Cognac is the perfect spirit to pair with oysters. Trust us.
With peak oyster season on the horizon, crack a shell, pour a glass, and thank us for this pearl of wisdom…
Words: The Gentleman
Photography: John Short
In association with:
An oyster’s briny, plump meat should be sampled like wine: hold the half-shell, tender morsel and all its liquor to your nose and inhale deeply. If it’s as fresh as it should be, the initial hit of saline descends into buttery aromas and delicate sweetness — reserved for only the freshest of seafood — as it hits the tongue.
"An oyster’s briny, plump meat should be sampled like wine..."
While many diners reach for a crisp Muscadet or ice-cold vodka shot as they perch on bar stools waiting for their next morsel to be shucked, cognac offers a mellow depth that takes the shellfish to a different plain.
Martell VS Single Distillery is elegant in its simplicity — heady saffron and citrus compliment the oyster’s natural sweetness, while woody notes from the cognac’s oak cask offer a rich complexity that counterbalances the salty, shelled flesh.
In the Charente region of western France, the combination of oysters and cognac goes back as long as the brandy has been steeped and barrelled.
With over 200 years of cognac-making experience, Martell have perfected their house distillation style — all sediments are removed, creating a perfectly smooth, naturally rich blend which can only be improved with freshly shucked seafood. Santé!
We asked Martell’s cellar master to tell us everything a gentleman should know about cognac. He didn’t disappoint…
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