From Cognac with love

It is all about a question of education and experience – the more people taste Rémy Martin Cognac, the more they will enjoy it, reveals Maxime Pulci, international brand ambassador – House of Rémy Martin. In a chat with Shalini Kumar, he shares his incredible experiences about the ‘water of life’.

Maxime Pulci has an interesting story to share on how he became the International Brand Ambassador of the House of Rémy Martin. He says he began with an MBA in Luxury Brand Management for Food, Wine & Spirits and it was during this program that a lecture was delivered by the head of the International Brand Ambassadors’ team. “I was lucky to catch the attention of the team and they hired me as the youngest International Brand Ambassador, based in Cognac.” From 2017 to 2018, he embraced a new challenge as the LOUIS XIII Brand Ambassador in India. Towards the end of the year, he was asked to join the International Brand Ambassador team at the headquarters in France, and it was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
Question of balance Maxime says that his role is to represent the House of Rémy Martin across the world; sharing the story and the incredible experiences of the brands with as many clients as possible.“I am also involved in training staff on how to appreciate and curate these fine spirits for their clients,” he adds. He talks about how it is always a question of balance. “Our brands are very different and each has their own requirements,” he asserts. Giving details about his present international project, Maxime says there are a number of projects they are currently working on, many of which are focused on bartenders and strengthening the image of Cognac around the world. Sharing his insights on the Indian market and how he will increase the sale of Cognac which is rather low in India, he says, “It is all a question of education and experience – the more people taste Rémy Martin and learn more about the Cognac, the more they will enjoy it. This is how the brand grows.” When asked as to how he will help the Rémy India team to generate demand for its variants, he shares that as a Global Brand Ambassador his role is to be a source of support for the local teams in terms of guidance, education and training, whenever and wherever needed. He also goes on to say, they are not merely looking at select Indian cities but instead concentrating on the entire country. Asked as to how he will wean away the Indian consumer from their preference to Scotch whisky, he opines that the most important thing is exposure. “By exposing clients to the spirit and sharing new ways of experiencing Cognac we invite clients to become Cognac lovers.” He goes on to state that bartenders and mixologists are “very important for us and we focus a lot of time and attention in terms of sharing knowledge of the brand and confidence in using it behind the bar. Our job is to turn them into ambassadors of the brand.”

Maxime also shared some important aspects of Cognac. He says Cognac is produced exclusively within the Cognac region in France. It is produced from white grapes which are made into wine. It is then twice distilled before the aging process begins. “We call this ‘young’, twice-distilled wine eaux-de-vie (the water of life). It is not a winter drink, you can enjoy it anywhere, and at any time – it is a matter of finding the best way of enjoying Cognac in any given situation.” For Maxime, there is no iconic or particular drink which is his favourite and that he wants to drink all the time. Explaining it further he says, “There are many drinks which are my favourites depending upon the place, time and company. My idea of a favourite drink is: right cocktail/right drink, right spirit, right mood at the right moment with the right people at the right place.” He loves crafted cocktails for sure, but he also appreciates classic cocktails using Cognac. “During daytime, I would prefer to have something refreshing, something light, something easy to drink,” he adds.