These are just a few names of cognacs that many African Americans have grown to love over the course of several decades. Also, while we know that the African-American consumer is far from monolithic , our influence as a culture has and continues to shift conversations in and out of boardrooms of major corporations. Our premium tastes are just as diverse as we are, and when we put our stamp of approval on something, it won't be long before the world is agreeing with it, too.
But before diving deep into WHY we love the brown, what is cognac exactly? How did this French brandy become the preferred spirit of choice for African Americans specifically, and what does the future hold for it? Believe it or not, cognac is a fine brandy that is made just like wine and produced in its namesake town located in western France. Its origins date back to the 16th century when the Dutch arrived in Cognac in search of the famous wines of the region to take back to their homeland.
When they discovered that the wines couldn't withstand their long boat ride home, they had to come up with a better way to preserve the goods. But charcoal filtration seems to also have had a longer history that extended into slave communities as well.
So when African American troops returned home from Europe reinvigorated with a sense of worldliness and freedom, they opted to drink cognac. By the s, cognac had become the drink of choice for African Americans.
He won bronze in long jump at the Summer Olympics. And he was hired to work for Hennessy in the s. He was able to rise into the ranks of being a Vice President of Urban Marketing for the Hennessy brand during the s. Here he is, at 92 years old, talking about his career in a Hennessy ad:.
Douglas pushed for Hennessy to advertise more in popular African American publications. That's what we were looking at as beacons of light and what was happening in our community. An ad that sticks out for me is there's this guy standing at the door of his lady friend's house. And it's like, 'Oh, you kind of came over for a cocktail. And they're dressed really nice and clean and cut. And it's like, 'Oh, yeah, that could be my postal worker. These people that they had in their ads looked normal and regular and like something that was real to the everyday person.
But it wasn't just these ads that allowed Hennessy to corner the African American market. It was a genuine investment in the community and its leaders. And I see him, because he was so well-documented, as a lens into this era which is so important for understanding American history and in many ways still defines our country when we look at some of the divisions that still exist today. I think his story has even more to teach us than ever before. Cognac made its way into music videos and movies, becoming a cultural symbol for newer generations.
But the roots of this connection are less superficial and fleeting, more historical, and date back to a time when Black people born on American soil found moments to survive, to revel in joy, while in France during a perilous time. And Cognac, clinking in a glass, was their companion. You can pass me the Remy but pass the Courvoisier. Cognac sales. According to Impact Databank, 6. PIN IT. Led by brands like Hennessey, the spirit has been involved in African-American culture and social activism for well over a century.
The Institute, now a University, is the second-oldest historically black college in Alabama. Schieffelin then brought his entourage of influential Americans including the likes of Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, and others from New York to visit Tuskegee and encouraged them to support the institution.
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