Martell 300Th Anniversary

Martell, the oldest of the great cognac Houses celebrated its landmark 300th anniversary at a glittering celebration which took place last night at the historic Palace of Versailles in France.
300 VIP guests from more than 15 countries attended the spectacular evening, including Martell's Ambassador and Guest of Honour at the event, the internationally-acclaimed actress Diane Kruger. Other guests included Antoine Firino Martell, one of the descendants of the House's Founder Jean Martell, as well as Solange Knowles, Olivia Palermo, Naomie Harris and the Hong Kong actress and singer-songwriter Karen Mok, guest of Honour from Asia, who all enjoyed an incredible evening where Martell's 300 year history was transformed into a vibrant and festive celebration with every moment turned into an extraordinary pleasure.

After a private tour of the Palace, guests experienced an exclusive fly past over Versailles by the Patrouille de France ' a first for an event of this kind. Guests were then invited to attend an exclusive preview of an experiential exhibition representing each stage of Martell's unique cognac expertise. Transforming 300 years of cognac creation into an immersive journey, guests got to discover the craftsmanship of the Martell House for themselves. Each aspect of the process was brought to life through individual ateliers, featuring the Borderies vineyards, unique distillation process, ageing of eaux-de-vie and expert blending.

After tasting cocktails created especially for the House's Tricentenaire, all 300 guests took their seats for a fully immersive gastronomic experience created exclusively for Martell by the world-renowned, innovative French chef, Paul Pairet.

The menu for the evening was designed by Pairet around Jean Martell's original journey to Cognac, and featured a true feast for the senses; as each course was served, vast screens surrounding the venue showed corresponding visuals, and specific sounds and smells relating to each course enveloped the room. The dining experience began with a 'DIY' Lobster Roll, followed by 'Tea-Weed' Oyster & Scallop Melba with Lemon Sea Sorbet which was served to the sound of waves and seagulls, with the smell of the ocean surrounding guests to evoke thoughts of Jean Martell's original journey to France from Jersey. Some of the other seven unique courses included Truffle Burnt Soup Bread and Teriyaki Lacquered Beef with Western Congee perfectly matched with the House's cognacs. All 300 guests got to sample Martell's rare new blend Martell Premier Voyage at the end of the meal, which was served with a Lemon & Lemon Tart surrounded with orange fragrances.
After live tweeting more than 300 birthday wishes to Martell, guests experienced a dramatic fireworks display in the sky over Versailles before dancing into the night.

To celebrate 300 years of history with an innovative and interactive touch, guests had the chance to experience the whole evening ' from their arrival to the DJ set ' through a cutting edge dedicated smartphone application, pushing exclusive and live content to guests throughout the night.

Diane Kruger commented: 'Tonight we brought the modern spirit of French Art de Vivre to life to celebrate Martell Cognac's 300th anniversary. It's not often that you get to attend such a spectacular event at such an iconic location and it has been a privilege to be a part of the celebrations this evening. The Palace of Versailles ' considered by many to be the 'birthplace' of Art de Vivre ' provided a spectacular setting to celebrate 300 years of Martell and I hope all the guests got to discover a little bit of the French way of living for themselves this evening.'

Philippe Guettat, CEO and Chairman of Martell added: 'Tonight was all about celebrating the momentous anniversary of the Martell House and looking forward to the next 300 years. This has been an exceptional opportunity for us to gather guests from so many countries at the iconic Palace of Versailles to celebrate the Martell House's 300 year history. This is surely a pinnacle moment for the House and we hope to keep building on our success as we look forward to Martell's future.'

Martell: a patron of versailles

Since 2007, the Martell House has been a patron of the Château de Versailles, the cradle of French craftsmanship and epitome of French Art de Vivre, a way of living that was fully developed by Louis XIV. Martell has and continues to support with vital restoration projects within the Palace including the restoration of the painted decor of The Queen's Grand Couvert Antechamber in 2009; the restoration of The Salon de l'Abondance in 2012; and most recently the restoration of The Antichambre du Roi ' a room dedicated to the King's Suppers ' in 2014. With this patronage, Martell has played an active role in preserving one of the world's unique architectural treasures ensuring French Art de Vivre lives on and is able to be experienced by generations to come.

Martell tricentenaire cocktails

Martell, in collaboration with Thierry Hernandez (head barman of the Plaza Athenee in Paris), have created three, distinct new cocktails specifically for their Tricentenaire to pay tribute to the key founders of Martell. They are: The Adventurer (A tribute to Jean Martell), which combines Martell Noblige with peach cream, black grape juice and champagne*; The Audacious (A tribute to Rachel Lallemand Martell), which includes Martell VS, blackberry liqueur, lime juice, and champagne*; The Independent (A tribute to Frederic Martell, their son), combining Martell Cognac VSOP with Lillet white wine, red fruit juice, cedar extract and champagne*.
*Perrier Jouët Grand Brut or Mumm Cordon Rouge.

Paul pairet 

Born and trained in France, Chef Paul Pairet runs two restaurants of widely different natures in Shanghai. A popular French modern eatery 'Mr & Mrs Bund', and an avant-garde, experimental restaurant 'Ultraviolet'. Pairet first came of notice at Paris's Cafe Mosaic, where the influences of his international career ' by that point, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Jakarta ' began to crystallize into a French-but-not-French style all his own.