Testing Cognacs in a Manhattan
Does that make these a 'Paris'? Is that a thing? Should I make it a thing? No one yelled at me about it last week at least...
I’m stuck between 2 options for a “house Cognac” based on tasting them alone, so cocktails are going to be the tiebreaker. And the first cocktail is going to be a basic Manhattan with the brown stuff switched. I didn’t want to go full House Manhattan recipe since that’s built very specifically around the OOB Rye, so I simplified it a bit (basically, back to what I was using when I was identifying the right vermouth ratios).
Turns out, this is awfully close to a drink I wrote about more than 6 years ago:
French Onion Cocktail - What to Make when Cooking with Vermouth
Once Thanksgiving is over, I expect to eat soup at least once a week until (probably) April. My wife loves soup all year, but especially when it's cold. And she's an amazing cook, so I can't complain.
“Basic” House Manhattan Ratios
2 oz Spirit
0.75 oz Carpano Antico Sweet Vermouth
0.25 oz Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
With ABK6 VSOP Cognac
The nose here is all bitters - you’re basically huffing baking spices. That strangely gives way to a light profile on the palate, with the grape not coming through much at all in lieu of the more stringent dry vermouth. The grape must does come through a bit on the finish, but overall this is a much lighter drink than “Cognac Manhattan” suggests it should be.
As it dilutes, the flavors do punch up a bit and the drink rounds out, which is not usually how these things go, but even then it feels like it’s missing something.
With Le Reviseur VSOP Single Estate Cognac
Also here, the nose is all kitchen pantry. The Cognac nose just can’t compete the way overproofed Rye can. But, here the spirit is much stronger on the palate and is more complimented by the herbs in the sweet vermouth.
The must comes through fairly strong on the finish, but it’s not overly funky. This drink is definitely full and rounded, but it’s tough to pick out the Cognac character directly and dilution takes it out of balance quickly.
The Winner: Honestly, it’s still a tie, which I understand is no fun but is unfortunately true
To be totally honest, I didn’t love either and I didn’t dislike them - these are purely average, and I don’t get much separation. And they seem to react in opposite ways to each ingredient for reasons I truly don’t begin to understand.
The Revisuer probably has the edge, but it’s a very slight one…
So, we gotta test with a different drink entirely! One that’s more intentionally built around the Cognac.