When it comes to spirits Cognac is considered the water of life. It’s made from French eau-de-vie brandy which literally translates to “water of life.” Cognac is great in cocktails like a Sidecar (with orange liqueur and lemon juice) or a French 75 (with Champagne lemon juice and simple syrup) but it’s also perfect as a dessert spirit — especially when paired with chocolate. But if you’ve ever purchased this type of brandy before you’ve probably seen some strange labels on the bottles: XO VS VSOP etc. What does all that mean and which one do you want to pair with chocolate?
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Cognac & Chocolate Pairing at Rémy Martin | Wine Trails
To answer that question we spoke to Natalie Migliarini author social media maven and founder of Beautiful Booze. According to Migliarini you want something called XO cognac: "Cognac pairs beautifully with a variety of foods but one pairing that really stands out is XO cognac with chocolate. The rich complex flavors of XO complement the deep notes of high-quality chocolate." XO is a cognac-specific term that's been around since 1870 and simply stands for "extra old." It means the cognac has been aged for a minimum of 10 years (and likely longer).
It's easy to find XO cognac from most of the major brands that produce the spirit — every manufacturer from Rémy Martin to Hennessy to Costco's Kirkland Signature Cognac sells XO styles. XO can be expensive but it's worth the price. The spirit — which is aged longer — takes on deeper oak flavors from the barrel it's stored in making it more refined and adding some bitter dry flavors. Compare that to VS ("very special") cognac which is aged for at least two years or VSOP ("very superior old pale") cognac which is aged for at least four years. Cognacs are often a blend of different eau-de-vie batches and the age of the youngest eau-de-vie determines the XO VS or VSOP designation.
XO Cognac works with chocolate precisely because of that dry woodsy flavor. Good quality dark chocolate in particular works great with fruity and woody flavors and XO Cognac — a barrel-aged fruit wine — has plenty of both in abundance. Still there are a few other chocolate options to pair with XO Cognac if you prefer.
