Hennessy V.S Cognac

Vanilla, toasted oak, candied citrus. The cognac everyone knows.

The foundation pour of the world's largest cognac house, aged at least two years in French oak. On the shelf of every diaspora corner store from Brooklyn to Brixton, and the back-bar of every Basseterre restaurant worth eating at.

The diaspora default. The aunty in Brooklyn brings a bottle home; the uncle in Birmingham keeps one for when she visits. It moves in both directions on every trip. Cleared airside at RLB, it usually beats the home-market price once tax is in, which is why there is always someone standing in the cognac aisle.

Hennessy and ginger, lime wedge. Every wedding, christening, Christmas, and after-funeral lunch in the Caribbean.