Spirits

Cognac

Cognac is a grape spirit distilled twice from white wine in copper pot stills in the Cognac area of western France and, under INAO’s specification, aged at least two years in oak and sold at no less than 40% ABV. The letters on the label are minimum ages, by the BNIC’s account: VS at least two years, VSOP four, XO ten. A VS or VSOP is what our cocktails assume.

Quick Facts

ABV40% ABVINAO’s specification sets a 40% minimum.

Legal categorySpiritINAO appellation: wine spirit from the Cognac area, at least 40% and two years in oak

OriginCognac area, western France (Charente and Charente-Maritime)

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use to preserve aromatics.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Cognac

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Dried fruitOakVanillaSpiceGrape

Tasting Notes

Smooth and warming with notes of dried fruit, vanilla, gentle oak, and soft spice. Rounded mouthfeel with a long, elegant finish.

Cognac is brandy made to a protected recipe

Cognac comes from vineyards around the town of Cognac, in Charente and Charente-Maritime, mostly planted with Ugni Blanc. The thin, sharp white wine is distilled twice in copper Charentais pot stills, the distilling has to finish by 31 March after the harvest, and the spirit spends at least two years in oak. It reaches the shelf at 40% or more.

The letters on the label are minimum ages

The BNIC, the cognac trade body, publishes the age statements, and they count the youngest spirit in the bottle, not the average.

Cognac age statements (BNIC minimums)

VS

Youngest spirit at least: Two years in oak
Where it suits: Mixed drinks, long drinks, punches

VSOP

Youngest spirit at least: Four years
Where it suits: Drinks where cognac leads, such as the Sidecar

XO

Youngest spirit at least: Ten years
Where it suits: Neat, or a stirred drink at most

XXO

Youngest spirit at least: Fourteen years
Where it suits: Neat

On the label	Youngest spirit at least	Where it suits
VS	Two years in oak	Mixed drinks, long drinks, punches
VSOP	Four years	Drinks where cognac leads, such as the Sidecar
XO	Ten years	Neat, or a stirred drink at most
XXO	Fourteen years	Neat

The cru names the soil, not the age

Six growing areas, or crus, ring the town: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires. A bottle naming one cru draws on that area alone; most cognacs combine several, and the label then says only cognac.

Our recipes split it between long drinks and rich ones

Cognac appears in 21 of our recipes. On the light side, the Horse’s Neck lengthens 40ml with ginger ale and the Champagne Cocktail adds 10ml under the wine. On the rich side, the Brandy Alexander shakes 30ml with dark crème de cacao and cream, and the Tom and Jerry warms it with rum, egg batter and hot milk. Between them sit the French Connection, the Sidecar and the Vieux Carré, where cognac is the backbone.

Using it

Using Cognac

Usage

Most of our cognac drinks take 30 to 50ml of a VS or VSOP: 50ml in a Sidecar, 35ml in a French Connection, 30ml in a Vieux Carré. Smaller pours, 10 to 22.5ml, give body under champagne in a Champagne Cocktail or under rum in a Scorpion.

Pro Tip

If a cognac drink tastes hot, look at the bottle before the recipe. A thin VS shows its alcohol when it is an equal partner, as in a Harvard, or the main spirit, as in a Stinger; a fuller VSOP fixes it without changing the measures.

Top Tips

Mix with VS or VSOP. The extra years in an XO show neat and vanish under citrus and sugar.
A cru named on the bottle, Grande Champagne or Fins Bois for example, says where the grapes grew. It describes a style, not an age.
Fine Champagne on a label means, under INAO’s specification, a mix of Grande and Petite Champagne, at least half of it Grande.
Cognac stops ageing once bottled, so a bottle kept ten years is no older than when it left the cask. Keep it upright and sealed.

Possible Substitutions

Brandy: Plain grape brandy at 40%: works in mixed drinks, with less depth where cognac leads

Production Method

Under INAO’s specification, white wine, mainly from Ugni Blanc grapes, distilled twice in a Charentais copper pot still to no more than 72.4%, with distillation finished by 31 March after the harvest, then aged at least two years in oak. Cognacs of different ages and crus are usually combined; the age on the label is that of the youngest spirit.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is cognac?

A grape brandy from the area around the town of Cognac in western France. Under INAO’s specification, white wine, mostly Ugni Blanc, goes through two distillations in copper stills and a minimum of two years in casks before bottling at no less than 40%. Only spirit made there, under those rules, may use the name.

Is cognac a brandy?

In everyday speech, yes. In GB law it is a wine spirit with a protected name, on the GB register on GOV.UK and made to INAO’s specification, so no other spirit can use it. Most brandy is not cognac. A recipe that names cognac usually wants the extra depth a VS or VSOP brings over a basic grape brandy.

What percentage alcohol is cognac?

At least 40% ABV, the minimum INAO’s specification sets, and the figure our recipes count it at. A few cask-strength bottlings are stronger. At 40%, the 50ml in our Sidecar holds two UK units before the orange liqueur adds its own.

What do VS, VSOP and XO mean on cognac?

They are minimum ages for the youngest spirit in the bottle, published by the BNIC, the cognac trade body: VS at least two years in oak, VSOP at least four, XO at least ten, and XXO at least fourteen. Many bottles contain older spirit too; the BNIC’s list gives only the minimum.

Can cognac work in light, long drinks as well as rich ones?

Yes; one VS or VSOP covers both. Lengthened with ginger ale in a Horse’s Neck, or under champagne in a Champagne Cocktail, its dried fruit gives a long drink some weight. Shaken with dark crème de cacao and cream in a Brandy Alexander, or warmed with egg and milk in a Tom and Jerry, it keeps a rich drink from tasting only sweet.

Is it a waste to mix XO cognac?

Usually. By the BNIC’s list, an XO has spent at least ten years in oak, and its detail is the first thing citrus and sugar remove in a shake. A stirred Harvard shows more of it, but a VSOP makes most of the same drink, so our recipes stop at VSOP.

What does Fine Champagne mean on a cognac label?

That, under INAO’s specification, the cognac comes only from the two Champagne crus, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, with at least half from Grande Champagne. The crus share a name, not a link, with the sparkling-wine region in north-eastern France. Fine Champagne is a description of where the grapes grew, not of age or quality.

Sources.

Correct as of 16 October 2026.

INAO, “Cahier des charges de l’appellation d’origine contrôlée Cognac”.
BNIC, “Celebrate the diversity of cognac on National Cognac Day, 4th June 2023”.
GOV.UK, “Eau-de-vie de Cognac / Eau-de-vie des Charentes / Cognac: protected spirit drink name”.

Make something

Made with Cognac

Featured In These Cocktails

French Connection Scorpion Vieux Carré Sidecar Brandy Alexander Japanese Cocktail

Show all 21 cocktails

Between the Sheets Brandy Crusta Brandy Sling (Hot)Champagne Cocktail Champagne Punch Champs-Élysées Corpse Reviver No. 1 Fish House Punch Fog Cutter Harvard Horse’s Neck Metropole Sazerac Stinger Tom and Jerry

Often Used With

Updated 16 October 2026

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