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Tattoo Project

Cognac is often characterized as the King of Spirits. And not in vain. Its production, which is controlled by strict legislation, along with its long history produce an incomparable, fine, spirit.

The aromas, aging and every single production step have to comply with specific rules creating a heritage that has remained constant over the centuries. It's no surprise that the most famous cognac houses, such as Hennessy, have a history that dates back to over two centuries.

Every year the House of Hennessy invites guest artists to create a new Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition bottle. In 2016, internationally-renowned tattoo artist Scott Campbell took on the challenge. This partnership went beyond the design of the collectible edition, it inspired a pioneering campaign – the meeting between Hennessy and the artist revealed affinities between the time-honoured craftsmanship that informs their respective creative processes. More specifically, it was realized that there was an essential natural parallel between creating a prestigious cognac and the art of tattooing, namely the emphasis on craftsmanship. All Hennessy's barrels are made by hand. There are flaws and characteristics that come from the human hand that make each unique and personal. The same is applies to tattooing: it's magic because it can't be mass-produced, it's personalised, handmade, and has imperfections brought by the human hand that make it more perfect than perfect.

It was this initiative that inspired us for the Greek edition of the Hennessy Tattoo Campaign: The bartenders' edition. A unique blend of cognac, modern bartending and the art of tattooing which is loved by many bartenders as a way of expressing their own experiences, character or life story.

Hennessy, along with Difford's Guide Greece, asked eight famous bartenders, influencers and opinion leaders of the Greek cocktail scene, to create a cocktail based on Hennessy.

Those cocktails had to be easy to replicate both due to the mixing techniques used and their ingredients. But most importantly they should be inspired by each bartenders' personal history connected with a tattoo. Each of these stories was filmed, and along with the cocktail recipes, forms the content of this microsite dedicated to this project.

The Hennessy Tattoo Project, is much more than this. Its real aim is to communicate the superiority of cognac to the bartending community and the public. Thus, each of the participating bartenders will work a guest shift in a bar of their choice where they will present their signature Hennessy cocktail. This allows consumers to order each bartender's signature drink either at the bar they usually work in, or at the bar where they've chosen work their guest shift.
Details for the guest shifts will be announced through Difford's Guide Greece social media pages during September 2017.

By the end of 2017, all participant bartenders will have travelled to Cognac and the House of Hennessy where they'll be immersed into the world of cognac and experience how this special spirit is made.