac blend selected from 50 different Wine Growers and is double barreled for a completely different type of experience. Rose' is a blend of Courvoisier and Premium red wine grapes, and Gold is truly a one of a kind blend of Courvoisier and Moscato grapes. So for the 1st time in a long time I'll leave this blog post with some of my own recipes with each expression for all of you. Feel free to try these at home, as I took a BYOB( Be your own Bartender) approach to make quality cocktails but also ones easy enough for the at home bartender.. 

The Spoken Word

C By Courvoisier

Tripe Sec

Maraschino Liqueur

Lemon juice

Angostura Bitters

Top with Club Soda

Lemon Peel Garnish

A Rose Grew from Concrete

Courvoisier Rose

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Blackberry Liqueur

Angostura Bitters

Top with Ginger Beer

The Golden Sangria

Couvoisier Gold

Courvoisier VS

Moscato Wine

Blood Orange Juice

Lemons

Limes

Apples

Strawberries

White Peaches

Hopefully you enjoy the cocktails, and let me know if you try them by tweeting me at @MrMixologist with the hash tag #DrinkOneTeachOne

Until Next Time

MrMixologist

*** New Cocktail ... "Rising to the Top" ***

Hey everyone! Here's the newest cocktail in the Xante #BYOB series that I've created. This time I'm taking a little different approach to the series. With the weather changing, and Fall being here whiskey and cognac cocktails are becoming more of the commonplace. So the next few drinks in this series will be adaptations and variations on some classic Cognac cocktails. Since Xante is cognac based, its been alot of fun to see how it fares in being the base to these great cocktails. So for your next "Be Your Own Bartender" series cocktail, this is my variation of the Summit Cocktail...

Cheers, and hope you enjoy this cocktail at upcoming events that you catch me at. And if you try your hand at re-creating these cocktails please tweet of FB them to me using the hashtag #BYOB .

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

C by Courvoisier

Well cognac lovers there is a new game in town. The Courvoisier brand is releasing a new blend called C. Fresh off of the successful Rose launch, C is an excited new staple in the family. C stands out from the rest of the portfolio as a bold, new take on Cognac.

"C is aged in young barrels to really bring out the wood, and give it a full bodied intense flavor. Its then aged in mature barrels to round out the taste profile and deliver a silky finish. With Hints of Carnation, orange peel, clove, toast, and crusty bread in its flavor profile, it is best served chilled for a truly unforgettable experience", says Patrice Pinet(Master Blender).
Here are some of the stats for C by Courviosier:

• Its blended with small batch cognacs, selected from 50 different winegrowers in the Fin Bois Cru
• A rich intense character, full bodied, that has a balance between Floral, Fruity and wood aromas.
• It is Double Barrelled for a strong Character with a smooth finish
• Packaged in the Iconic Josephine bottle.
• Has an ABV of 40%(80 proof)

C is available now with a price point of $34.99 for the 750ml bottle. 

I have the opportunity to introduce this AMAZING spirit to the city of Chicago, at a few upcoming events. You can taste C and taste some new C cocktails at the Urban Shake Magazine Awards Banquet on April 21st, and at Urban Fetes Mix and Mingle event on April 19th. More detail for that to come. Be sure to follow up with my twitter and Facebook pages for times. So until then visit your local retailer to grab a bottle of this cognac, and support C. It is Mr. Mixologist approved!!! 

Until Next Time

Mr.Mixologist

Product Review- Xante Liqueur

So I'm hanging out at one of the bars I work last night(Big shouts out to the South Loop Hotel Bar, and the L26 restaurant) and one of the mangers came up to me and said, "hey , I know you like Cognac, so have you tried Xante?" To his surprise I hadn't. I know right, Shame on me!!! A cognac lover like myself whose tasted a little bit of everything hadn't drank this.

So, I tasted it, then I tasted it again, then again, and again, and so on. As you can tell I liked it. Before I get into my personal assessment of  Xante, I would love to give you guys a little background on it. Did a little research on it and here is what I found out.....

Xante is composed by Richard Heinrich, master blender at Maison Heinrich Liquoristerie Artisanale. Young cognac from Distillerie des Moisans in Sireul, Cognac, is mixed with pear extracts from the Flemish fruit district north of Liege.


It has a taste that owns a combination of the soft sweetness of ripe pears and the potens and intensity of a fine cognac. So Cognac and pears is an amazing pairing. The smell that I got from this was flat out beautiful.. By the Cognac being aged in Oak, you get that rich, oak smell but then by adding the pear element it takes this drink to an even higher level.

So now comes the best part of a product review........ The tasting!!!

I tried the Xante straight with no ice in a snifter.. It was great. Light enough that it left no aftertaste or any burn, but still strong enough to be enjoyed by an avid Cognac lover. This is the type of spirit that is enjoyed alone, or can be used to spice up another drink. And very ideal for Coffee.

Now as far as mixed cocktails, Myself and my bartender sister Mita came up with a great twist on a margarita by adding Xante. So here is the Xante Mango Margarita

 2oz 1800 Silver tequila

 1oz Xante Cognac

 1oz Mango juice Puree

  Fresh Sour
  Shake and strain into a iced pint glass









And I looked on  the Xante website and got an idea for a great Martini so here's my take on it. I call it the "XanTini"





XanTini


1.5oz Xante
.5oz Tanqueray 10
.5oz Grey Goose Citrus
a Pinch of Wasabi

Shake and strain into a Chilled Martini Glass, and Garnish with 2 Lime Wedges.

So hopefully you guys get to try Xante soon. I recommend it to anyone who likes cognac, and especially for those who are new to cognac based cocktails.  No bite, but the classic cognac feel to it. Will become a staple in my personal bar and will be a feature at the South Loop Hotel bar, and for most private events that I will work in the future!

Until next time
Mr.Mixologist