Martell brought its Make It With Martell campaign to New Orleans on July 20, hosting a three-hour event at the Tales of the Cocktail 2026 festival that traced a musical arc from classic jazz to Afrobeats and Amapiano.
The original Sazerac, first poured in the 1830s, was made with French cognac, not rye whiskey. The switch occurred in the 1870s after the phylloxera epidemic destroyed French vineyards, forcing drinkmakers to turn to rye. Martell, the oldest of the cognac houses, highlighted that history at the event.
The program moved from classic jazz to hip-hop and the contemporary sounds of Afrobeats and Amapiano. It also acknowledged the tradition of Black South African artists who have used fashion as a declaration of freedom.
Mixologists Thandi Walton (Zimbabwe) and Marcio Ramos (Cabo Verde) served cocktails “Foreign Affair” and “Burner Jam,” while Haley Traub offered variations on the Pomme Highball, Toffee Colada, and Concord Punch, all made with Martell cognac.
The Make It With Martell campaign first launched in Harlem in 2025, aiming to reintroduce bartenders and consumers to cognac’s historical role in classic cocktails.
