To make your home bar really cool, start raiding your grandfather’s cabinet
Find a snifter. Not an easy task, since you probably don’t have one handy, and you can’t remember what you did with the ones your grandfather owned. Delicately pour a thimbleful of amber-coloured liquid into the glass. Cup said glass in your hand for close to 10 minutes. Swirl. Bury your nose in it. Sniff. Take a sip. Savour the burning sensation trickling down the back of your throat. That’s how you drink cognac.
What a crock of crap. If that’s the only way you’re knocking back brandy, you need to grow up. Mix it, serve it on the rocks with a twist, blend it – there are hundreds of ways you can liven up this old man’s drink and impress your friends. It’s time to teach your grandfather a few things.
For the history buff, brandy is the product of distilling wine to produce spirit. The first recorded distillation goes back to 1411, and actually happened in Armagnac. Cognac didn’t begin to produce its now-most famous product until 1549. The word “brandy” itself, derived from the Dutch term “brandwijn”, meaning “burnt wine”, only entered common parlance 10 years later. The great houses you now see on shelves, Martell, Rémy Martin, Hennessy and Otard among them, were set up in the 1700s. And that’s when the marketing really began.
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av GQ India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av GQ India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.
Inside the undercover adventures of a full-time fraud sleuth.
HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE AS A PROFESSIONAL WHISTLE-BLOWER
A LIFE OF FASHION
In an extensive conversation, the menswear icon discusses his rise, his mistakes, his triumphs, his retirement, and what the future holds for him and his beloved brand.
IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH GEORGE & BRAD
They've spent three decades living intertwined lives at the inconceivably glamorous height of Hollywood. Now, having crossed the threshold of 60, they're more comfortable than ever throwing bombs, dispensing hard-won wisdom, and, yes, arguing about who had the better mullet in the '80s.
ALEXANDER THE GRITTY
One of India's most creative chefs comes of age.
Penning History
Montblanc marks 100 years of its iconic Meisterstück with new writing instruments inspired by the 1924 Olympic Games.
Royal Enfield Forges a New Path
Say hello to the company's most cutting-edge roadster.
Arooj Aftab Owns the Night
The Grammy Award-winning artist, fresh off a Glastonbury set, speaks to GQ about her new album, Night Reign, from the ideas that led to its conception to its genre-defying collabs with Elvis Costello, Kaki King and more.
Louis Vuitton's New Beat
The luxury maison's latest addition to the Tambour line reiterates its commitment to watchmaking and craftsmanship.