That was Hen, This is Now

Words and Photos by C. Daniel

Hennessy V.S. 44 Limited Edition Courtesy of Hennessy

Who knew that America could have so much spirit on Tuesday, January 20, 2009? Utah has Sundance, and of course, Washington, D.C. has its modern day “Great Migration” in celebration of Barack Obama’s inauguration. As for Atlanta, Hennessy was calling all of the shots.

The premier cognac brand introduced its limited edition V.S. 44 bottle with an invitation-only launch party at STATS Atlanta. Clearly feeling the zeitgeist of America’s first African American president minus the patriotic American colors, Hennessy’s celebration and limited edition bottle commemorates Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States. Each bottle is draped in a redesigned black label etched with gold text, topped with black capsule, and marked with a 44 seal with the inauguration date on it. Beginning on January 12, the collector’s item became available to the public.

Hennessy 44, one of four signature cocktails

From Hen to now...

It was definitely a nice day below the roof top deck where the festivities are cooler than the weather. Upon arrival, guests stepped into a world as smooth as the cognac. It’s desolate at first, but the casual and upscale crowd had a good time as the evening passed. Everyone is served a sea of four incredible Hennessy-based cocktails along with miniature cheeseburgers, fried jumbo coconut shrimp, sausage and cheese balls, and crab cakes. V-103’s DJ Herb, from The Ryan Cameron Show, entertains the room on the wheels of steel with an incredible mix of pop, new wave, hip hop and soul records (Fleetwood Mac, Hall and Oates, Olivia Newton-John, The Romantics, Prince, Terrence Trent D’Arby, and Milli Vanilli just to name a few).

From the bar to the rear seating areas, both narrow and horizontal areas are surrounded by funky brown leather furniture. Slightly dim, the upscale marble walls and rough brick walls feature large plasma screens rotating footage of the inauguration and glossy Hennessy ads that encourages everyone to FLAUNT YOUR TASTE.

The lovely Hennessy Girls...

Guess it is time for change. Hennessy’s limited edition bottle, about 180,000 available, is priced around $30 with a percent of the proceeds going towards the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Two four-year scholarships will be awarded to academically and civically successful students planning on attending a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU). On retail predominately throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Illinois, and Georgia, Hennessy hopes to use the moment to aid in creating the next generation of American leaders and urban communities.

For more information, log onto www.hennessy.com and www.thurgoodmarshallfund.com.

Special thanks 2 S.T.E.P.S. Event Planning Firm 4 inviting me out. Kashira and Ursula, U both R truly magical and very supportive. Keep up the good work! The staff @ STATS Atlanta and 2 “the Hennessy Girls,” thanks 4 keepin’ em comin’ (the Hennessy 44 and mint juleps are 2 die 4). And 2 Hennessy, thanks a million 4 Ur contributions 2 the culture (period).