International Cognac Summit

From January 20th to 23rd 2008, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) is holding the first International Cognac Summit.

Bartenders and cocktail experts will spend three days in Cognac, debating and taking part in workshops, lead by Fernando Castellon (author of the Larousse des Cocktails). The main aim is to create a Cognac-based short drink and long drink that will take cocktail-lovers everywhere by storm. Media gurus will also be attending.

The guest list includes:

• Dale DeGroff, President of The Museum of the American Cocktail
• Salvatore Calabrese, National President of the UK Bartenders’ Guild
• Stefan Gabanyi, Head Barman at the Schumann’s, Munich
• Colin Field, Head Barman at the Ritz Hemingway Bar, Paris
  

It will be interesting to see what they come up with, given the importance of cocktails to cognac brands throughout the world.

For full details, see the BNIC website (linked here).

The site also has a useful links section, which mentions other cognac sites.