Entertaining
Celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival with Rémy Martin XO
Greg Horton, ReserveBar Spirits Contributor
Adding to its storied history, Cognac producer Rémy Martin is releasing a limited edition bottling of their opulent XO to celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival, a celebration held by Asian cultures around the world. The beautiful decanter was crafted by award-winning British designer Lee Broom, a creative best known for his work with luxury furniture and lighting, the latter of which is ideal for work on a project related to the interplay of sun and moon.
Those unfamiliar with the holiday may not know the significance of the celebration throughout the world. As one of the most popular holidays in Asian culture, the significance is tantamount to Lunar New Year. As Rémy Martin plays a significant role in the culture of China and other countries that celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival, it’s no surprise that they would craft a luxurious bottling to commemorate the moment.
The History and Significance of the Autumn Moon Festival
While there are variations of the festival in countries as diverse as Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, the origins of the first Autumn Moon Festivals go back to China. The central characters are Chang’e and her archer-consort Hou Yi. The origin myths differ in detail, but all agree that Chang’e drank an elixir that conferred immortality. While the potion was originally given to Hou Yi, he gave it to Chang’e as a symbol of his love. Depending on the story, she either sought refuge in the moon or, via apotheosis, became the goddess of the moon. The festival is held to celebrate and venerate the Moon Goddess.Held on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar (most ancient calendars were lunar and thus seasonal), the Autumn Moon Festival is at its core a harvest festival. Because of the tradition of eating and giving mooncakes as gifts, it’s also known as the Mooncake Festival. The cakes are a sweet treat in China, made with red bean or lotus seed paste in a thin pastry. The cakes are sliced like a pie and eaten during the celebration.
As part of the celebrations, houses are decorated with lanterns, families gather to feast, moon viewing parties are held, and Cognac and other libations flow freely. Cognac has been popular in China for at least 200 years when Cognac producers took advantage of Shanghai’s then-new status as a treaty port. Over time, the beverage became a symbol of success, often consumed with friends and colleagues on celebratory occasions.
Celebrating the Autumn Moon Festival with Rémy Martin XO
Positioned as they are – a luxury brand with a nearly 300-year history of being central to celebrations – Rémy Martin XO is the ideal Cognac to highlight and fête this ancient cultural tradition. In the Cognac region of France, the grape harvest begins in early autumn, so that both the Cognac house and the Autumn Moon Festival share a history rooted in the celebration of harvest.Rémy Martin XO is aged for ten years after blending. Master blenders select from hundreds of available eaux-de-vie (a distillate of white wine) to create a blend that honors the house’s signature style – opulence, complexity, fruitiness, and spice. Experts at their craft, the master blenders bring together a wide variety of fruit and spice notes to build complexity, length, and drinkability, with a harmonious blend of ginger, cocoa beans, orange peel, saffron, cinnamon, plum, hazelnut, and honey. The layers of flavors make Rémy Martin XO an excellent choice to pair with the variety of foods and treats on the Autumn Moon Festival tables.
Broom’s design is meant to further highlight the common interest and shared history of this great Cognac house and the cultural festival. His stellar body of work, which has earned him nearly three dozen design awards, including the prestigious British Designer of the Year Award, is inspired by lighting, so he brought that understanding of the interplay of light and color to the stunning decanter. When talking about what drew him to work with Rémy Martin on this project, Broom pointed out that he only works with brands he believes lead to a synergistic relationship.
“For myself, it’s about seamless perfection, and uniqueness, heritage and craft, and those are things that are extremely prevalent within Rémy Martin XO,” he said.
Broom also noted that he’d worked with crystal and glassware many times in his career, and the chance to work with Rémy Martin’s famous decanter was “too good to miss.” According to Broom, he wanted to emphasize the radiance that is synonymous with the Rémy Martin decanter and do it in such a way that it drew on the great histories of the house and the festival but also utilized modern design elements.
“To work with a house that is steeped in history and heritage, but is always still moving forward, is always still contemporary and modern was so important to me,” Broom said.
The label is a variation on the traditional design, but Broom elevated it by using a polished gold finish, which he intends to “create a sense of opulence and luxury.” The indentations around the circumference of the bottle have been enhanced with multiple cuts in the glass that, when struck by light, add to the luminous and prismatic nature of glass and crystal. The theme carries into the glass, where a single cube can serve to cast light throughout Cognac, leading to a burst of gorgeous color and a crystalline quality to the ice.
Cocktails to Illuminate Your Soirée
No celebration is complete without cocktails to elevate the moment. To honor the Autumn Moon Festival, Rémy Martin has concocted two cocktails that are sure to delight your guests.Rémy Martin Gold Fashioned
• 1½ oz. Rémy Martin XO
• ½ oz. Honey saffron syrup*
• 3 drops Chocolate bitters
• Gold flakes (garnish)
In a mixing glass, stir Rémy Martin XO, the honey saffron syrup, and chocolate bitters. Strain into an old fashioned glass. Add a single large ice cube. Sprinkle the edible gold flakes on top of the ice cube.
*Honey saffron syrup
Combine equal parts honey and water in a pan to make a syrup. Reduce and add a few saffron pistils. Mix well and strain into a glass bottle. Let cool before serving.
Autumn Moon Old Fashioned
• 2 oz. Rémy Martin XO
• 1 oz. Umeboshi and coco syrup*
• 3 drops Rémy Martin Cacao Bitters
• 1 spritz Suze (garnish)
• Pansy flower or yuzu zest (garnish)
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir for 8 seconds. Strain into an old fashioned glass and add one large ice cube. Garnish with pansy or yuzu zest, and then spritz Suze over the glass to add finishing aromatics.
*Umeboshi and coco syrup
• 2 cups Coconut water
• 2 cups Brown sugar
• ¾ cup coconut powder
• ⅓ oz. Yuzu juice
• ¼ cup Umeboshi
Heat everything but the umeboshi in a saucepan over medium heat until the brown sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reduced. Filter through a cheesecloth to remove the coconut powder. Add umeboshi to the syrup in a blender and blend for 45 seconds. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove any solids. Let chill before serving.
It’s rare to find a package and product that are both showstoppers, but the combination of design, tradition, and distilling excellence of this limited edition Rémy Martin XO decanter checks all the boxes. Order one (or more) and bring this beautiful spirit to your next soireé, whether in celebration of the Autumn Moon or with family and friends.