Cognac: Cognac

Rémy Martin VSOP

Ripe apricot, vanilla, liquorice and flowers.

Serve: Neat or in a Sidecar

Hennessy VS

Fresh and fruity: grape, toasted almond, vanilla and oak.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 2 years in French oak (VS)

Hennessy was founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy, an Irish officer who settled in Cognac, and is the largest cognac house. VS is a blend of many young eaux-de-vie, made for mixing.

Serve: With ginger ale, or in a Sidecar

Martell VSOP Aged in Red Barrels

Smooth and fruity: apricot, plum, vanilla and gentle spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years in French oak (VSOP)

Martell, founded in 1715 by Jean Martell from Jersey, is the oldest of the big cognac houses. Its house style is light and fruity, helped by distilling clear wines without the lees.

Serve: Neat or on ice

Courvoisier VSOP

Dried apricot, vanilla, toasted almond and soft spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years in French oak

The Courvoisier house is based in Jarnac on the Charente river and has long linked its name to Napoleon, using his silhouette on its bottles. A smooth, rounded VSOP for sipping or mixing.

Serve: Neat, on ice, or in a Sidecar

Martell Cordon Bleu

Rich and silky: violet, dried apricot, gingerbread, toasted nuts and sweet spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: XO-grade blend, French oak

Created by Édouard Martell in 1912 and still one of the best-known older cognacs. It uses a large share of eaux-de-vie from the Borderies, the smallest cognac cru, which gives its floral, nutty character.

Serve: Neat, at room temperature

Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula

Bold and fruity: apricot, orange, vanilla and a spicy, punchy finish.

Strength: 45% · Age and cask: Young blend, French oak casks

Built to recreate the bolder, higher-strength cognac that 19th-century bartenders used, after research with cocktail historian David Wondrich. It is made to stand up in mixed drinks.

Serve: In a Sidecar, a Cognac Old Fashioned or a punch

Hennessy XO

Deep and rich: dried fig, dark chocolate, candied fruit, pepper and spicy oak.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: XO: blend of eaux-de-vie aged at least 10 years in French oak

Hennessy XO was first blended in 1870 for the family's friends, and is often named as the first cognac sold under the XO label. It is a blend of many eaux-de-vie from the four best crus.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass, or with a single ice cube

Rémy Martin XO

Ripe plum, candied orange, jasmine, cinnamon and a long, smooth finish.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: XO: blend of eaux-de-vie aged at least 10 years in Limousin oak

A Fine Champagne cognac, meaning its grapes come only from Grande and Petite Champagne, with at least half from Grande Champagne. Rémy Martin distils on the lees, which adds richness.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass after dinner

Hine Rare VSOP

Elegant and floral: apricot, vanilla, white flowers and a light touch of oak.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years (VSOP), French oak

A Fine Champagne cognac, blended only from Grande and Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie. The house in Jarnac was founded by Thomas Hine, a young Englishman from Dorset who settled in Cognac in the 1790s.

Serve: Neat, on ice, or in a Sidecar

Delamain Pale & Dry XO

Delicate and long: dried apricot, vanilla, flowers, a little leather and a dry, clean finish.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: XO, Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie aged for many years in old French oak

Delamain, in Jarnac, uses only Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, buys them already aged from growers and finishes ageing them in its own cellars in old casks. No caramel or sugar is added, hence the pale colour and dry style.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass

Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal

Smooth and round: toffee, baked bread, plum, vanilla and gentle spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Fine Champagne cognac, aged in toasted French oak casks

Blended only from Grande and Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie, the two top crus of Cognac. The name recalls 1738, when King Louis XV gave the Rémy Martin family permission to plant new vineyards.

Serve: Neat, on ice, or in a Sidecar

Hennessy VSOP Privilège

Balanced: vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, clove and honey.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: VSOP (at least 4 years), French oak casks

Hennessy says the blend goes back to 1817, when the future King George IV ordered a 'very superior old pale' cognac from the house. It is blended from many eaux-de-vie from the main crus of Cognac.

Serve: On ice, with ginger ale, or in a Sidecar

Martell Blue Swift

Fruity and smooth: pear, apricot, vanilla, honey and sweet oak.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: VSOP-age eaux-de-vie, finished in Kentucky bourbon casks

Martell's eaux-de-vie are aged in French oak and then finished in casks that previously held bourbon. The swift in the name is the bird on Martell's emblem.

Serve: Neat, on ice or in a Sazerac

Courvoisier XO

Rich and layered: candied orange, crème brûlée, iris, dried fruit and spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: XO, youngest eau-de-vie at least 10 years in oak

A blend of eaux-de-vie from the Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies crus, aged in the house's cellars at Jarnac on the Charente.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass

Frapin VSOP Grande Champagne

Floral and fruity: apricot, vine flowers, vanilla, light oak and a long, elegant finish.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years, French oak

Frapin uses only grapes from its own estate in Grande Champagne, the top cru of Cognac, and distils them itself. The family has grown vines in the area for centuries.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass