Tip 1: How to distinguish real Armenian cognac
Tip 1: How to distinguish real Armenian cognac
In accordance with the French law in force since 1909 "cognac"Are called alcoholic beverages receiveddistillation of grape wines and, most importantly, made in the region of Cognac in France. Other strong drinks are brandy, armagnac, etc. Armenian brandy on the territory of the former USSR is called cognac. He, like other elite drinks made with cognac technology, has distinctive features.
You will need
- - a bottle of cognac;
- - wineglass.
Instructions
1
The most popular brands of Armenian cognac: "Nairi" (aged 20 years), "Ararat", "Selected" (it is the first-born of Armenian cognacs), "Akhtamar", "Noi Vlastelin", "Hayk", "Jubilee" and "Celebratory". Among the producers of Armenian brandy, it is possible to allocate Yerevan Brandy Factory, Great Valley Company and Yerevan Brandy-Wine-making Plant.
2
All Armenian cognacs are classified as branded and ordinary. To ordinary drink the following strong drinks include: "three stars" (prepared with the use of alcohols of three years old), "four stars" (aging of alcohol is not less than four years) and "five stars" (5 year old alcohol). Vintage Armenian cognacs: cognacs aged (CW) from alcohols aged 6-7 years, high quality cognac (KVVK) from alcohol with 8-10 years old aging, cognac old (KC) with the use of ten-year alcohol, very old cognac (OC) and collection Armenian cognac.
3
Make sure that before you reallyArmenian cognac, you can still in the store. The real Armenian cognac, made at the Yerevan Brandy Factory, is poured into branded bottles of dark green color. In this case, the glass must be free of defects and inclusions.
4
Pay attention to the cork: the bottle cap should be golden. It must necessarily bear the logo of the manufacturer, and on top of it - another transparent logo with a protective hologram. Turn the bottle over: the inscription "ArArAt" should be pressed on its bottom.
5
Look at the top label: it should indicate the name of the brandy and its aging, and above it an indelible paint is marked with a computer overprint, which indicates the date of the spill of the drink and the first three letters of its name.
6
Move the gaze to the bottom label. It should contain the following information: the inscription "Armenian cognac", the company logo, as well as the name of the alcoholic beverage in Russian and Armenian. Under the name the producer - Yerevan Brandy Factory must be indicated.
7
But that's not all: look at the back label. The following information must be present on it: the legend, which is directly related to this brand of Armenian cognac, its name, the manufacturer's address and information about it, as well as the bar code.
8
All ordinary Armenian cognacs issuedcompany Great Valley, poured into matte bottles. Look at the label: on it in large letters the inscription "Armenian cognac" should be made, next to which the company's logo is put on - the lioness. Pay attention to the countermarket: it must include the manufacturer (Great Valley), as well as the exclusive supplier of Armenian elite drinks in Russia - Trade House Rusimport.
9
Verify the authenticity of the proposedArmenian cognac is also possible during the tasting. Pour cognac into the glass and, slightly tilting this glass, rotate it around the axis. Carefully observe the traces, which leaves behind this wine on the walls of the glass.
10
If the drink slowly flows down the sides of the glass,leaving behind an even trace, it means that you have a quality Armenian cognac. The traces left on the glass for five seconds indicate that the cognac is 5-8 years old. If the traces are visible 15 seconds - you bought brandy for about 20 years.
11
The aroma of this Armenian cognac is an exquisite range, combining the smell of vanilla, almond and juicy grapes. The taste of this elite drink is slightly tart, but very soft.
Tip 2: How to distinguish good cognac
Cognac is a truly noble drink. However, to date, no one is immune from the purchase of a much less quality product issued for the original. To avoid substitution, when purchasing brandy, you should follow several basic rules.
Instructions
1
To distinguish this cognac from a fake,pay attention primarily to the price of the drink. A good cognac will never be inexpensive. "Aged cognac" at a low price - this is the first reason to doubt its quality.
2
Read the label. First of all, take a good look at her appearance. The label should be neat, symmetrically glued to the bottle. Swipe on it with your fingers (to the touch, the corporate label resembles a cash note). Now read the contents of the label, which should contain information about the aging time, brand, manufacturer, etc.
3
Slowly turn the bottle upside down andpay attention to how the drink drips. If the glass shows traces of the liquid flowing down on it or a thick drop falls from the bottom of the bottle, it means that the cognac is sufficiently high-quality. The longer the cognac drains, the older it is.
