cognac

plural cognacs

1. countableuncountableA brandy distilled from white wine in the region around Cognac in France.

   Major manufacturers add a small proportion of caramel to color their cognacs.

   3 more examples

   Cognac, with the addition of a little paprika and the yolk of an egg, is considered an effective aphrodisiac aid.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 156

   We’d have a script meeting for the next day’s shooting that lasted until two in the morning, and he’d be up again at six for a breakfast meeting. I survived on cognac. I have no idea how he did it.

   2012, Pete Townshend, Who I Am, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 265

   David Mason, Beverage and Bar Manager at St. Regis, describes the complex aromas and layered palate of the cognac thus: “It’s kind of autumn flavors. Really nutty, almondy – kind of fig, plum, dried fruits. But it finishes off really smoothly but with a little bit of tobacco leaf.”

   2016 December 16, Peter Shadbolt, “What does a $22,000 cognac actually taste like?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2020

2. countableuncountableA dark orangish brown color.

   its cognac color a perfect match to the skirt

   2005 February 28, Working Mother, page 23

   1 more example

   Overall, they added touches of color, shades of green, and a deep cognac color from my design

   2025, Jillian Dodd, That Girl

1. A city and commune of Charente department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France; famous for cognac brandy.
2. Alternative letter-case form of cognac (brandy from Cognac).

   I confess that since Madame X left me[…]Housekeeping Anarchy had reigned o’er my Putney domicile[…], so my porcelain throne has long been my de facto office seat. A decent Cognac sits under the ball-gowned lavatory-roll cover, and I leave the door open so I can hear the kitchen radio.

   2004, David Mitchell, “The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish”, in Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN, pages 152-153