Cognac is one of the strongest alcoholic drinks. Expensive types of cognac are always elite. This is the French "Hennessy", the production of which is personally verified by the country's authorities. From the article you will find out what Hennessy brandy is, reviews about it and a recipe for cooking at home.
Description
Strong alcoholic drink of the French manufacturer. The original drink includes more than 40 types of grape spirits - this is what Hennessy brandy is. Reviews about it are made by the most famous sommeliers and blending masters of the whole world, and manufacturers value their national drink in the same way as its recipe.
Different types of drink cost from 2 thousand rubles to 32 thousand dollars. The price mainly depends on the number of varieties of alcohol that are used in the manufacture and their exposure. Cognac "Hennessy Sun" reviews always deserves special.
Manufacturer
The plant is located in the province of France in the department of Charente. There are not only production facilities, but also rooms for visiting tourists - both in the factory itself and in the Hennessy cognac house. It contains a semblance of a history museum, where tourists can see different years of the formation and development of production.
The plant provided for not only the full production cycle of cognac from the cultivation of raw materials (white grapes of a special variety Uni Blanc - berries of high acidity, resistant to disease), but also the independent manufacture of containers for storage, aging and bottling. Like many years ago, strong oak is a raw material for barrels - a tree that does not warp over time and does not lose its properties. It is the Hennessy cognac stored for aging in oak containers that receives the most enthusiastic reviews.
In huge barrels, the drink is stored for 2 to 200 years, and it is poured into the author's glass bottles indicating the brand of the plant.
On each bottle there is one feature that will help the buyer to recognize whether the brandy is in front of him - volumetric letters on the glass under the main label of the bottle.
Interesting fact
The name "brandy" was given to the drink by the place (or rather a provincial town), where for the first time in 1765 the active production of this strong alcohol began.
But the Hennessy trademark came from the name of the person who laid the foundation for the creation of the plant in the French province. Now the plant itself and the territories adjacent to it are protected by special laws by the state. In particular, it even controls the preparation of brandy. For example, French law prohibits the use of sugar in the fermentation of grape spirit to produce the finished product. Some other laws are related to the fermentation and distillation of raw alcoholic liquids.
Home cooking
The original cognac recipe is stored in the walls of the factory, but we will try to prepare a decent "fake" at home. In general terms, the preparation can be described as follows:
- Harvesting white sour grapes - only in dry weather.
- Spin juice without damage to the seeds.
- Juice Filtration.
- Sugar-free juice fermentation takes about three weeks.
- Distillation of the obtained liquid on a special distillation apparatus.
- Extract of the drink in a dark room and clogged containers (you can use small oak barrels).
As a basis for cooking, take only white grapes with a high degree of acidity, which ripens in late autumn.
Another of the main points - the berries should not have traces of dirt, eating by pests or any disease of the plant itself. Each of these factors can lead to spoilage of raw materials and fermentation of vinegar instead of high-quality alcohol.
Thus, in advance, prepare the raw materials to make Hennessy cognac at home. Reviews about it will be most positive if the alcohol is aged in a dark place for about a year or two.
What products will be needed:
- 3 liters of high-quality alcohol or moonshine from white grapes of their own production;
- 1-2 peas of allspice ;
- 1-2 peas of black pepper;
- a pinch of fresh lemon peel;
- 2 inflorescences of dried cloves;
- 2 tsp black leaf tea;
- 1 tsp granulated sugar (white).
How to cook:
- So, peas of allspice and black pepper, together with zest, tea, cloves and sand, combine in a small linen bag. Tie tightly. It is important that the fabric for the bag is plain beige or white without dyes or synthetics.
- Dip the bag in a jar of moonshine and close tightly with a silicone lid. Place in a dark place and leave there for 3-4 weeks.
- After a while, strain the liquid through a layer of sterile gauze and bottle. Close them tightly.
- Place the aging bottles in a cellar or other slightly cool dark place.
You don’t have to use the indicated bag at all, and throw the components for insisting directly into the jar. But then the process of filtering the liquid through the cheesecloth will be a little more difficult. And it is also likely that a flocculent deposit will appear in the bank during storage. This must be remembered if you want to produce high-quality Hennessy cognac. Reviews will depend on the cooking process.
It is important that at the moment of insisting on alcohol with spices, there should not be nearby smelling products - onions, garlic and others. Even if the can with the drink is closed, the smell can still penetrate and significantly spoil your cognac.
Additional ingredients
As additional ingredients, you can take other spices to your liking. You will get a separate copy of cognac, but it will possess exactly those taste and aromatic qualities that you value.
Reviews
Reviews of cognac "Hennessy VS" from the masters of the blend suggest that:
- In each sip, deep tastes of prunes are clearly felt, the aroma is tart and deep with hints of milk chocolate, spices and flower honey (Hennessy XO 40%).
- The taste of the drink is slightly vanilla, a cinnamon and nutty hue is given out, the finish of the drink is creamy, refined with a chocolate bouquet ( Hennessy vsop cognac ).
Reviews about the drink of our own home-made will be somewhat different, the bouquet is more pronounced, the taste is deeper and bitter.