Courvoisier Mixology Event - Future 500

Courvoisier recently held a mixology event in London for members of The Future 500 as a way of showcasing the mixable nature of Exclusif. I'm biased because I work on Courvoisier, but I love cognac cocktails, partly becasue the Sazerac and the Sidecar are regarded as being two of the original cocktails ever to have been created. And guess what, they are both made with cognac.

The great thing about Exclusif is that it is made specifically for bartenders to create amazing cocktails. Many people read this as meaning that Exclusif is an inferior product that should be masked by coke or ginger ale. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Because of the fact that Exclusif is made using grapes from the four top crus it has a more complex taste profile that allows it to stand up to almost any flavour you throw at it. Rather than it being easier to make, it actually takes more effort and skill to craft. This makes Exclusif great for bartenders to experiment with in a range of cocktails.

The event was brilliantly put on by Drew, Greg, Delphine and Amy at White Label and was hosted by Andy Pearson. There were 5 tables which were each hosted by a different mixologist from the Courvoisier Future 500 network who guided the guests through a range of cocktail challenges. There were 4 round of cocktails ranging from the classic sazerac to begin with, through to creating a long mixed drink and a version of a cognac martini.

It was huge fun and taught us that the bartenders are far more skillful than we give them credit for. The crowd was a brilliant selection of fascinating people who you could spend the entire night talking to and bouncing ideas around with. I'm now looking forward to the next event.

Here are some photos to give you a feel for the event



Angella and Hayley marvelling at a Courvoisier float



Using lemon grass as a straw



Only use 5 drops of bitters (whoops!)



Strawberry and basil cocktail cleverly titled "The Faulty Basil"

For a much better write up have a look at the article in Theme Magazine here.

Bacardi's New Emphasis on Mixing

Everyone knows Bacardi as a spirit that goes with Coke but noone really thinks of it in any other capacity. This is what the brand is hoping to address through its latest £15 million "Versatility" campaign. The brilliant TV ad (see below) broke last month and makes up part of a growing trend amongst food and drinks brands to position the product as an integral part of a wider function. For example think of the Lurpak's fantastic recent 'Good Food Deserves Respect' work (also below). This doesn't simply shout about how good the butter is, but instead makes you consider it as an inherent part of a wider experience, in this case delicious and wholesome cooking. Bacardi is moving towards this too, and has come up with a range of new serves, including three new "perfect" serves: with ginger, cranberry and soda and lime. This is definitely something to think about in terms of alcohol usage occasions.