International Cognac Summit 2011

By / Wine + Drinks / January 31st, 2011 / 2

Can you measure pleasure?

From January 23-26, the city of Cognac, France, will host over twenty-five top sommeliers and bartenders from around the world for the fourth annual International Cognac Summit (ICS).

Each year, participants in the ICS receive a special challenge: in 2008, the guests created a new cocktail called the Summit (see recipe below). In 2009, they invented the Cognac Wheel of Aromas, and in 2010 they revisited classic Cognac cocktails. This year, the group will have a new challenge: how to measure the aromatic persistence of Cognac. The participants will attempt to measure their sensations on the palate while tasting Cognac. No doubt this challenge will require all their skills as tasters and pleasure seekers. Can pleasure be measured?

According to Jérome Durand, director of Marketing & Communications at the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac): “Cognac possesses taste qualities out of the ordinary. We’re eagerly looking forward to our exchanges with some of the best palates on earth. No doubt this experience will be as riveting and fulfilling as the previous Summits.”

Cognac Summit

1 lime peel
4 thin slices of fresh ginger
40 ml (1 1/2 oz) VSOP Cognac
60 ml (2 oz) traditional lemonade
1 long piece of cucumber peel
4 or 5 ice cubes

Place the lime zest and ginger slices in the glass. Pour in 20 ml (3/4 oz) of VSOP Cognac. Lightly press the lime and ginger 2 to 3 times using a muddler. Half fill the glass with ice. Stir well for 5 seconds using a bar spoon. Pour in 20 ml (3/4 oz) of VSOP Cognac. Add 60ml (2 oz) of traditional lemonade and the cucumber peel. Stir well for 5 seconds using a bar spoon.

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