Of fire and sighs

LIQUOR: Martell enters India and looks for appreciation from more than just connoisseurs.

Ask Bruno Lemoine about the typical Indian cognac drinker, and he says, "A middle aged-man sitting next to a fireplace and sipping on his drink."

He is spot on, though the ambience could be a bit different. Cognac in India is seen as a "winter" drink, and while it signals sure sophistication, it has struggled to make headway.

But that doesn't deter Lemoine, Martell's cellar master. He is confident of changing perceptions. After all, he is here to launch Martell in India (in three variants). The primary target consumer is the young urban sophisticate in the 18-35 age group, though the brand hopes to reach people beyond this as well.

In fact, with prices as high as Rs 8,200 for Martell XO (the well-aged variant, though beginners could try the inexpensive variants priced at Rs 1,800 and 2,800), youth consumption may not be very voluminous.

Still, Lemoine is keen on emphasising the drink's versatility "" a selling point with young drinkers (females, especially so). "Cognac is a drink which people can have with anything," he says, "Be it ginger ale, water or cola "" it goes well with everything."

Martell, to be available in all the metros, is making a special effort to target trendy bars and pubs. Part of the task is to explain what makes the brand so special. The story begins with three characteristics: its unique blend, distillation process and ageing process. These give Martell "elegance, smoothness and finesse".

Lemoine will hold training sessions with bartenders to educate them on cocktail possibilities, as also on how to have a customer consume cognac. "It is very important to create awareness about cognac," he says, "and bartenders should know how to mix cognac in cocktails."

The fear of a drinking etiquette mishap tends to deter the adoption of new drinks. Gentle education, therefore, is necessary for any new form of liquor to make headway. Even vodka had to demystify itself in India to gain its volumes.

The Indian cognac connoisseur, though, will simply be pleased that the brand is here, even if it may be a wait before Martell turns its charm of "elegance, smoothness and finesse" into anything resembling an ad campaign.

"We are looking at word-of-mouth publicity as of now, but will diverge into promotional activities soon." These will include mixing competitions for bartenders and tasting sessions, to begin with.