A Family Story: When Homemade Cognac Went Wrong
Still
A personal essay recounts a near-disaster from around 1940 when a man named Kourken attempted to make his own cognac in a New England attic, drawing on Armenian traditions of brandy-making. Using Concord grapes—the wrong variety for cognac—and a makeshift copper still powered by an electric burner, Kourken fell asleep while distilling. The boiler exploded, scattering grape mash throughout the attic and triggering a fire alarm that brought the local fire department to the scene. No fire resulted, though the mixture of exploded metal, curing soujouk sausage, and fermented grapes created an unusual odor. The author reflects on Armenian wine and brandy heritage, ultimately recommending commercially available Armenian brandy and traditional Armenian foods available in diaspora communities like East Watertown, Massachusetts.
