Bellevue – Camus Ile de Re
It cannot be said enough, people should drink more cognac! Yes, I know cognac still has an antiquated image. Yet, this traditional French spirit has so much great things to offer. In this case, I am writing about a cognac which comes from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The still family owned Camus cognac house is the only cognac producer who produces cognac from grapes grown on the Ile de Re.
The Ile de Re in the Charente-Maritime department belongs to the Bois à Terroirs cru cognac appellation. Furthermore, the grapes grown on the island have a naturally higher iodine level. Apart from that, they also grow in a milder climate on the island. After fermentation Camus distils the cognac on the yeast and ages it in one of their dampest cellars.
The slightest hint of salinity
Do not expect the Camus Ile de Re Fine Cognac to taste really salty. You are not swept away by a salty wave of flavours. In contrast, you get typical cognac notes of dried fruits and violets. Yet, you can taste the slightest whiff of salty flavours, if you concentrate very hard. Nevertheless, the Ile de Re cognac does taste different compared to other cognacs. In my opinion you are not overwhelmed by dried fruit notes or candied violets. Instead, the cognac offers more spicy notes in the back of the taste.
Grapefruit Sidecar anyone?
The inspiration for the “Bellevue” cocktail was the most famous cognac cocktail, the Sidecar. However, instead of orange curaçao I went for the Giffard Pampelmousse liqueur. Since, this is a crème liqueur and contains a lot of sugar you have to be careful on how much you use in the drink. Yet, to balance out the cocktail I used Lapsang Souchong syrup, too. This way I also integrated some smokiness in the drink.
0,75 cl Giffard Pampelmousse
3 cl Lemon Juice
1,5 cl Lapsang Souchong Syrup
Garnish: Long Lemon Twist;
Song: Andrew Bird – Bellevue;
Besides the clear grapefruit note, the drink really is reminiscent of a Sidecar. The Camus Ile de Re shine through nicely. On top of that, the Lapsang Souchong adds some smoky notes that do not overwhelm the rest of the drink. The lemon juice balances everything out and keeps the drink from being too sweet. All in all, the drink manages to be refreshing with some additional darker fruit notes.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The cognac was provided by Vranken-Pommery.
