Maison Courvoisier, the world's most awarded Cognac house, recently held its first cocktail competition in Hong Kong, challenging a new generation of bartenders to push the boundaries of Cognac in mixology. Hosted by one of Hong Kong's leading wine and spirits distributors, Jebsen Wines and Spirits, the competition was held at The Mixing Room by Iron Fairies on March 29, 2023. Eight talented bartenders representing top bars in the city, including venues The Daily Tot, Quality Goods Club, Mostly Harmless, Four Seasons Hong Kong's Argo, The Mixing Room by Iron Fairies, Gishiki, and Ozone, were tasked to create a signature serve that highlights the versatility of Courvoisier Cognac.
A delicate marriage of four crus, Courvoisier, presented in the bottle's new design inspired by the vibrant countryside of the Cognac region, is a rich and complex spirit with floral and woody notes that's great for sipping or mixing with other ingredients in a spirit-forward or refreshing cocktail. Each bartender was given nine minutes to present their signature cocktails encapsulating Courvoisier's flavour notes and brand heritage. A panel of judges composed of bar and media industry experts, including Time Out Hong Kong's editor-in-chief Tatum Ancheta, Whisky Magazine HK & Macau's executive editor Eddie Chui, and Tatler Asia Group's regional head of dining Andy Cheng, scored the participants based on technical skill, originality and innovation, the cocktail's balance of flavours, aroma, and texture, and overall presentation.
Jeff Kan from Four Seasons Hong Kong's multi-awarded bar Argo took home the first place and received the grand prize of $10,000 for his winning cocktail Bercy & Jarnac, named after areas in France where Courvoisier originated. His creation is a riff on the classic cocktail New York sour made with Courvoisier VSOP, acid solution, simple syrup, umeshu, and berries blend, topped up with red wine.
Second place ($5,000 prize) went to The Mixing Room by Iron Fairies' Jeffrey Liu who presented Pomme Mystery, a cocktail made with hawthorn-infused Courvoisier and a blend of Calvados, Luxardo Maraschino, Campari, apple cordial, amontillado sherry, saline solution, topped with carbonated apple juice.
Mostly Harmless' Hugo Lok Man Mao got the third place ($2,500) for his tea-inspired cocktail serve called 852, made with sous vide fig infused Courvoisier, roselle cordial, lemon juice, and soda.
The cocktail competition hopes to inspire and encourage new generations of bartenders to showcase and celebrate Courvoisier's place and versatility in cocktail making.
Courvoisier ($550) is available in Hong Kong at jebsenwinesandspirits.com. For more information on Courvoisier, please visit courvoisier.com.