Hennessy takes to the streets

MANILA, Philippines – After almost a century of being served in stuffy hotel lounges or our grandfathers’ wooden home bars, Hennessy is breaking away from the bounds of tradition and hitting the road. Metro Manila roads, that is.

“In every country where you’ll see Hennessy, you’ll discover that it’s deeply engrossed in its local culture. And we thought it’s about time we do that here in the Philippines. We’ve been here for over 100 years already, and this year, we’re going big,” said M?et Hennessy’s 27-year-old brand manager Carlo Bautista, as he launched the 250-year-old French liquor’s newest campaign.  

“We’re really trying to embrace Filipino culture via food, music, and art, which are three aspects that we thought are very close to the Filipinos,” Bautista said.

Trust Hennessy to find the way to Filipinos’ hearts through food and — yes — a bit of tasty cognac. Enlisting two of Manila’s most innovative Filipino chefs, Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery and JP Anglo of Kafé Batwan, the cognac brand showed how Hennessy, pairs well with food, courtesy of cocktails crafted by Lee Watson, managing partner and mixologist at Manila’s ABV. 

“We used the Hennessy VS as inspiration for our menu tonight,” stressed chef Jordy, with a four-course tasting menu that celebrated the delectable nuances of the heady spirit. First, he glazed his eatery’s famous pork skewers with the cognac: “It has a sweet aroma, so we decided to use it as a flavor base.” True enough, the pork barbecue experienced a rather intoxicating remix.

Then came dulce de leche bonbon, the caramel filling made more sinful by swigs of Hennesy VS; followed by beef with star anise and crispy onions (the soft shank flaking at the touch of the fork); and ending with twice-cooked shrimp with dried chili — an ode to our beloved bar chow, gambas, but made more intriguing by its crispy skin.

“It has a very strong sauce — soy sauce, and a bit of Hennessy VS, which gives it a very strong salty flavor,” said Lee Watson of chef Jordy’s pork dish. “It basically has the adobo flavors, so we interpreted those flavors in a cocktail,” he explained, and the result is the Habal-Habal, a nod to the Visayan motorbike commute and the traditional highball cocktail, with black pepper-infused Hennessy VS, honey, calamansi and bay leaf, poured over a tall glass of ginger beer.

“To be honest, I haven’t had Hennessy for the longest time. It was my dad who used to drink it. So, when I tried it again, to my surprise, it’s very fruity, light and refreshing. It’s quite perfect because what I’m serving here is bold and with strong flavors, so I think Hennessy will be able to balance it out,” noted chef JP Anglo before serving his finger foods.

First was the charcoal grilled kare-kare soft shell taco with Pinoy sriracha, which basically broke the rules of enjoying oxtail stew with plenty of rice. “Hennessy VS is very fruity with a hint of cinnamon, so it goes great with the tacos, which are on the spicy side, and it has guinamos, or shrimp paste. It tames the palate for the explosion of flavors,” chef JP explained.

Next was kansi panada with batwan gravy; and finally, laing on toast with talangka butter and grilled coconut, a local take on bruschetta.

Lee Watson worked us up with his patok cocktail, made to match chef JP’s fare. “This is actually Hennessy VS, infused with siling labuyo, with calamansi and a very small amount of datu puti (vinegar),” he said of the spicy, tangy cocktail.

After the sensational, savory gustatory experience, Watson gave his own twist to the traditional cognac cocktail, the Sidecar. First introduced at the end of the WWI at the Ritz Paris, in lieu of the traditional orange liqueur — triple sec and lemon juice mix — Watson used Hennessy VS, white chocolate, hibiscus essence, calamansi and foamy egg white, finished with a jeepney-stenciled Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters.  

Craftsman: ABV Bar mixologist Lee Watson (left) crafted cognac cocktails inspired by Filipino tastes: (middle) the labuyo and vinegar-infused patok (second to right), the bay leaf and ginger beer highball Habal-Habal, and the white chocolate and egg white foam remix of the classic Sidecar.

Maverick collaborations

Speaking of mixes, onstage, underground DJs and artists worked up our mainstream tastes: the bold beat drops of Kidthrones merged with the rap-acrobatics of Curtis Smith. Young BP Valenzuela’s hypnotic vocals paired well with the musical stylings of CRWN. Nearby, graffiti artist Egg Fiasco bombed walls with his curved, cerebral and colorful expressions of street art.

“We want to be able to reach a broader target market, and we want the young people to know that, ‘Hey, Hennessy is also for you.’ It’s not just your dad’s drink. I believe that millennials now are the perfect target market for Hennessy VS,” shared Carlo Bautista. “We always challenge ourselves to make Hennessy relatable to this very dynamic target market.”

And as the night wound down, Hennessy managed to save the best for last: a black-clad, custom-made Sarao jeepney decorated with the Hennessy brand. “Hennessy creating its own jeepney is a way for us to solidify our presence here in the Philippines. We were able to turn an iconic symbol and merge it with a brand that is associated with excellence, quality and sophistication,” Bautista spoke of Hennessy’s brand-new wheels.

Braving Manila traffic, the Hennessy King of the Road jeepney will snake its way through bars and events in the Metro, giving moon-worshipping millennials an eye-opening shot at their father’s preferred liquor. “We’re going to lead the way for millennials to experience urban Manila, because that’s where we see the future of Hennessy lies,” he added.

“We thought it’s the best way to describe what Hennessy is. It’s the number one cognac brand in the world, so it’s best to mix it with something irreplaceable such as the jeepney,” Bautista added.

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Follow the trail of the King of the Road by checking out Hennessy Philippines’ Facebook page at facebook.com/HennessyPhilippines or Twitter and Instagram accounts on @HennessyPH.