Cognac and Cocktails: A Timeless Affair

Cocktails may be an all-American creation, but Cognac played a supporting role. By the time bartenders in American taverns and hotels began experimenting with mixed drinks, at the dawn of the 19th century, Hennessy already figured among house favorites. Having landed on American shores after the Revolution, the renowned French cognac proved itself adaptable to a luxurious new way of serving drinks to order, one at a time, and over ice, one of the great luxuries of the day. In 1803 appeared the earliest known recipe for the mint julep, which called for “the purest French brandy". The word ""cocktail"" made its appearance soon thereafter, in a jaunty editorial in a New York City newspaper dated May 1806.

In the first Golden Age of cocktails, Hennessy cognacs featured prominently on the menus of historic restaurants such as Irving House in New York City and Sherman House in Chicago, and on steamships such as the New York & Cuba.
In the early 20th century, the House’s cognacs were cited frequently as primary ingredients in cocktails like the Sazerac, a cognac-based cocktail born in New Orleans in 1850, as well as café society like the Brandy Smash, the Monte Cristo, the Old Fashioned and the Side Car.

Today, those classics continue to conjure the Roaring Twenties in new-gen venues all over the world, even as mixology branches out into exciting new directions, with new compositions like Hennessy Very Special x Ginger, Hennessy V.S.O.P Sunset and Hennessy Very Special Guava cocktail.

Like fashion, cocktail trends may evolve over time — but, like style, the essentials remain the same.