“My best and favorite cognac”, by bartender Julio de la Torre
We discover Julio de la Torre’s taste profile in our “My Best and Favorite” section. This time Julio de la Torre shares his favourite cognacs.
About Julio de la Torre
Julio de la Torre is now bartender and owner of the bar Café Madrid, located in the heart of Madrid. Although founded in 1993, Julio recovered and restored the bar in 2018. Here, Julio has designed a classic cocktail menu with Spanish references, where he uses ingredients such as fino, manzanilla, sherry wines or extra virgin olive oil. Moreover, the names of the cocktails refer to emblematic places in Madrid, such as the Puerta del Sol (gin, red fruits, ginger, egg white, lemon and sugar).
As part of his great success was at the Santamaría, La Coctelería de Al Lado, an old house converted into a bar in Madrid. It features vintage and retro furniture mixed with touches of original design. It was in this bar that Julio prepared the cocktail for the “Madrid Cocktail Week 2019”. Julio wanted it to be fruity, healthy, low in sugar, with a red hue and hints of gin. A cocktail that clearly left no one indifferent.
Three favorite cognacs by Julio de la Torre
Here is a selection of cognacs recommended by Julio de la Torre, their tasting notes and food pairing suggestion.
Hennessy XO
Appearance / Color: Deep amber.
Nose / Aroma / Smell: Spices, ripe grapes with a hint of cinnamon spice.
Flavor / Taste / Palate: Oak with sweet notes of vanilla and toffee.
Finish: Deep, smooth and intense
Food pairing suggestion: Dark chocolate, cheese with a palate of nuts and dried fruit (Mimolette. Mature Camembert, Emmental or Manchego.) Also other mature and crumbly cheeses like Parmesan, or an aged Gouda.
Rémy Martin Baccarat
Nose: Very floral, with honeysuckle, and sweet, with delicately perfumed fruit – melon and peaches. There is also a hint of flowery honey and a marzipan nuttiness.
Palate: Cinnamon, almonds, peach, orange and orange blossom, and woody spice. The succinct note in my notebook simply says ‘like eating twigs and sweet flowers’.
Finish: Delicate grape, sweet oak spice, melon and lingering floral notes.
Food pairing suggestion: soumaintrain cheese, cornish hen, duck, foie gras, asian dishes, spicy curries.
Courvoisier XO
Nose: Apricot, toasted brown sugar, cacao nibs.
Palate: Oak-y elements take shape on the palate, with a touch of fresh violet petal and strawberry.
Finish: Rounded orange, old oak and worn leather.
Food pairing suggestion: enjoy with strong, fatty cheeses like roquefort and aromatic, full-bodied ones like aged parmesan.
Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.
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