French Spirits - A Tribute to Café Brulot

FAN the f lame A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY COCKTAIL, CAFÉ BRULOT

The beautiful coupling between coffee and spirits is a love affair written throughout the history of the cocktail. As far back as the 1880s, a legendary New Orleans cocktail invented at Antoine’s is still served today throughout the French Quarter. Café Brulot, was coined by infamous pirate Jean Laffite, who would order a cup of coffee, pour cognac in its saucer, light it on fire, and then pour the flaming cognac into the cup of brew. Voila! It was Café Brulot.

As homage to this infamous cocktail and a modern take on the French tradition of spiking coffee with brandy to create a digestif, the Tardy Cognac family handcrafts Grand Brulot VSOP Cognac Café to revive this custom. Sixth generation cognac producer Christoph Tardy selects the finest eaux de vie from a blend of Ugni Blanc grapes to craft an elegant 80-proof VSOP that is aged at least 4-5 years, uniting it with rich Robusta Coffee from Ecuador that has been blended with French Brandy and aged for up to two months before being married to the VSOP Cognac in both oak casks from the Troncais and Limousin forests.

Warming a pour of Grand Brulot over a hot blue flame is just one of many ways to savor it. With initial notes of sweet orange, dark cacao, and vanilla bean, followed by a burst of robust and intense coffee flavor and ending hints of cinnamon and spicy bitter notes, Grand Brulot invites bartenders to reimagine this exceptional drink.

GRAND BRULOT ESPRESSO MARTINI

INGREDIENTS 2 oz Grand Brulot ½ oz. half & half (optional or dairy free) ¼ oz. vanilla syrup

PREPARATION Using a shaker, combine Grand Brulot, half & half and vanilla syrup. Shake vigorously with ice and then strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a few cracked coffee beans and cocoa powder. For this classic Espresso Martini, get creative and sugar your rim with chocolate shavings or sprinkles.