There was undeniable revelry that night when Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific-Philippines invited its friends for a sit-down dinner at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel’s Isabela Ballroom. Of course, the sumptuous dinner was paired with the finest Hennessy X.O cognac.
The event, called Hennessy Prestige Dinner, was created to revere the special limited engagement dinner and cognac tasting of Maurice Richard Hennessy, an eighth-generation descendant of the Hennessy family. Maurice has been visiting Manila a lot lately. He has been traveling all over the world, enriching people with his knowledge on Hennessy.
In the past, Maurice played an active role in the development of the British market before returning to Cognac in 1984. He also conducted a tutored tasting where he gave his personal insights on this blend of more than 100 eaux-de-vie variants.
At the dinner, Maurice, who also owns a vineyard, shared the wonderful experience of Hennessy X.O and gave fast facts about the much-loved cognac — from the distillation, maturation, to blending and selection process.
Guests were treated to a dinner menu inspired by chef David Fransoret. For starter, there was soup of cèpes with pan-fried foie gras and bacon that connoted the earthy tones of Hennessy X.O. Served next was a fillet of sea bass with parmentier “scales” on a bed of leeks with peppered red wine sauce that harmonized with the roundness of the cognac’s aroma. Then served was the seared fillet of spiced beef in a rich pepper jus with pan-fried Shiitake, which went well with the peppery tones of Hennessy X.O.
The evening also highlighted The Hennessy Paradis Imperial, dubbed as the very superior cognac of great stature. The dark chocolate pudding and custard dessert were perfectly paired with the richness of the Paradis Imperial. We were lucky enough to taste this extremely precious blend.
The event ended with Maurice mingling with the guests through a bottle-signing activity.