I had the pleasure of attending the launch of CAMUS Limited Edition VSOP Cognac in Harlem this December! The heart and soul of New York is in this neighborhood and what better way to celebrate the launch then at one of the area’s great steakhouses: Cecil’s Steakhouse. Here we learned all about this amazing new limited edition release that spotlights Harlem and NYC culture.

Jazz, food, style, and culture is what makes New York so great and Camus commissioned local artist and illustrator Nick Low to design the limited-edition VSOP bottle and it’s just stunning! I have a bottle luckily and I will not be letting this go once it’s done because it’s too pretty. This fabulous event was hosted by The Queen of Hospitality: Tren’ness Woods-Black, who we learned is the granddaughter of the late restaurateur Sylvia Woods! That is so cool, and she had such an amazing presence on stage, it was captivating. Alongside her hosting was also  Harlem Ambassador Musa Jackson, and the pair together were so funny and engaging and passionate about the new Cognac. Guests were greeted with a fun cocktail that I will be making this winter at home: The Camus Renaissance 125, which is essentially a French 75 but with cognac. It was awesome with some of the appetizers being passed which included a bruschetta, some skewers, and other great light bites. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to one of the drink stations, so I got to try plenty of more cognac cocktails!

The Queen of Hospitality was an awesome cocktail based off the classic Sidecar cocktail (which we know is my absolute favorite). This spin included Yuzu and peach, and was creamy and absolutely delicious. The other competing cocktail was a The Camus Harlem Ambassador which was a fall spiced mule with cognac and it was awesome! I am so putting cognac in my mules all the time now, it completely changed my cocktail game.

By the end of apps and cocktails, I decided it was time to switch over and try the Camus neat. I have always loved Camus, since before even getting the amazing opportunity to visit the Camus house and distillery. You can check out my amazing trip to Cognac and the reason I love them so much, is because of their commitment to producing fine quality cognac. They focus on the best quality grapes and terrior, which are important to the production of fine wine and spirits, and also they have a unique distillation process along with small, lightly toasted, French barrels for aging and incredible flavor!

For those looking to sip something special, you will want to get your hands on a bottle of this Camus Limited Edition VSOP Cognac! Please pair responsibly.