Featured image by Benoit Linero
Several months back in August, a national cocktail competition began in the United States. While American bartenders are no strangers to these, this one presented itself in a new and unique way given the challenges that 2020 presented. Events couldn’t be held in person, so a new digital campaign emerged. It was the Cognac Connection Challenge. This was put together by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) via their agency Teuwen Communications, in partnership with Speed Rack and Vinepair, to challenge professional American bartenders to create a cocktail using Cognac as the base spirit while highlighting all its versatility.
The campaign also encouraged applicants to attend virtual classes, tastings, and Instagram Live sessions to learn as much as possible about the Cognac region and the spirit itself from some of the top spirits industry professionals today. The judging panel for the cocktails consisted of Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix, co-founders of Speed Rack, Vinepair staff writer Tim McKirdy, and certified Cognac Educator Kellie Thorn.
The goal behind this program was to really help demystify Cognac and to get bartenders more comfortable using it in cocktails. After all, the more knowledge you have about a product, the easier it will be for you to use it more frequently and talk with your guests confidently about it. The Cognac Connection Challenge was meant to educate and inspire and it was clear that it had succeeded in doing so.
Over 120 cocktails were submitted to this competition from all over the United States. All brands and ages of Cognac were allowed to be used leaving this wide open to the bartenders to get as creative as they could. In the end, 10 cocktails were chosen as the final winners. Each winning bartender received a $1,000 scholarship and will attend a virtual tour of the Cognac region with local experts in the coming months. All of the winning cocktails were put into a digital recipe book, along with extra cocktails from Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix. Information on all of the bartenders and how to make their original drinks yourself can be found by downloading the Cognac Connection Challenge recipe book for free from the following link:
COGNAC CONNECTION CHALLENGE RECIPE BOOK
This was a great effort from the BNIC to continue spreading their message of how versatile Cognac is. The campaign itself, with its digital platform and online classes was a great idea to reach as many people as possible. In person events are always fun, but you’re usually restricted by bar or event space capacities and to the number of people reached in that specific market. Hosting something through Zoom or Instagram Live removes those limitations and helps you to get your message out to more individuals. Hats off to the BNIC for fully embracing this model.
Even today, Cognac tends to still be stereotyped in a lot of ways. I appreciate how this competition pushed to think outside of your comfort zone. Cognac doesn’t have to be used in a stirred, booze forward cocktail. You don’t have to consume it in the evening by a fireplace. The first Instagram Live session showed Ivy Mix making a cocktail with VS Cognac, lemon juice, watermelon puree, and a French gentian liqueur. Light, fruity, a touch of bitter, and perfect for the summer time. It was a cocktail that a lot of bartenders probably wouldn’t have leaned towards before participating in this program, myself included.
I was fortunate enough to not only take part in this competition, but also to be named one of the 10 bartenders with a winning cocktail. As someone who has a blog dedicated to Cognac, it’s not hard to see why I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. As a bartender first, Cognac fanatic second, I’m very excited for what the future holds for the Cognac industry. It seems to be gaining more momentum, fan pages popping up on Facebook, etc. The Cognac Connection Challenge was the perfect way to remind us bartenders to think outside of the box with Cognac. It doesn’t have to be served in hand with a cigar or be something consumed only during the cold weather months. It can inspire a whole range of flavors and cocktail styles from highballs, to classics, and even tiki.
