Out of Cognac, one case

Cognac substitute for cooking

6 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Brandy

Same amount as the Cognac

For cooking, use any grape brandy in the same amount as the cognac. Cognac is a brandy, and a basic bottle does the same work in a pan sauce, a flambé or a pâté. Bourbon also swaps in at the same amount with a sweeter, oakier taste; dry sherry or Madeira suits soups and sauces but will not flame; with no alcohol, use the same amount of stock in savory dishes or apple or white grape juice in sweet ones.

Verdict —: Works
Best for —: pan sauces such as steak au poivre

One casethe full Cognac card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Cognac substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of Cognac	Verdict
1	Brandypan sauces such as steak au poivre	Same amountWorks	Works
2	Bourbon or whiskeysteak au poivre and other peppercorn sauces	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Dry sherry or MadeiraFrench onion soup	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Dry white wine or dry vermouthchicken and seafood pan sauces	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Chicken or beef stockdeglazing a pan for steak or chicken	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Apple or white grape juicedessert sauces and fruit compotes	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Brandy

a little rougher in the glass, about the same once cooked

Cognac is grape brandy from one region of France, so another grape brandy is the same kind of spirit at about the same strength, around 40% alcohol. In a sauce that also holds cream, stock or mustard, the difference is hard to pick out.

Best for: pan sauces such as steak au poivre, flambéed dishes, pâté and chicken liver mousse, coq au vin and beef stews
Where it fails: Bottles labeled apricot, blackberry or cherry flavored brandy are sweetened liqueurs. Keep them out of savory sauces.

A basic VS-grade bottle is all a cooked dish needs. Armagnac and Spanish brandy swap in the same way.

Bourbon or whiskey

sweeter and oakier, with vanilla where the cognac had fruit

A barrel-aged spirit at the same strength, so it deglazes and flames the way cognac does. The flavor moves from fruit to vanilla, caramel and grain.

Best for: steak au poivre and other peppercorn sauces, glazes for pork, ham and chicken, mushroom and cream sauces, flambéed dishes
Where it fails: Peated Scotch tastes of smoke and takes over a cream sauce.

Bourbon is the closest of the whiskeys because of its sweetness. Irish whiskey and unpeated blends also work.

Dry sherry or Madeira

nuttier and more like wine, less sharp

Fortified wines at roughly 15 to 20% alcohol. They bring a nutty, savory depth that suits the same dishes, with less of the heat a spirit has. Dry Marsala behaves the same way.

Best for: French onion soup, bisques and cream soups, gravy and pan sauces, mushroom dishes
Prep: Let it boil down by about half before the cream or stock goes in.
Where it fails: It will not flambé: there is too little alcohol to hold a flame. Avoid cooking sherry, which is salted, and cream sherry, which is sweet.

Dry white wine or dry vermouth

lighter and more acidic

Gives the pan the liquid and the acidity to lift the browned bits, without the warm, aged flavor of the cognac.

Best for: chicken and seafood pan sauces, cream sauces, deglazing when no spirit is in the house
Prep: Boil it down by about half so the sauce does not taste of raw wine.
Where it fails: No flambé, and too thin a flavor for a dish where the cognac is named, such as a cognac cream sauce.

Chicken or beef stock

savory and flat where the cognac was aromatic

The alcohol-free choice for savory dishes. It replaces the liquid and loosens the browned bits in the pan, and brings none of the cognac's aroma.

Best for: deglazing a pan for steak or chicken, stews and braises, gravy, French onion soup
Prep: Finish the sauce with a few drops of wine vinegar or lemon juice to stand in for the sharpness.
Suits: alcohol-free
Where it fails: Flambéed dishes and sauces named for the cognac: there is nothing to flame and nothing to taste.

Use unsalted or low-sodium stock, because it concentrates as the sauce reduces.

Apple or white grape juice

sweeter and fruitier, with no warmth

The usual alcohol-free stand-in for brandy in sweet cooking: fruit and sweetness without the warmth. Pear, peach or apricot juice works the same way.

Best for: dessert sauces and fruit compotes, glazes for ham and pork, soaking dried fruit
Prep: Choose unsweetened juice and hold back a little of the recipe's sugar.
Suits: alcohol-free
Where it fails: A savory pan sauce turns sweet with a straight juice swap; use stock there. It will not flame.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeCognac

In cooking, cognac does two jobs. It is the liquid that dissolves the browned bits in a hot pan, and it leaves a warm, fruity, oak-aged flavor behind once most of the alcohol has boiled away. Recipes use it by the tablespoon, so a substitute changes the background of the dish, not its structure. The exceptions are flambéed dishes, which need a spirit of about 40% alcohol to light, and sauces named for the cognac, where it is the main flavor.

Tips for substituting Cognac

5 tips

Steak au poivre and other pan sauces: brandy or bourbon, same amount. Take the pan off the heat, add the spirit from a measuring cup, return it to the heat and let it bubble for a minute before the cream goes in.
French onion soup: dry sherry or brandy, same amount, added once the onions are brown and boiled until the pot is nearly dry.
Pâté and chicken liver mousse: brandy or Madeira. The spirit is barely cooked here, so stock is the only alcohol-free option.
Coq au vin and beef stews: the cognac is a few tablespoons in a pot of wine, so brandy, bourbon or more of the wine all work.
Never pour a spirit from the bottle into a hot pan. Measure it first and add it with the pan off the heat.

Questions

5 questions

Is brandy the same as cognac in a recipe?

For cooking, yes. Cognac is brandy made from grapes in the Cognac region of France and aged in oak. A recipe that says cognac works with any plain grape brandy in the same amount, and a recipe that says brandy works with cognac.

Do I need a good cognac or brandy for cooking?

No. Heat drives off the delicate aromas that separate an XO from a VS, so a basic VS cognac or a plain grape brandy cooks the same. Avoid flavored brandies, which are sweetened.

Can I flambé with a cognac substitute?

Only with a spirit of about 40% alcohol (80 proof): brandy, bourbon, whiskey or rum. Sherry, wine, stock and juice will not light. If your substitute cannot flame, skip that step and simmer the sauce for a minute or two. Whatever you use, add it off the heat from a measuring cup, never from the bottle.

Does the alcohol cook off?

Not all of it. USDA nutrient retention figures put the alcohol remaining at about 75% after flaming, about 40% after 15 minutes of simmering and about 5% after two and a half hours. If the dish has to be alcohol-free, use stock or juice from the start.

Can I leave the cognac out?

Yes, when it is a small amount in a stew, soup or sauce. Replace it with the same amount of stock, wine or water so the liquid stays the same, and expect a slightly flatter result. In a cognac cream sauce or a flambéed dessert the cognac is the flavor, so use brandy or another spirit there.