Top Bars Offer Classic Cocktails Featuring the Spirit That Started It All: Cognac
The Cognac Geographical Indication brings its third-annual Cognac Classic Crawl to Boston, MA and Portland, OR in October 2019. Throughout the month, some of the most innovative bars in each city will offer cocktail and cognac enthusiasts a taste of reimagined classics.
The Originator of Classics
As one of the most famous spirits in the world-over, cognac was the centerpiece of many pre-Prohibition era cocktails, ranging from the French 75 and Mint Julep to the Sidecar. As these classics are being revamped today, many bartenders are re-exploring cognac to create their new renditions.
Produced only in the Cognac region of southwestern France, this iconic spirit has unrivaled aromatic richness and diversity of aging categories and styles that make it a unique and flexible ingredient for mixology. And, with the purchase of a $30 Cognac Classic Crawl passport, consumers will have the opportunity to explore its flavors and versatility.
Cognac Crawling Through Boston & Portland
Bostonians will get a taste of cognac classics from Drink, Eastern Standard, The Hawthorne, Silvertone and Yovnne’s Restaurant & Supper Club. “I’m so excited to have Boston be one of the host cities this year for the Cognac Classic Crawl,” says Cognac Educator Ezra Star of Drink. “Boston is a city that—like Cognac—has a rich history but still maintains its innovative approach. Boston and cognac are the perfect pairing.”
In Portland, Botanist Bar, Deadshot, La Moule, Normandie, Scotch Lodge and Stone Soup will be mixing up their own renditions. “Given our region’s long history of both wine production and craft distillation, cognac is right at home here,” adds Cognac Educator Adam Robinson of Deadshot.
Your Passport to Cognac Cocktails
Cocktail lovers can purchase $30 passports for the Boston and Portland Crawls on Eventbrite. They can pick up their passports at Drink and Deadshot, for Boston and Portland respectively, starting October 1st. Passport holders are able to visit the remainder of the participating bars throughout the month, with cocktail redemption expiring at end of business on October 31st.
Each passport guarantees one designated cognac cocktail at each bar (for a total of five in Boston and six in Portland) and a branded tote bag with cocktail recipes and information on the spirit. In addition, each passport holder will automatically be entered to win a $100 gift card from Cocktail Kingdom, to stock their home bars.
Drink for a Good Cause
All proceeds from the passport sales will be donated to a local charities in each city: Boston’s Haley House and Portland’s Stone Soup.
Founded as a “house of hospitality” in 1966, Haley House is dedicated to helping those made vulnerable by the harshest effects of inequality move toward wholeness and economic independence. “We’re grateful to have been chosen as the beneficiary of the Cognac Classic Crawl this year,” says Haley House Executive Director Bing Borderick. “It’s an honor to be aligned with so many important establishments around the city, and such a prominent region and category in the food and drink sphere.”
Stone Soup PDX, also a participating bar, is a non-profit restaurant training people at risk of homelessness for careers in the food and hospitality industry. “Stone Soup is a place where everyone can contribute fighting the houseless crisis in Portland, whether by booking a private dining event, stopping by for lunch, or having a delicious cocktail at happy hour,” explains Stone Soup Executive Director Craig Gerard. “Our goal is to build bridges in our community and involvement in the Cognac Classic Crawl allows us to expand those bridges.”
In 2018, the Cognac Classic Crawl took over New York City’s Lower East Side and San Francisco’ Mission District, selling 290 tickets and raising $8,340 dollars. In 2018 Chicago and Los Angeles generated $7,311 for charity through the sale of 244 tickets.
About the Bureau National Interprofessionnel Du Cognac:
Created in 1946, the mission statement of the BNIC is to develop Cognac, representing and defending mutual professional interests of both growers and merchants. The BNIC is responsible for organizing the production of Cognac and respond to market needs; informing about, protecting and promoting the Cognac appellation; facilitating access to markets; furthering relations between merchants and winegrowers; recording sales and exports; administering the aging control system; issuing authentication certificates for exports; and acting as the official body that and safeguards the Cognac appellation. It is made up of 100 staff members. In 1909, the Cognac area of production was delimited, and in 1936 it became an AOC. In 1989, the Cognac appellation was recognized as a Geographical Indication by the European Union. CognacClassicCrawl.com
