Spirits briefing: Tasting the new £21,000 Louis XIII Cognac
Our latest spirits round-up includes tasting notes on a new luxury Cognac from Louis XIII, as well as expert tips on making a Proika cocktail using blue cheese vodka and fig cordial.
Louis XIII has unveiled Black Pearl: Tribute to the Birthplace of Louis XIII – a £21,000- a-bottle Cognac that aims to replicate the sensation of tasting direct from the cask in the historic Le Grollet cellar.
The Cognac, bottled in a midnight blue-highlighted decanter ‘inspired by the mystery, depth and darkness’ of Le Grollet, is presented in its own ‘cooling cellar’ cabinet, kept at a constant temperature down to 13°C.
At an exclusive tasting in London, Louis XIII Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau explained that this enables drinkers to replicate a cask tasting in Le Grollet during winter.
Served at 13°C, this is a savoury, earthy Cognac with a marked nuttiness and a spectrum of flavours ranging from beeswax to spice and coffee grinder.
As it warms, more elegant notes emerge – jasmine, iris, then passion fruit and dried apricot, plus a marked anise note. The texture is creamy and broad, allowing for an almost endless finish.
Black Pearl is a blend of a single cask of Louis XIII with an eau-de-vie distilled in the early 20th century. Loiseau said the latter added ‘raw authenticity’, combined with the elegance of Louis XIII.
The release is limited to 398 decanters worldwide, of which 27 are available in the UK, including via the Louis XIII boutique in Harrods.
Words by Richard Woodard. Editing by Julie Sheppard.
Noun / mæ ʃ / mash
In whisky production, a mash is a mixture of hot water and milled grains such as barley, rye, wheat and corn. The heat activates natural enzymes to kick off the process of turning starch in the grain into fermentable sugars.
Words by Julie Sheppard.
How to make a Proika cocktail
What is a Proika?
The Clumsies, Athens, Greece. Words by Julie Sheppard.
The new menu at this top Athens bar is called Polykatoikia: Spirits of the City and showcases 10 drinks created in collaboration with leading artists living in the Greek capital.
Sculptor Argyris Rallias is the inspiration for Proika, a surprisingly delicious savoury drink.
Bar manager Elvis Zeneli says: ‘Savoury blue cheese meets the delicate sweetness of fig and honey, while sundried tomato adds depth and an unexpected savoury edge.
'The result is a complex yet harmonious balance of flavours, reflecting Rallias’ ability to transform simple materials into something meaningful.’
Bar manager Elvis Zeneli, The Clumsies.
How to make a Proika
Ingredients
- 60ml blue cheese vodka
- 30ml fig cordial
- 5ml lime juice
- Glass: Rocks
- Garnish: Varies
Making your own blue cheese vodka
- To make blue cheese vodka, pour 1L vodka over 500g blue cheese and leave to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate for another 24 hours.
- Strain and freeze the liquid to solidify the fat, then strain again to obtain a clear, fat-washed vodka.
How to make fig cordial
- For homemade fig cordial, heat 1kg chopped dehydrated figs, 500ml water, 600g sugar, 300ml tomato water, 40g chopped sundried tomatoes, 3g dried thyme, three black lemons, 200ml amontillado Sherry and 100g honey in a pan until the sugar is dissolved.
- Leave to infuse for 24 hours, then strain.
Method for a Proika cocktail
- Shake all ingredients with ice
- Strain into a tumbler glass over a large ice cube
Related articles
