Cognac Larsen launches two bartender blends

Focusing on bartenders, Cognac Larsen has launched two new blends.

Summer Blend eaux-de-vie and Winter Blend cognac are designed to be used in cocktails and mixology, to create seasonal, summer and winter cocktails.

Rather than focusing on age and age categories (no reference to age appears on the bottle) the emphasis is on fruit, flavour and aromas, thanks to ageing without lees and light oak-ageing.

Summer Blend and Winter Blend are two original and unique recipes that represent a different take on cognac and eaux-de-vie- de vin from the Charente.

Larsen Summer Blend is delicate eaux-de-vie-de vin fine. It is a blend from the double distillation (charentaise) of a single cépage (Ugni Blanc) wine, produced in the 'dorsale de Saintonge' region of the Charente. It has been aged for six months in small oak casks.

Larsen Winter Blend is a fruit-driven Cognac…‘Un Cognac Gourmand’ according to its creators.

Summer Blend and Winter Blend also pay tribute to the Golden Age of cocktails, which reached its apogee in Europe, especially France, at the end of the 19th century. Cognac Larsen took inspiration for Summer Blend and Winter Blend from Niels Larsen’s American Drinks, published in 1899, which lists 156 cocktail recipes. To mark the launch of Summer Blend and Winter Blend, Larsen has developed four seasonal cocktails that marry vintage and contemporary style:

The Immortals and East India Cocktail (Winter Blend)

Orleans Julep and Summer Summit (Summer Blend)

Jérôme Durand, Larsen’s managing director says the new Summer Blend and Winter Blend reflect the innovative spirit of the house and its heritage: “We have created an eaux-de-vie-de vin fine blend and a cognac that deliberately break the mould. We have reimagined them for the bar. We know that significant percentage of cognac is drunk by consumers in cocktails and long drinks and we know that bartenders appreciate cognac for its aromas, flavours and mouthfeel. We have designed two totally new blends that meet these needs. The focus is not on age or age designation but aroma and flavour.”

The house of Larsen, now part of the Finnish group, Altia, celebrates its 90th Anniversary this year. It was founded by Jens Reidar Larsen, a Norwegian adventurer and Cognac-lover, who set off to explore France, visited the South West and decided to set up a Cognac house there. Larsen never went home but Larsen’s Nordic roots and spirit of adventure of its founder are reflected in the brand’s iconic emblem: the Viking ship or drakkar.

Cognac Larsen joined the Altia group in 2013.

30 October 2016 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editorial assistant