Making a case for cognac with food pairing suggestions

Cognac a.k.a. liquid gold, might be your lolo’s drink of choice, which should really inspire you to give it a try — the way you did with wine and whiskey and gin.

Like wine, it’s a low maintenance drink, that’s good neat or on the rocks. Like whiskey and gin, cognac makes a good base for a cocktail.

At a recently held cognac appreciation event, we learned cognac is great when paired with food, too, immediately lighting up the light bulb in our head: No wonder so many lolos in Chinese restaurants order it!

According to Kevin Charuel, Remy Martin’s brand advocate to the Philippines, cognac in general is best paired with fatty or aged cheeses, as well as dark and bitter flavors. Its spicy but smooth flavors of the drink will open up your tastebuds, providing a nice counterpoint to the flavors.

Below are more tips on how best to enjoy cognac with food:

Having a cheese platter for merienda? While white wine is the first drink you'd think for such a feast, a sweet cognac isn't a far second. In addition to its natural spiciness, its sweetness will cut through the savory creaminess of a fatty cheese and compliments the tart sweetness of dried apricots. Charuel pointed to the Remy Martin VSOP as an example and notes, such sweet cognacs make for a beautiful aperitif.

Asian food on the agenda? Look for cognac with smoky flavor. It will lend itself as a canvas for all the flavors of an Asian dish to shine and will help highlight the depth and richness of the flavors. This is exactly why a Remy Martin made its Club variant exclusively available in Asia. According to Charuel, the smokiness works well with the strong savory taste of fried adobo or the spiciness of Thai food. And because it works great with spices, the Club works well with teas. Can we already taste tea-based cocktails? We think we do. 

Rich fatty food? Here’s where your lolo’s cognac-Chinese food pairing comes to mind. Look for a swabe kind of cognac — one with a rich, velvety taste. That will balance the the rich taste of foie gras, for instance or a Chinese Char Siew. Because the cognac is not too strong, it won’t distract from the taste of food.

But all these tips are simply recommendations, according to Kevin. You simply have to try it and find out what you like the most and have fun with it. — LA, GMA News