Let’s be honest, drinks advocacy programmes aren’t exactly booming at the moment. Neither is education on the cognac in cocktails category. So the fact that Martell have gone large by launching its Martell Bartender Summit in September is definitely worth shouting about.

The programme

Global Senior Brand Manager, Louis De Chaisemartin and Christophe Valtaud, Martell’s Cellar Master showed they meant business by inviting a select group of bartenders, brand ambassadors and industry experts from US, Asia and Africa* for an immersive three-day extravaganza. It took place in France, naturellement, given the brand’s heritage but the clever bit was, the three days were divided into very distinct parts. 

Day one

The first day was all about Paris. It’s where Martell showed off its creative side, proving to any doubters that cognac can be fresh, exciting et moderne. Rémy Savage led the charge on that front. For the past five years he’s been working with the brand as Global Master Mixologist and for the Summit we were invited to his chez chic, trés on point Bar Nouveau for our first in-depth ‘getting-to-know-you’ sessions with the brand.

Day two

The following day it was Cognac’s time to shine. We’re talking about the town here, although of course, cognac with a small ‘c’ also came under the spotlight. Here we fully got to appreciate the craft that goes into the creation of Martell. In case you didn’t know, it’s the oldest of the great cognac houses with an impressive history that dates back over 300 years. Not that there’s nothing fusty or dusty about this brand. Sure the centuries-old methods associated with the making of cognac are adhered to – ie. only using specific grape varieties grown in specific regions; double distillation; resting the eau de vie in oak barrels and ageing for a minimum of two years, the key things that make cognac cognac and not brandy – all of which we witnessed first hand when were guided through one of the vineyards, followed by a tour of the distillery and notable cellars.

Later in the day it was over to Gâtebourse, the home of Martell. The site may be historic – it’s where Jean Martell founded Maison Martell in 1715 – but the look and feel of it is bang-up-to-date. As well as serving as a cultural foundation, it’s a bright, shiny, very sexy visitor centre, complete with the highest and quite possibly the most stunning rooftop bar in Cognac. On the agenda here: tastings of Martell cognacs, including signatures and limited editions, and exclusive access to the state-of-the-art blending room where we got to have a go at creating our own Martell blend.

From there we headed over to Chateau de Chanteloup, the 16th-century ‘spiritual’ home of the brand and our rather gracious home for the next two evenings.

Day three

Rather neatly, here’s where everything and most importantly, everyone was bound together. The first part of the day was devoted to fascinating Olfactory Mixology session, where we were guided on how to explore and connect with cognac like a perfumer. Then a ‘competition’ of sorts where the bartenders were split into teams and tasked with revolutionising the Aperitif moment with Martell. It worked brilliantly with each of the bartenders drawing on the learnings of the past few days and fusing their cultures, various experiences and unique stories to work together in an hour-and-a-half and create four unique and delicious cocktails made using Martell Blue Swift as a base.

To round off the entire experience, an XXO Tasting, an exquisite Gala dinner prepared by Oli Williamson followed by a party, complete with Louis XIII-themed costumes. The perfect end to a perfect three days.

What the bartenders had to say…

“I came into it as an experience, an immersion into cognac, a spirit that I’m not really familiar with,” Christine Wiseman admitted. “In the States cognac tends to be used as a modifier, for sipping or shots. As for the programme, I really enjoyed the olfactory seminar, I thought that it was an incredible thing to open up the senses in so many ways. My key takeaways? Definitely how the blending of the eau-de-vie comes together, that it’s not just one or two, but 80-100 that going each blend, I didn’t know that. We all have an understanding of fermentation and distillation but it was really cool to see what is very specific to Martell. Going forward, I’ll be highlighting the terroir and the beauty of the spirit and people.”

Boo Jing Heng concurs, “I’ve learned so much from this trip. I’ve connected with some of best people, which has been totally amazing for me but culture has been key – learning about each other’s culture and the culture behind Martell is something that money can’t buy. I’ve been touching Martell bottles for the past 10 years and never really understood how everything comes together, so it was invaluable for us to get into the cellar, tasting and blending rooms – I’m so thankful that I was invited to be part of the Summit.”

The guests

USA
Thandy Walton, Atlanta
Marcio Ramos, New York
Izzy Tulloch, New York
Christine Wiseman, Miami
Paul Sauter, Chicago

SOUTH EAST ASIA
Niks Anuman, Thailand
Mirwansyah, Indonesia
Boo Jing Heng, Singapore
Jon Lee, Malaysia

AFRICA
Victor Obanya, Nigeria
Joshua Hendricks, South Africa

Louis De Chasemartin and Christophe Valtaud on the Martell Bartender Summit

On the idea behind the Summit…

There are a few pillars, one of which is to build a strong community of advocated of bartenders from around the world. In this industry it’s important not to just do things online but to create moments that bring people together, where they meet, exchange ideas and create things together.  It’s really crucial for us to facilitate those kind of moments and connections.

On the programming…

We wanted to bring a mix of edu-tainment, ways for the bartenders to learn about the brand, but not in a stuffy way. We wanted it to be more about them experiencing and discovering the places and the people. It was important for us to start in Paris as it’s the capital for cocktails and it was the perfect opportunity for them to experience Martell in Remy Savage’s beautiful Bar Nouveau.

So it was a mix of Paris, Cognac, edutainment, expertise and mixology wrapped up in a few days.

On the guest list…

We wanted to focus on the markets where we’re already established as well as those where cocktail culture is on the rise. We also focused on the US as we have strong ambitions for that market. 

On looking beyond the brand…

As well as educating the bartenders about the brand we felt that it was really important for them to learn about the category as a whole. We wanted to showcase the diversity of cognac and its uses and how, by treating the eau-de-vie in a specific way, you can give specific and unique taste to the cognac. It’s a fantastic base to work on specific types of drinks and revisit classic with a programme that we’re doing with Martell. 

On introducing the perfumery session…

It was about bringing mixology to the forefront in a variety of ways but also working with perfumers who bring an expert angle to it. It worked really well to push the boundaries and diffuse and distill a sense of the brand, the vibe of what the brand stands for, what we’re trying to do and, with the theme around revolution, hopefully that will engage them and excite them as well.

On the importance of getting the bartenders to work together…

This is the part that we’re proudest of, it showed how the bartenders can collaborate with each other they were really engaged together. It was a challenge because it was bringing really talented people together from all over the world to have them really commit and engage with each other but also with us and the brand and seeing the results was just amazing.

The drinks that each team came up with were really fantastic and showed what they can do in a short amount of time with people they didn’t really know that well or hadn’t worked together – it came to life in such a beautiful way. What was most striking is right from the first day, there was a real chemistry and everybody bonded. That was a true reflection of the quality and selection of the people, we’re so proud of the brand having a family feel and we want them to be part of that family as well.

On the partnership with Remy Savage…

He’s an amazingly talented partner who’s greatly admired for his creativity. The core objective of the partnership is that we wanted to bring new ways to consume cognacs – consumers know that cognac can be drunk neat or over ice but it’s really important for them to know that it can be enjoyed in many, many ways. The brand has great and solid ambitions to change those perceptions, hence working with Remy and launch of the Martell Bartenders Summit.

On working with the bartenders going forward…

They are all welcome back in Cognac at any time but when they get back home or to the country they work in, what is key is how we continue the relationship – it’s about pursuing collaboration opportunities, inviting them to brand events in their markets, showcasing their talent and our product. In the three days of the Summit, the Martell family has grown bigger and it’s a legacy we want to continue going forward. 

Photography: Theo Schuman