That’s right. You should be drinking [more] Cognac this summer. And, not any old stuff. If you’re going to do it, do it right. Spring for the D’usse. D’usse is smooth and woody with hints of spice, vanilla and honey. Perfect for sipping on it’s own, D’usse is versitile enough to compliment your favorite cocktails. And that’s just what we should all plan to do this summer…COCKTAIL!!

You may be familiar with D’usse. Or maybe one of Hip-Hop’s greatest, Jay-Z. All of the lyrical references don’t do D’usse proper justice. You’ve got to try it for yourself. This VSOP Cognac is aged four years. This yields it’s smoothness. An easy sipper for those who are looking to explore the world of Cognac. This is a good start.

Let’s get into some cocktails!

The Lorraine 75. The unique bottle is decorated with the Cross of Lorraine. The cross is a French symbol of honor, courage and perseverance. You should feel worthy of trying these D’usse cocktails

Lorraine 75:

1 part D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac
½ part triple sec
1 part orange juice
Top with MARTINI® Prosecco

Combine all ingredients. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a long orange spiral.

Angel’s Shoulder (developed by Karl Franz Williams):

1 ½ oz. D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac
¾ oz. Lemon juice
½ oz. Rosemary simple syrup
¼ oz. Amaretto
¼ oz. Combier Crème de Pêche
¼ oz. Benedictine liqueur
Red Wine Float (Côtes du Rhône)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Serve in a rocks glass over one large ice cube.

Black River Pearl:

1.75 oz D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac
0.5 oz Benedictine
0.5 oz Japanese plum wine (umeshu)
2 dash grapefruit bitters
1 dash chocolate bitters

Stir. Tulip glass. Garnish with micro flower

For a seasonally inspired “Sidecar”, we experimented with a Honeysuckle syrup. They’re in season and covering backyards all around. If you happen to live in a concrete jungle, honey syrup will work just fine in the next cocktail.

Summer Sidecar:

2oz. D’usse Cognac

1/2oz. Honeysuckle Syrup**

1/2oz. Licor 43

3/4oz. Lemon Juice

2 Dashes Orange Bitters [Such as Hella Bitters]

2 Dashes Vanilla Bitters

*Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake until chilled and double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with honeysuckle or lemon zest.

**For honeysuckle syrup:

1 Cup Wild Honeysuckles

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

Place honeysuckles in a jar and add 1/2 cup of warm water. Let the flowers steep for a couple of hours up to overnight. Strain flowers and add water to a pot. Simmer water with sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and bottle.

Because it is  summer, we’ve got to get our tiki on. Cocktails have no bounds, we should explore them all! This is my “proprietary” Piña Colada recipe, slightly inverted. The key to making a proper Colada (in my opinion) is to shake it. Of course, there’s a time and place for your beloved blender. You’ll use it here. Only to pre-blend your cream of coconut. (If necessary)

D’usse Colada:

1 1/2oz. D’usse Cognac

1oz. Rum

1oz. Fresh Lime Juice

2oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

2oz. Cream of Coconut [Such a Coco Lopez]

3/4oz. Crème de Banane [A quality Banana Liqueur]

Nutmeg

*Add all ingredients to a shaker, minus nutmeg, with light ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a large snifter or hurricane glass over crushed ice. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and ornament with with mint or pineapple spears, tiki umbrellas, cherries and lime wheels. Get tiki with it!!

D’usse Mule:

2oz. D’usse Cognac

1 Barspoon Yellow Chartreuse [Optional]

1/2oz. Lime Juice

Ginger Beer

*This is a built cocktail. Add all ingredients to copper mug or rocks glass and stir. Top with Ginger Beer and ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Lastly, a Cognac “Julep”…if you will. Here in the south, minty refreshing cocktails are mandatory in the summer months.

D’usse Julep:

2oz. D’usse Cognac

1oz. Crème de Pêche

1/2oz. Lemon Juice [not in a typical Julep…]

1/4oz. Simple Syrup

6-8 Mint Leaves

*Muddle mint leave in Julep cup or rocks glass. Add remaining ingredients, some crushed ice and stir until chilled. Top with more crushed ice. Garnish with a bouquet of mint.

Now you’re ready to brush up on your cocktail game this summer with a little help from D’usse Cognac. Cheers!