The Cognac Scout swaps the bourbon for VSOP Cognac. The connection runs deeper than a simple base change — curaçao is a French-beloved orange liqueur, and pairing it with French brandy makes the Cognac Scout feel almost like the canonical version.
The Talent Scout, with its accent corrected to French.
Brandy and Curaçao
Orange curaçao has long been at home alongside Cognac — the two meet in drinks from the Sidecar onward. The Cognac Scout simply applies the Talent Scout's spare template to that classic pairing, and the result feels less like a riff than a natural fit.
What the Cognac Changes
Cognac is fruitier and rounder than bourbon, with notes of dried fruit, oak, and a faint floral lift. Against the orange curaçao it makes the Cognac Scout the most elegant and the most European-tasting member of the family.
VSOP Is Plenty
A decent VSOP Cognac — aged a few years — is the right level. It has the fruit and roundness the drink wants without the expense or the assertive oak of an older bottle; the curaçao and bitters are there to polish it, not to hide it.
The Talent Scout Family
A 1951 Old Fashioned riff — bourbon, orange curaçao, and Angostura over a large cube.
- 2 1/4 ozBourbon
- 1/2 ozOrange curaçao
- 2 dashesAngostura bitters
A 100-proof rye for the bourbon — drier, spicier, closer to a true Old Fashioned.
- 2 1/4 oz100-proof rye
- 1/2 ozOrange curaçao
- 2 dashesAngostura bitters
Reposado tequila with pear liqueur — a bright, orchard-fresh riff on the template.
- 2 1/4 ozReposado tequila
- 1/2 ozPear liqueur
- 2 dashesAngostura bitters
Chocolate-and-cinnamon mole bitters for the Angostura — nudged toward dessert.
- 2 1/4 ozBonded bourbon
- 1/2 ozOrange curaçao
- 2 dashesMole bitters