4
Pay attention to the air bubbles thatcrawl up, as soon as you turn a bottle of cognac. If you first appear large and only then small bubbles - you can not doubt the quality of the drink.
5
Pour a little cognac into the glass and spin it,So that the liquid spreads evenly over the walls. Then remove excess moisture, shaking the glass, and hold it to the nose. This cognac includes an amazing variety of smells. Inhaling couples, you will feel barely perceptible transitions of successive fragrances. The older the cognac - the richer their combination.
6
Pour the cognac into the glass ("tulip") and touchThe finger to the wall of the vessel (from the outside) is slightly below the level of the drink. Then look at the print through the filled glass. If you see a clear trace, it means that in your glass this cognac is free of extraneous impurities.
Tip 3: How to make cognac from moonshine
Cognac is an elite alcoholic drink, highappreciated by connoisseurs. It is made from grape alcohol by sophisticated technology, and a quality product is not a cheap pleasure. In addition, an unenlightened buyer can find it difficult to choose a good alcohol in the store. Not surprisingly, among the many folk craftsmen, recipes of home brandy are popular. They allow to achieve a good imitation of an elite drink, pleasing the bouquet of flavors and flavors.
Cognac with vanilla aroma
That home alcohol could be, though withstretch, but call it cognac, it is very important to clean the moonshine well, remove the unpleasant smell of fusel oil. This can be done with the help of baking soda: add 2 teaspoons to 1 liter of liquid, mix well and insist for 24 hours. In the process of cleansing, shake the moonshine 1 time. When the precipitate falls to the bottom, drain the upper, clear layer of the drink.If you replace homemade vodka with a home-made alcoholic beverage, you will not need to clean the brandy base. In any case, alcohol should be strong - at least 45%.To give alcohol a characteristic cognacsome colors add tea, coffee or other additives to it. An excellent home-made drink can be insisted on the dried internal partitions of walnuts - a handful of a three-liter jar of peeled moonshine. Put a septum, a tablespoon of large-leaf black tea into the liquid and season with a tablespoon of vanilla sugar, the same amount of caraway and 5-6 buds of cloves. Throw a pinch of citric acid into the container with alcohol and cover the dishes with a cap cap. Insist homemade cognac at room temperature away from direct sunlight from two weeks to a month until it becomes saturated with color and flavor. Before use, carefully filter the beverage through a white flannel or gauze.
You can buy potassium permanganate from the pharmacy, it's excellent.means for cleaning moonshine. It is necessary to put 2 g in 3 l of a drink and wait for precipitation. To speed up the process, the jar can be held for 15 minutes in a water bath.
Cognac on the oak bark
This cognac is kept in oak barrels notless than two years, which gives this "alcohol elite" a characteristic bouquet. It is not by chance that experienced home-brewed winemakers prefer to use oak bark for insisting a home beverage - a very successful imitation of a popular product is obtained. For this cognac recipe, stock up in advance with oak bark. The easiest way is to buy it in a pharmacy, but you can cook it yourself at home: cut it off with a young oak, smash it into small chips and dry it. Fill the glass jar with oak bark, leaving the dishes free for about a third. Pour in a strong peeled moonshine and sweeten it with a tablespoon of granulated sugar (as an option, you can add 2 tablets of glucose, powdered). Insist an alcoholic drink for at least a month in a dark room, away from drafts. After aging cognac very well filter. If you want, you can diversify this recipe by making the drink spicy. To your taste for oak bark, add cinnamon, sweet pepper, vanillin, laurel, rose hips. Any home-made drink is unique, so when preparing it, do not be afraid to experiment.Tip 4: What brandy to give to the man-leader
Traditionally, a good gift to the male head on a festive date is cognac. But the choice of a noble drink should be approached carefully, so as not to spoil the impression of the gift.
