3 ingredients that’ll elevate your cocktail

Ever since it first took centre stage in 1862, the cocktail has been through many different highs and lows, from the Golden Age of cocktail making, to Prohibition, the age of the Hiball and now what is being referred to as the Cocktail Renaissance. And in these unprecedented, gloriously creative times, Hennessy is pleased to share three essentials that’ll add a subtle panache to your cocktail. Three that you already have at home!

While getting it right takes some practice, it doesn’t take long to learn the secrets of preparing our cognac cocktail The Sazerac. Start simple: run a peeler along the side of a lemon, orange, or grapefruit to shave the rind without getting a lot of the white pith – and twist! For some drinks, you may want to twist the peel over the glass to release oils, then run the rind along the edge of the glass for some extra flavour. In the tutorial above, you’ll see how the garnish works its magic on the Sazerac – add the peel to the cocktail at the end, for an immediate flavour quid pro quo.

Of all of the elements that work together in a cocktail to make it sing, soda water and champagne are by far the ones that are the easiest to add. Adding bubbles is a great way to lengthen a drink, easing the strong flavours and helping to bring balance to the palette of flavours in the drink. The effervescence of champagne provides a delightful crispness to any cocktail and also adds to the aesthetics of the drink, making it look brighter and more vibrant... just like in the French 75 cognac coktail where the combination of Hennessy Very Special and champagne co-exists tastefully. Stir up your own 'conspicuous contribution to cultured living' in only three steps.

Ice is the unsung hero of cocktails, the barback of the mixologist. Not only does it help to get your drinks perfectly chilled, but it also dilutes them just enough to add that little bit of water to open the cocktail up further. The ice cube tray that you have at home works great for drinks served in a highball glass, as the Hennessy Ginger cognac cocktail featured in the tutorial above, or the Summer Delight cocktail, the Black Mojito cocktail, or any other drink that gets topped with sparkling water.