Just as the phylloxera outbreak of the 1860s caused the French to switch from wine to Cognac with their meals, a few years ago some Parisians again began having a glass or two of eau-de-vie with their dinners—only this time it was prompted by a voluntary appreciation of the complementary flavors of Cognac when paired with the food rather than forced by a scarcity of wine.
Gradually, this trend has spread to the United States. At a dinner hosted by the House of Hennessy (www.hennessy.com/us) at the Hotel Bel-A…