What to look for when choosing cognac
To begin with, I would like to note that the marketalcohol products a huge number of fakes, which at first glance it is difficult to notice. But the connoisseur will necessarily feel an unreal drink, and you will put yourself in an awkward position. Therefore, when choosing alcoholic products, try to avoid questionable stores. Many are convinced that the more expensive the cognac is, the better, but in fact it is not. There are a lot of inexpensive cognacs that are famous for their wonderful taste.The most expensive cognac in the world - Henri IV, CognacGrande Champagne. The price for a bottle is about two million dollars. Cognac has a hundred-year endurance, is sold in bottles, finished with diamonds and gold.For example, the well-known company Metaxa offerscognac of excellent quality and in any price range. Also wonderful drinks offer Sourvoisier, Camus and Blades. Many judges say Armenian brandies, such as SAMKON, which can also be used as podarka.Muzhchiny-chiefs often versed in the cognac, but it happens and vice versa. If you know for sure that your head is of the second type of bosses, choose a cheap cognac, because if you buy very expensive collector's bottle respected brand - not the fact that the head will appreciate this gift. Lean on only the taste, then you can not spend money for nothing and please the authorities.
What else do you need for a good gift?
Any gift will be more pleasant if it is correctto wrap up. Gift wrapping is the most important attribute of any gift, let alone cognac for bosses. Take the packaging and the choice of the bottle very seriously, because, as you know, they meet on clothes. Many people know that non-lovers of cognac often give a gift, and your bottle can be remembered only by appearance. If the holiday is common - on February 23, New Year and the like - most likely when you come to choose cognac in the store, it will already be in a gift box or it will be offered to pack directly with you. Also it is worth considering the related products. If your boss smokes, then a set of good cigars will be an excellent addition to cognac. Cognac glasses are suitable as a gift for a non-smoker.Traditionally, along with cognac, they present a tile of high-quality bitter chocolate.You can also give a set of chocolates, as well as fruits, and other snacks - but this is only if you plan to drink this bottle with your bosses.
The basic rules of a good gift
If we summarize all of the above, we geta small set of rules for choosing cognac: - brandy should be quality, bought in a checked place - good cognac - not necessarily expensive - if the boss is well versed in cognac products - cognac should be expensive, if bad - inexpensive and tasty - an important attribute gift - packing - do not forget about the accompanying goods.Tip 5: What is the difference between cognac and brandy?
The difference between brandy and cognac is not as great as it seems. Experts say that any cognac can be called brandy, but only one particular type of brandy is called cognac.
The emergence of brandy
The first brandy was randomly manufacturedDutch sailors who decided to bring home from France some local wine that had come to their liking. Since wine often spoiled during a long voyage, in addition, the fees for its export were high enough, enterprising Dutch decided to re-distill this drink to reduce the weight (and hence the amount of duties) and exclude the possibility of spoilage. The result they liked very much, so in the future they began to experiment with the repeated distillation of different types of wine to get a drink of a certain strength and taste. The very word "brandy" in translation means "burnt wine". Currently, there are three types of this drink - grape brandy, fruit brandy and brandy from the pomace. We can say that the word "brandy" is taken to mean a class of drinks, rather than some specific variety.Main differences
Cognac is a subspecies of brandy, since itcan be made only from a special grapes growing in a certain area. In addition, the technology of cognac production is strictly regulated and does not tolerate deviations from the protocol. To make cognac, the pressed grapes are fermented, after three weeks they receive a young wine, which is distilled twice to get brandy alcohol. The resulting alcohol is poured into barrels made from the very old oak trees, it is believed that it is the special structure of the wood that gives the cognac a characteristic aroma. In this drink, no additional ingredients are added. But the rules for producing brandy simply do not exist. This name simply means double distillation technology. Therefore under this brand there can be drinks of the most different category. In addition, the brandy can include a variety of flavors and dyes, very often it adds a special caramel to get akin to a cognac flavor. Brandy is insisted in barrels, but they can be made even from plastic. It should be careful when ordering this drink and, if possible, choose only familiar and proven varieties, because the range of tastes of brandy is very wide. The cost of brandy, which is produced in one place by a complex protocol, usually much exceeds the cost of brandy. But this does not make brandy a low-quality beverage, there are many very famous and popular brands of brandy that are highly valued all over the world.Tip 6: How to distinguish authentic Armenian cognac
Armenian cognac is a serious competitionFrench analog. It is two representatives from different countries that occupy leading positions in popularity, quality and history. Wine-making in Armenia was started very, very long time ago, about 3500 years ago. Since 1999, Armenian cognac is produced according to a new standard, which obliges the producer to use only grape spirits grown in Armenia. However, it is not easy to distinguish genuine Armenian cognac without being in Armenia.
