Jordan Bushell joined Hennessy in 2010 and is currently the Global Brand Ambassador and Manager of Trade Advocacy. Travelling all around the globe to discover new flavours and techniques, he brings his knowledge, experience and passion when crafting cocktails and educating for Hennessy Cognac.
“I was in the top 8 for Belvedere finals when Hennessy noticed my videos and presence on stage,” explains Jordan. They then asked me to interview with them, leading to the US National role and 10 years later to the Global role with the French team.”
Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jordan has travelled and mixed around the world, creating unique and prolific cocktails for celebrities, industry veterans and anyone who shares a passion for libations. Pairing Hennessy’s unique history and product with modern mixology, Bushell’s cocktails offer a diverse array of flavours for all palettes.
Through the Global Trade Education Program, Jordan can share his knowledge of Hennessy’s history, complexity, and competitive set with bartenders across the country. He prides himself on developing experiences and programs that inspire bartenders and aficionados, including the Hennessy Pioneers, Hennessy MyWay and the Hennessy Bartender Academy. His work has encouraged the appreciation and advocacy for Hennessy around the world.
Jordan has led Hennessy’s efforts to establish a strong presence in bars across the globe and played an integral role in the renewed appreciation of cognac. As the Global Hennessy Ambassador, he has published a Hennessy cocktail catalogue, and Hennessy Mix Cocktail book and has designed high-end mixology tools. He has appeared in countless television programs and print publications. He is also a regular presenter, activating key industry events like Tales of the Cocktail, Barra Mexico, and Bar Convent Brooklyn among others.
Holding certifications in WSET wine and spirits, Jordan has also spent a decade honing his skills and gaining valuable experience at the forefront of the service industry, running distinguished cocktail programs globally. It was a pleasure to sit down with one of the leading lights in the industry to discuss what inspired a career in mixology, his creative process, and signature cocktails.
I found it was a beautiful side of our industry.
I’d say the biggest thing that inspired me to get into mixology was the challenge of differentiating myself from other bartenders while working at nightclubs.
As a nightclub bartender, you are basically your own small business, you have to serve everyone in your space, and we didn’t split tips, so this was a way to draw people to my bar.
It was later that I left working in nightclubs to pursue more opportunities working in and around cocktails. I found it was a beautiful side of our industry, another tool to provide an unforgettable hospitality experience.
Mixology to me is an art form.
If you want to learn how to become a mixologist, then so much of it is about, taste, taste taste. You need to develop a palette, and a library of flavours and learn whether certain flavours go well together or not.
Having those connections allows you to create new drinks on the spot. You develop this over time through trial and error. Cocktail Books like The Flavour Bible can lead you in positive directions, but ultimately it’s down to you.
Mixology to me is an art form. You are creating flavours, images and feelings for people that sit at the bar. Cocktails are also an added tool in your belt to create the most hospitable environment at any given venue. Passion for the craft and attention to detail is also so important.
you can’t go wrong with, ‘Between the Sheets.’
People like Dre Masso, Nick Strangeway and the fellow bartenders I competed with in the Toronto bar scene have really influenced my style I’d say.
Dre and Nick taught a 2-day seminar in my early days and showed me there could be a future in the craft I had fallen in love with.
In terms of my signature cocktail, I’d have to go with a Hennessy V.S.O.P Maple Syrup Old Fashioned.
- 60ml Hennessy V.S.O.P
- 10ml Pure Maple syrup
- 3 dashes angostura bitters
- pinch of sea salt or a couple drops of saline solution
- Garnish: smoking rosemary sprig
- Glass: Rocks
- Method: add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, stir to chill, strain into rocks glass with a large cube or neat, torch the end of a rosemary sprig, extinguish the flames and place over the top of the glass.
Two of my other favourite classics are The Ampersand and a Hennessy VSOP Cognac Sazerac. If I was going to recommend a lesser-known cocktail that everybody should try, then you can’t go wrong with, ‘Between the Sheets.’
The one cocktail that you should be making from home this winter is definitely the Autumn Shrub.
YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHO THE DRINK IS FOR.
When I’m crafting a new cocktail I look at the desired outcome, whether it be a theme, flavour or something in between and I work backwards.
I think you also need to consider who the drink is for. An after-dinner drink in winter vs. an after-dinner drink in summer are very different things. I work through my flavour library to hone in on the desired outcome and then it becomes trial and error.
I think a big trend we are seeing in the industry just now is pre-batched cocktails. All the work is being done ahead of time so the bartender can focus on the guest or the garnish. Focus on Garnish is another trend that is coming back.
With all our thanks to the incredibly talented Jordan Bushell.
You can follow Jordan on social media here.
For more information on Hennessy visit here.