Correction: vieux is not Amsterdam’s most hated drink
A while ago, colleague Laura wrote an article about vieux, the Dutch interpretation of cognac, which was supposedly Amsterdam’s most hated drink; ‘the Nickelback of alcoholic beverages’. Totally misunderstood and therefore hated by many people. How wrong we were! Vieux is actually becoming increasingly popular, and Voerman Vieux has played a major part in that.
We spoke to Ingmar Voerman, drinks journalist and, together with Jos Zonneveld, owner of Voerman Vieux. He couldn’t believe that vieux was being called the most hated drink—in fact, according to him, this drink is actually beloved.
From a notorious history to a promising future
Ingmar: ‘Vieux is known as a cheap drink that isn’t made to the highest quality. It has something of a notorious history as a sneaky, accessible imitation cognac, an alternative to expensive French cognac. We saw the challenge in that “bad” reputation: to create a good, new kind of vieux as a tribute to this Dutch heritage.’
A rich, smooth vieux
Voerman Vieux is made very differently from any other vieux you may have tasted. Essentially, it is a wood-aged grape distillate from France. The brandy’s beautiful flavour notes are combined with, among other things, figs, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, oak and ginger. Ingmar: ‘That gives it a very rich but also smooth flavour—much smoother than the harsh vieux that previously appeared on the market. Because of the drink’s smoothness, it goes down much more easily than old school vieux.’
From neat to in a cocktail: drink it however you like
The question remains: what is the best way to drink this vieux? Ingmar has an answer for that too. ‘However and whenever you like, before or after a meal, the old-fashioned way with cola, or—and this is what makes vieux so popular today—in a cocktail. Voerman Vieux combines perfectly with ginger ale, for example, and quite a few cocktails have already been created with our vieux. It’s precisely this versatility that makes our vieux not a hated drink at all, but a beloved one!’
So give it a try—and who knows, perhaps you’ll be ordering a vieux more often now too!
Image in article: Ming Chao
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