Forms: 6 conniacke, 7 conyack, cognack, 8–9 coniac, 9 cogniac, 8– cognac. [F. Cognac, name of a town in the department of Charente in France.]
1. Cognac wine: wine produced at Cognac.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., II. 15. Take small Rochell, or Conniacke wine.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, I. 464. The distillation of the Cognac wine.
2. A French brandy of superior quality distilled from Cognac wine. The name is sometimes extended (for trade purposes) to any French brandy.
† a. Formerly Cognac brandy.
1687. Lond. Gaz., No. 2223/4. 76 Pieces of Conyack Brandy, in 32 Lotts.
1813. Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem. (1814). 136. The cogniac brandies, I find, contain vegetable prussic acid.
b. Now simply Cognac.
1755. Gentl. Mag., XXV. 60. A glass of right Coniac, or spirits of wine, or humming Madeira.
1821. Byron, Juan, IV. liii. Unless when qualified with thee, Cogniac!
1858. Dickens, Lett., 20 Feb. His handwriting shakes more and more … I think he mixes a great deal of cognac with his ink.
1882. Pall Mall Gaz., 21 June, 2/1. Cognac in large quantities now enters England which comes out of potatoes, and not out of grapes…. Pure cognac can now be secured now to the customer through English holders of old stocks.
attrib. 1875. Ziemssen’s Cycl. Med., II. 399. A very good preparation is the Stokes’ Cognac Mixture.
