Cognac went a little short here in the blog so far, but to be honest there is really no good reason for that since I really like this spirit type very much and also the range of classic, cognac-containing drinks is not small at all. So it’s time to once again write about the French white wine distillate. (provided test product)*

For basic information on the subject, however, at this point I would like to recommend having a look at one of my articles from the past in which I offered a short introduction to the topic. In the linked article you will also learn something about the different “Crus” of the Cognac region. Like the Pierre Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula, today’s bottle also comes from the subregion Grande Champagne, which is considered the 1st cognac region (hence the name “1er Cru de Cognac” on the bottle). It is named Pierre Ferrand Ambré and the amber-colored cognac bears no statement of age on the label, so formally it will probably belong to the youngest group of cognacs (many websites and retailers claim that the spirit has an age of 10 years. That may be due to the fact that the manufacturer speaks of a “tasting age” of ten years, which simply means that it “tastes like a ten-year-old”, but not that it is a ten years old – it’s all about marketing). Alexandre Gabriel, master blender of the Château de Bonbonnet, is also personally responsible for the creation of this cognac. And he will certainly be quite proud of the numerous prizes won by this cognac (so he decided to print them on the bottle’s packaging.

My esteemed blogger colleague Matthias Friedlein of the Augustine-Bar-Blog has praised the Pierre Ferrand Ambré Cognac in the past, so I was very curious about how I would like that one.

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: An intense and very fragrant aroma of light fruits seduces the sense of smell, especially apricot and pear stand out. Fruit cores, violets, honey and oak mix with a subtle vanilla and subtle spice associations.

Taste: The palate shows a very mild and yet persuasive variety of flavors of fine oak tones with stone fruits (especially apricots), vanilla and a little citrus fruit. A great cognac, I can only agree to my colleague.

Finish: medium long with spices, apricot and orange tones

The cocktail-worthiness of this cognac was basically out of question for me after I had tasted it. Nevertheless, I first wanted to try it in a classic cognac cocktail which nicely picks up the apricot tones of the Pierre Ferrand Ambré and combines them with orange notes: the “Between the Sheets” cocktail by Harry MacElhone from 1930.

Recipe “Between the Sheets”:

3 cl Pierre Ferrand Ambré Cognac
3 cl Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
3 cl white rum
0.75 cl lemon juice
2 bar spoons of sugar syrup (optional)

Preparation: Shake all ingredients vigorously on ice and strain into pre-chilled glass. Sprinkle with the oil of a flambéed orange zest.

Glass: coupette

Garnish: orange zest

But I also wanted to tease out a bit more of the Pierre Ferrand Ambré and dared to create a Flip inspired by a drink I once had in the Roman Jerry Thomas Project. The result is a fruity-aromatic flip with a fine mineral note, which I simply called “The Amber Flip”. For this Flip, I infused some white Plantation “Three Stars” rum with dried apricots and a hint of tonka bean, took some Italian vermouth (Mulassano Rosso), a little bit of soda water, some sugar, Peychaud’s Bitters and an egg yolk (and of course Pierre Ferrand Ambré as the leading actor) and finally rounded it off with nutmeg. A great, aromatic and very nice cocktail, which of course leads to some effort due to the required infusion, but it is definitely worth it. And besides that it is Flip: a cocktail category that unfortunately can only rarely be encountered.

Recipe “Amber Flip”:

5 cl Pierre Ferrand Ambré Cognac
1.5 cl Dried Apricot & Tonka-infused Plantation “Three Stars” Rum (see below)
1.5 cl sugar syrup
1 cl red, Italian vermouth
1 egg yolk
1 cl soda water
2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Dried Apricot & Tonka-infused Plantation “Three Stars” Rum: Add a small handful of dried apricots and about half a Tonka bean to 250 ml of Plantation “Three Stars” and let infuse for 48 hours. Then filter through a sheet of Muslin. Do not exceed 48 hours of infusing, otherwise the Tonka influence becomes too strong.

Preparation: Add all ingredients to a shaker and do a “Dry Shake” without ice first (or briefly froth with a milk frother inside the shaker). Finally, add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. Then strain into your pre-chilled glass.

Glass: Tumbler or D.O.F. (the glass in the picture is something in between a Goblet and a Tumbler)

Garnish: fresh grated nutmeg

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online.

*The fact that this product has been sent to me free of charge for editorial purposes does not – in any way – imply any influence on the content of this article or my rating. On the contrary, it is always an indispensable condition for me to be able to review without any external influence.