Ludacris’ Conjure cognac is a diamond on my shelf
Colin Joliat Ludacris may be one of BET’s top 10 rappers of the 21st century, but he isn’t resting on his rhymes. He founded a record label, developed his own headphones, and won a SAG award for the movie Crash, but that still wasn’t enough. A few years ago, he took on his most delicious endeavor – Conjure Cognac.
It seems only appropriate that I listen to “Diamond in the Back” and sip a bit of cognac while I write this, you don’t mind though do you? For those completely unfamiliar, let’s get a few things out of the way. No, cognac is not whiskey. It looks similar and is also aged in barrels, but it is made from grapes as opposed to grains. More specifically, it’s made by distilling wine. Another point of confusion for some people is brandy vs. cognac. Much like circles and squares, all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. It’s similar to Champagne in that to bear the name, the product must come from the region around Cognac, France.
Conjure is one of the few celebrity boozes whose namesake is very hands on with the product. Instead of simply contracting an unknown cognac house to create a spirit and then slapping his name on it, Ludacris sought out Birkedal Hartmann, a well respected 123-year old house. He then oversaw the entire process, including doing much of the blending himself. The result is, in my limited experience, one heck of a cognac. It has a huge aroma, is fairly fruity, has a somewhat sharp edge but is generally smooth and easy to drink.
I tried drinking it both straight and in a cocktail and found that I preferred the latter. While cognac isn’t normally used in mixed drinks, Conjure was blended with exactly that in mind. I didn’t try making an “Incredible Hulk” (with Hypnotic), but I did cruise the website’s cocktail page to find something easy. Surprisingly, there was something called “The Pomme,” which is just Conjure and apple juice. It was almost too comical of a combination not to try. It turned out to be a great drink so from now on I’ll trust just about any of their suggestions.
Speaking of suggestions, I suggest you pick this up. It’s an interesting change of pace from my standard drinks of whiskey and beer, and a welcome one at that. I would however avoid drinking it right before a bar crawl, a mistake I made, but other than that it’s good for just about any time. Cognac’s not just for rich white folks and rappers anymore.
There’s an added bonus for those with a sharp eye. The insignia that covers the entire bottle consists of silhouettes of naked women. That seems perfectly appropriate for a guy who broke onto the scene with the song “What’s Your Fantasy” and then follow it up with “Area Codes.” Here’s the man himself to tell you a bit about Conjure (relevant content starts at :39).
The rich copper color of Conjure accents a bouquet of cedar, cocoa, and hazelnut. Hints of vanilla, apricot and dried prune leave a smooth, warm feeling and long lasting elegant finish on the palate.
Eye: mahogany, deep amber, gold & copper
Nose: oak, cocoa, hazelnut spice, leather, powerful & complex
Taste: structure, prunes, apricot, vanilla, hints of spice, rich toffee, tobacco nuttiness
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