{"id":18684,"date":"2026-10-14T05:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themixer.com\/en-us\/?p=18684"},"modified":"2026-10-14T05:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:08:17","slug":"inside-the-world-of-cognac-with-tristram-fini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themixer.com\/en-us\/learn\/inside-the-world-of-cognac-with-tristram-fini\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside The World of Cognac with Tristram Fini: Culture, History and What’s Next"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time <\/span>Tristram \u201cTris\u201d Fini<\/b> encountered Cognac, he was 18 years old and working behind a bar in Perth, Western Australia. \u201cIt came from France, and it was a brandy. That\u2019s basically all we knew,\u201d he recalls. First impression? \u201cA little bit fiery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Twenty years later, the conversation looks very different. Today, Tris is <\/span>Campari Academy & Trade Advocacy Manager<\/b>, a seasoned hospitality professional and one of the people helping shape how a new generation discovers Cognac. Over the course of our chat, we got him talking about much more than tasting notes and cocktails: hip-hop, social history, changing drinking habits and one surprisingly resilient question: <\/span>how does a spirit that has been around for centuries keep finding its way into contemporary culture<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Wait… what actually is Cognac?<\/h2>\n

Before we get into the juicy (or fiery?) bits, we need to start with a simple truth\u2014actually, two. All Cognac is brandy. Not all brandy is Cognac.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To carry the name, the spirit has to be produced within the Cognac appellation in France and follow strict rules governing how it\u2019s made. The appellation was established in 1936, with requirements covering everything from where Cognac can be produced and which grapes can be used to yields and time spent aging in oak.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a level of regulation that Tris sees as fundamental to understanding the category. Cognac may have traveled across audiences and drinking cultures over the decades, but wherever it went, the standards behind the name stayed firmly in place.<\/p>\n

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The quality has always been at the cornerstone of the Cognac category.<\/p> <\/div>\n \n

\n \"Tristram\n \n
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Tristram Fini<\/div>\n \n
Campari Academy & Trade Advocacy Manager<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \"Tristram\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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To make sure we\u2019ve got our facts straight\u2014and know our VS from our VSOP\u2014here\u2019s <\/span>Cognac in 60 seconds:<\/b><\/p>\n