Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Cognac & Other Brandy Cocktails

3 Great Cocktails Made with the Boozy Fortified Wine Pineau de Charentes

By
Ari Bendersky
Ari Bendersky
Ari Bendersky
Ari Bendersky is a freelance journalist, editor and video producer specializing in food, drinks, travel and wellness. He is based in Chicago.
Learn about Liquor.com's Editorial Process
Published 09/20/17

Pineau des Charentes, cognac's lesser-known cousin, came about through a happy accident. In the late 16th century, a winemaker unknowingly added grape must to a barrel that still held some cognac eau-de-vie. After the mix aged for a few years, he opened it for a taste and—voila!—a new spirited wine emerged.

Since then, pineau—a combination of fresh or fermented grape juice or must and cognac—hasn't had much of an audience in the U.S. But bartenders across the country have started to focus on the fruity yet nutty flavor of these fortified wines and with brilliant results. We uncovered a handful of cocktails at restaurants and bars around the country that incorporate pineau. Whether you’re a tequila drinker or a sherry sipper, these are the three pineau drinks to try now.

  • Raisin’ Cane

    The bar team at Downstairs at The Esquire Tavern in San Antonio has long praised pineau and always has a bottle on the backbar. Recently, a customer asked bar manager Myles Worrell to make a cocktail with it after tasting it on its own. The result was an on-the-fly concoction combining pineau with rum, sherry and mole bitters. Look for the drink to find its way onto the permanent cocktail list, but in the meantime, stop by and ask Worrell to make one for you.

    Get the recipe.

  • Bamboo #2

    It has been a long time since the first Bamboo cocktail was made in Japan back in the 1890s. The drink was nearly forgotten after Prohibition, but it has recently enjoyed a comeback. At Washington, D.C.’s Mirabelle, lead bartender Zachary Faden's twist substitutes pineau for the original sherry. This simple cocktail with dry vermouth, Angostura bitters and orange bitters has an elegant roundness with hints of caramel and nuts.

    Get the recipe.

  • Aquarelle

    After a trip to NYC’s Attaboy, The Eddy head bartender Brian Elder in New York created this pastel-colored drink after looking to add a refreshing easy-sipping cocktail to his list. The drink at Attaboy used muddled strawberries, but to lessen the prep time and reduce spent fruit waste, Elder makes a strawberry cordial, which combines with lemon juice, gentian, gin and pineau. The drink takes a garnish of fresh basil for extra aromatics.

    Get the recipe.