Whether as an aperitif, dessert or digestif, it's always a pleasure to enjoy a good cognac. However, to appreciate all its aromas, choosing the right glass is essential!
There are several choices available to you, depending on your chosen tasting experience. We'll explain everything!
The ideal glass for drinking cognac in cocktails
Cognac can be enjoyed neat... or in a cocktail! Cocktails are very much in vogue, and are a great way to enjoy the aromas of cognac without the overpowering aftertaste of alcohol. For those who don't necessarily appreciate pure spirits, this is a good way to get initiated! But the content will be even more enjoyable if the container is just right! So we recommend...
The Tumbler glass, a classic for cocktails
This glass is perfect for showcasing your cocktails and enjoying them to their true value! It's particularly well-suited to long drinks, which we recommend in order to retain as much of the cognac's flavour as possible. Additionally, this type of glass allows you to add a good quantity of crushed ice, which is essential for keeping cocktails fresh. Aesthetically pleasing and effective, it's the perfect combination!
–> Discover Guillon-Painturaud cocktails
The ideal glass for drinking cognac as an after-dinner drink
Drinking cognac as a digestif is a completely different tasting experience. And a different experience means a different glass!
You've probably already heard of the balloon glass, with its very rounded shape. It has long been used to drink cognac, and still is today, but we recommend a completely different glass...
The tulip glass, perfect for drinking cognac
The tulip glass is THE glass to use when drinking cognac! Its shape is ideal: flared and then narrowed, it allows the alcohol vapours to settle to the bottom and bring out the best aromas. This type of glass gives you an ideal tasting experience and allows you to appreciate all the complexity of old cognacs in particular.
To appreciate these cognacs, we often hear that you need to warm the glass. Is this a good idea or a bad one?
Should cognac be reheated?
The thing to know is that cognac is a spirit that is best drunk at room temperature, around 20°C. So it all depends on whether you're in a cold environment or not.
If your glass of cognac is cold, and there's a risk that it will cool your cognac, it's a good idea to put your hands around the glass to warm it and make it a few degrees warmer.
However, if your glass isn't particularly cold, don't heat up your cognac! A cognac drunk too ‘hot’ will bring out the alcohol vapours and attenuate the aromas.
So now you know the ideal container for cognac! What about other spirits?
Which alcohol in which glass?
The ideal glass for drinking whisky
For the best possible tasting and appreciation of whisky, we also recommend the tulip glass ! Its strength comes from its shape and the fact that, when the whisky is turned in the glass, the drink spreads over the curved part, allowing the aromas to be released.
If you don't have a tulip glass at home, the alternative is to use a wine glass! This glass is the closest you can get to a tulip glass and, although less optimal, it will still allow you to enjoy a whisky.
The ideal glass for drinking rum
Well, once again, the tulip glass is the winner! Flared at the bottom, then narrower at the top, it's ideal for enjoying a quality rum.
We always recommend using a stemmed tulip glass to avoid heating the spirit with your hands.
Now, get your glasses! Ready to go? Go !
