The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/870605
've never been much of a cognac drinker. Hints of dried fruit and citrus zest never appealed to me. I had my first cognac at 16. As I recall, its sweet bite was quite foreign to my tongue. It was then that I decided that cognac wasn't for me. B Y M I C H A E L S C I V O L I Growing up in an affluent town like Franklin Lakes, NJ, it wasn't particularly hard to come by an expensive cognac—even as a high schooler. It was kept on top shelves and locked away in liquor cabinets in all of my friends' homes. And what debaucherous teens could refuse the call of swiping a $2,000 bottle from their father's home bar? Though I'd tried it from time to time, a stigma grew with each mysterious bottle adorning the names of Frenchmen. As I got older, some of my college peers would mix Hennessy VS with Coca Cola. The thought of adding something syrupy to something I already felt was sweet seemed a bit odd, and the VS bottle didn't hold the same weight as the bottles we'd stolen a swig from growing up. Then came VUE. The publication's inception opened up a whole new world of spirits, and for me, cognac was no exception. It started in early 2016 at Empire Steak House on 50th Street in Midtown East—I was invited to a cognac dinner which was led by Cyril Camus, president of the Camus Cognac brand. As the fifth largest cognac house in the world, Cyril offered us a glass from each bottle of the brand's entire profile. This included everything from their balanced, vibrant VSOP Elegance to their very intense Borderies XO, which is created from the most prized vines of the Camus Estate. You can imagine my trepidation heading into the evening with the mindset of having staved off cognac altogether. But from the very first glass, the stigma I'd come to know slowly lifted. Subtle notes of floral and velvety finishes showed me the spirit's true drinkability. In the year that followed, cognac cocktails made with Camus began popping up all over—from local wine bars and restaurants to even our own VUE launch parties. These weren't $20 Hennessy and Coke concoctions, but well-thought-out craft cocktails at some really great venues. To my surprise, they were often among my favorites. Camus, pronounced "Ca- moo," is a brand steeped in tradition. The company uses a process of cognac making that has been passed down through generations, ensuring the spirit's one-of-a- VUE ON DINING V U E N J . C O M 95