THERE are few family businesses as legendary as Hennessy Cognac.
From its origins in 1765, when the distillery was founded by Richard Hennessy, an Irish officer serving in the army of Louis XV, it's a brand that's been loved by kings and empresses, and even once packed north, for an expedition to the Arctic.
So when an invitation recently arrived to have lunch with Maurice-Richard Hennessy, an eighth-generation member of the Hennessy family, I cleared my schedule.
Like all long-lived companies, Hennessy has always been smart about innovation, willing and able to change with the times. (Like in 1817, when the future King George IV of Great Britain, asked Hennessy to create a "very superior old pale cognac." Since then the initials VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) have been used as a benchmark for the entire industry.
Of course, some things don't change. To be a true Cognac, the spirit must be produced in Cognac, from the Ugni Blanc grape (we know it as Trebbiano here); it must be distilled twice in copper pot stills called alembics, and must be aged for a minimum of two years in Limousin oak from the Limoges region of France. Hennessy is the world's largest Cognac producer; making about 50 million bottles a year worldwide, or more than 40 per cent of the global supply.
To corner that kind of market share, you have to keep up with trends, and these days, the trend is a delicious one: cocktails.
Mind you, using Cognac in a cocktail is nothing new, says Maurice-Richard: "The first Mint Juleps were made with Cognac." But Hennessy is better known for sipping neat or on the rocks, so he was in town to help showcase its versatility. With the help of one of Vancouver's best bartenders, we sat down to a four-course lunch at Vancouver's Wildebeest restaurant, each dish paired thoughtfully with a Hennessy cocktail.
First up: an earthy Humboldt squid cassoulet, served with wild garlic purée, paired with Wildebeest mixologist Josh Pape's Hennessy Citrus, made even smoother with honey and elderflower.
His Hennessy Ginger was well matched with crisped pork belly and trotters stuffed with chicken liver mousse; the ginger and whiskey in the cocktail helped cut the richness of the dish. Then we were on to the mains: roasted sweetbreads with wild mushrooms, and incredibly tender beef short ribs, both paired with the "Hennessy Apple," mixed with Cynar, Punt e Mes, French vermouth and apple juice.
Dessert, Wildebeest's excellent sugared doughnuts, came accompanied by Pape's elegant version of the Hennessy Berry: made with blueberry and cherry juices.
The verdict: fantastic. The smooth nut and spice flavours of the Cognac pair well with food, and Pape's recipes added flavour and complexity, rather than any kind of cloying sweetness. He used the Hennessy VS (Very Special, aged for a minimum of two years). The VSOP is aged a minimum of four years, while the XO (Extra Old) get a minimum of six years, but typically 20 or more years in a barrel. Want to make your own version of a Hennessy cocktail? Here's one version of a Hennessy Berry, provided by the Cognac maker.
Place 1½ parts of Hennessy with six mint leaves, one spoon of brown sugar, ½ part of raspberry juice, and ¼ part of fresh lime juice in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds, then empty, with ice, into a glass. Top up with more ice and ginger ale, then garnish with fresh berries.
Enjoy it on your deck in this week's sunshine!
Deana Lancaster has been writing about food and wine since 2000, and worked in restaurants for more than a decade before that. Follow her on twitter @deanal, or send her an email, to deanal@ telus.net.
