Rémy Martin enlisted ceramicist Reiko Kaneko for a project that celebrates savoir-faire and collaboration through a multidisciplinary approach. Launched during London Craft Week, ‘Flint’ is a new cocktail developed by The Connaught’s Director of Mixology, Agostino Perrone and the Connaught Bar Head of Mixology, Giorgio Bargiani, using Rémy Martin XO and served in a specially-created vessel by Kaneko.
‘We wanted to create a tactile experience that could be part of the [Connaught] guests’ journey,’ explains Perrone. ‘There is a lot of research behind how we transform the ingredients.’ This constant experimentation is echoed in Kaneko’s work, based on transforming raw matter into tactile objects with a distinct aesthetic. Kaneko, Perrone and Bargiani worked closely together to develop a form that complemented the new cocktail, developing shape, texture and decoration as a unified team.
The Connaught’s Director of Mixology, Agostino Perrone, pouring the new Flint cocktail into the vessel tailor made by ceramicist Reiko Kaneko
Flint (a name chosen by the mixologists that signifies the spark of creativity and also happens to reference the stone found in both Kaneko’s raw materials and in Rémy Martin’s vineyards) features Rémy Martin XO, blended with lactofermented melon, Chartreuse and Pink Pomelo Soda - combining floral and citrus notes as well as a spicy element into the mix. The concoction is served on a chunk of ice, adding a heft to the vessel that enhances a very tactile experience.
Approaching the design project with a collaborative artisanal attitude, the trio discovered several similarities in their respective crafts and in the work of Rémy Martin. Since 1724, the French maison has worked to develop the most refined blend of Cognac from Fine Champagne grapes and Rémy Martin XO is the embodiment of this centuries-old tradition. A blend of up to 400 different eaux-de-vie created by the maison’s Cellar Master, the cognac becomes the epitome of excellence, constant dedication and experimentation. This was the starting point for the project, and the first collaborative session in Kaneko’s studio included working with grapevine leaves and chalk stone, elements that referenced Rémy Martin’s own terroir.
The final design is made of a black bone china body, featuring a glazed, smooth upper part (where the lips meet the vessel) and a rough texture where it’s held – this latter element was inspired by the diverse geography of the cognac region, and recreated by Kaneko using a cloth dipped in slip during the casting process. Visually, the piece features hits of red glaze (a subtle reference to the fire used to toast the barrels) and striking white flames which Kaneko hand-painted in white bone china on the inside of the vessel, a further nod to fire and to the chalky nature of the soil.
Kaneko tasting the Flint cocktail from the black bone china vessel she developed with Perrone and Bargiani
The trio recalls Perrone and Bargiani’s first visit to Kaneko at her workshop. Impeccably dressed in 3-piece suits, the pair walked into the dusty ceramics workshop feeling like stepping into Narnia. ‘At the beginning it might have looked like the people didn’t fit into that environment, but actually, 10 minutes into the visit, that initial feeling turned into familiarity and the collaboration developed from there,’ says Kaneko. What followed was hands-on collective experimentation which included traditional and contemporary techniques. ‘Working with technology as well, to visualise the vessel, was amazing: from abstract to liquid, to solid,’ says Perrone. ‘This project was very much a creative process, we were part of it. And the final shape of the vessel was really Reiko understanding our vision and embracing it.’
Finding the perfect ingredients, developing excellence over time and paying the utmost attention to detail are elements found in both the mixologists' and the ceramicist’s work, a common ground which became the basis for the collaboration. ‘It's been quite natural working together;’ says Kaneko. ‘And the experience of developing this project during a pandemic made us more aware of the fact that people need people; it’s the people and their talent that connect everything.’
The Connaught Bar mixologists Giorgio Bargiani (left) and Agostino Perrone (right) worked with ceramicist Reiko Kaneko to create a vessel to serve Flint, a new cocktail launched by Rémy Martin during London Craft Week
Bargiani and Perrone signed the vessel's bottom
At Kaneko's studio, the trio experimented with shapes and techniques to arrive at the final piece
Kaneko and Perrone looking at samples during the creative process at the ceramicist's London studio
The Flint cocktail will be served at The Connaught Bar and features Rémy Martin XO blended with lactofermented melon, Chartreuse and Pink Pomelo Soda
INFORMATION
Discover Flint at The Connaught Bar and find Rémy Martin XO at Waitrose
ADDRESS
The Connaught Hotel
Carlos Place
London
W1K 2AL
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