Hennessy reinvents gentleman's drink as cocktail

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Cut your cognac with Coke, mix it with juice or water: the spirit long regarded as a gentlemen's club drink is reinventing itself as a cocktail.

Expert sommeliers may pale at the idea of mixing such a rich, expensive spirit with anything but ice, but Maurice Hennessy, 8th generation descendant of the renowned cognac house, is happy for the young and affluent to dilute his luxury eau-de-vie.

"Truffles are expensive but they are rarely consumed on their own," Hennessy told Reuters during a recent visit to Singapore to promote the brand in Asia.

"And drinks have fashions too. Hennessy and Coke were consumed in Cuba in the Second World War era and in the 17th century, cognac was consumed as a long drink, mixed with water," he said.

The distiller is part of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's largest luxury goods group. The cognac is popular in Asia, and especially China which the firm said was poised to overtake the United States as its biggest market by year-end.

Hennessy said the distiller was promoting cognac to young, affluent Asians who were keen on all things luxury.

"We want people who like designer clothes, beautiful cars, go to the best clubs and drink the best drinks," he added.

Hennessy markets a rare, $400 a glass cognac called Ellipse and is planning to launch another limited edition blend soon.

And if you're wondering what food goes best with your cognac, try chocolate, Hennessy said.