Pass the Courvoisier

Jan 25 2007 by Andrew Higgins, Liverpool Daily Post

No longer a medicinal tipple, brandy is now the drink of choice for the hip-hop generation, as Andrew Higgins discovers

Thanks to this surge in popularity, many of the city's so-called "style" bars are stocking up on a wide selection of Cognacs, including Martell, Remy Martin, and the world's top-selling brand, Hennessy.

"Hennessy XO is very popular. In the past, a bottle of this brandy can last up to 12 months, but in the past three months we've been open, we've gone through two bottles," says Jackie Durkin, bar manager at Lark Lane restaurant Negresco.
 
"Bar tenders have better training in their profession, which has given them more product knowledge and the ability to push spirits you wouldn't normally try."
 
Conor adds that a lot of people are attracted to the complex flavour of brandy, and drinkers seem to agree that you get what you pay for with brandy.
 
So much so that, for the more discerning connoisseur, the Living Room offers the luxurious Remy Martin Louis XIII . . . at a wallet-busting £350 per shot.
 
In contrast to the budget-blowing brandies, though, Tesco is about to release its own XO (Extra Old, aged six years) Cognac, priced at under £20, after seeing demand rising by 30% over the last year.
 
"We are witnessing the beginning of a new golden age in Cognac drinking in this country, something that is more associated with the period just after the Napoleonic wars," says Tesco buyer Katherine Abram.
 
"It's been a very, very long time since top-quality Cognac was held in such high esteem and given such prestige by younger drinkers as it is today."

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