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Why Hennessy is your summer cocktail essential


Read time 5 Mins

Posted 11 Dec 2025

By
J’aime Cardillo


The hennessy cognac
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Created in partnership with Hennessy

If you’re not already mixing Hennessy in your cocktails, you need to keep reading.

When you think of your favourite cocktails, which base spirits come to mind? Gin, vodka, tequila, whisk(e)y or rum, perhaps? Well, we see your spirits and raise you Cognac. There are plenty of classic Cognac cocktails – the Sidecar, Sazerac and French 75 – but we’re here to tell you that Cognac can (and should) be easily swapped, mixed, shaken or stirred into some of your other favourite cocktails this summer.

There’s a particular Cognac icon that comes to mind – three, two, one – did you say Hennessy? You’d be correct. It’s the world’s most famous Cognac, and, yes, it’s LeBron’s drink of choice. Hennessy V.S is one of the most popular Cognacs in the world. It has round and robust flavours that make it versatile for everyday cocktails (which means it needs to take up permanent residency on your bar cart). 

What can you expect from Hennessy V.S? In the glass you’ll see an amber hue. You’ll smell fresh toast, roasted almond and a little brown sugar. Take a sip and you’ll taste rich vanilla, caramel and ripe fruit, along with cinnamon and a hint of pepper. 

Now that you know the flavours Hennessy V.S is bringing, we’d like to introduce you to some fun, new twists on four easy cocktails we’re whipping up this summer. Our mates over at Hennessy have let us in on their secrets to making a great Maison (that’s French for ‘house’ or ‘home’) cocktail, and we can’t not share them with you. So, grab a bottle of Hennessy V.S because this summer, we’re all about mixing with Cognac.

Holding a Hennessy Colada, which is made with Hennessy Cognac
1. Hennessy Colada
 
Petition to update the lyrics of the Piña Colada song to: “If you like Hennessy Coladas and gettin’ caught in the rain”. That’s right, we’ve dropped the Piña (read: swapped out the rum) to bring you the Hennessy Colada (AKA the Henny Colada). Notes of caramel from Hennessy V.S are blended with the sweet pineapple and creamy coconut mix. If this is as close as you’re getting to a holiday right now, then grab your blender or your bullet and let’s make a vacation in a glass.

Into the blender goes 45mL of Hennessy V.S, 15mL fresh lime juice, 45mL pineapple juice, 60mL coconut cream, three dashes of bitters, two tablespoons of ground coffee and ice. Blitz that baby (AKA dance break). Serve this tropical dream in a hurricane glass, but if you don’t have one, no worries – you can also serve it in a highball or pint glass. To garnish? A wedge of pineapple and a cherry, of course.

How to best enjoy the Henny Colada? Picture this: lazing in the backyard (on a deck chair or in a hammock – that’s your call), holding a glass in one hand and a fruit salad skewer in the other. Bliss. And if the girls are coming ’round later, the blender is already out (eyes emoji).

2. Hennessy Strawberry Lemonade
It might’ve been a while since you’ve had a lemonade, so let’s up the ante with a grown-up version – the Hennessy Strawberry Lemonade. The Cognac’s oak, spice, vanilla and fruit notes bring depth to the base, while the strawberry offers sweetness and the lemonade is tart with acidity and bubbles that cut through – it’s fresh, sweet and nostalgic as hell. Here’s how to make it at home – you’ll need 45mL of Hennessy V.S and 60mL of lemonade (to make your own, combine 22mL of lemon juice, 22mL of sugar syrup and 15mL of water). Now for the strawberry – you can use 15mL of strawberry puree, strawberry syrup or you can muddle one strawberry in your cocktail shaker. Pop all your ingredients in there and shake, then strain into a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a strawberry slice. See? It’s a cinch to make.
 
Two words: summer barbecue. You know the ones that start at 1pm and last until dusk? You can’t go wrong with a Hennessy Strawberry Lemonade served up with a snag (or two), sliders (mushroom and beef options), a few chicken skewers and a big bowl of potato salad. And if it’s a large group, scale up and serve it in a cocktail jug – we can guarantee it’ll be a crowd pleaser.
3. Hennessy Pineapple
Okay, the Hennessy Pineapple might be the lowest-effort, highest-reward cocktail you’ll make. There’s sweetness, a little tang and just the right amount of spice. You’ll need 45mL of Hennessy V.S, pineapple juice is your mixer (you’ll need 105mL), a dash of bitters, and for garnish we love a lime wedge or juicy piece of pineapple. To build the cocktail, grab a wine glass – choose one with the widest bowl – and fill it with ice. Pour in the Hennessy, juice and a dash of bitters, and gently stir. Add a squeeze of lime and garnish with your wedge of lime or pineapple (it has to be the pineapple for us). A rule of thumb to live by when mixing Hennessy (something we should all be doing more of) is that if it works with cinnamon, it’ll work with Hennessy.

Right, let’s talk food. Hosting Friendsmas this year? Serve a round of Hennessy Pineapple with a juicy piece of crispy pork belly. The richness of the meat will be balanced by the tropical flavours and Hennessy’s acidity. Sides are totally up to you, but we love a crunchy slaw with cabbage, ginger and pineapple (yep, we’re doubling down on the pineapple). You know what the Hennessy Pineapple and a good piece of pork belly have in common? They both look more difficult to pull off than they actually are. Go you good thing.

How to best enjoy the Henny Colada? Picture this: lazing in the backyard (on a deck chair or in a hammock – that’s your call), holding a glass in one hand and a fruit salad skewer in the other. Bliss. And if the girls are coming ’round later, the blender is already out (eyes emoji).

4. Hennessy French 75
You may have had a classic French 75 – it’s all gin and sparking wine with lemon juice and sugar syrup. Well, forget what you know. The Hennessy French 75 swaps gin for, yep, you guessed it, Hennessy V.S. Where gin brings herbaceous notes to this cocktail, Hennessy brings a warm, rich base that is brightened with sparkling wine. This cocktail is no mess, no fuss, because we’re building it directly into a Champagne flute.
 
Start with 45mL of Hennessy V.S, followed by 15mL of sugar syrup and 22mL of fresh lemon juice (if you’re in a pinch, bottled lemon juice will also do the job, but you know we always say fresh is best), then top with your favourite sparkling or Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist. Fancy. Let’s keep the fancy going and serve this baby alongside the freshest seafood – prawns, oysters, seared scallops... you get it. This sounds like the perfect Sunday date to us, sitting al fresco, sipping a Hennessy French 75 over a few oysters with the sun shining. Talk about golden hour.
 
Hot tip: the clever cookies at Hennessy have made it very easy to scale up their cocktails for a group – just hit the plus (+) button on each cocktail page to change the ratios to cater for a crowd.
Holiday with HennessyIt’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means the gift list is long and the to-do list is even longer. We bet we can help solve that. Have a Hennessy Christmas – family KK for under $80? It has to be the Hennessy V.S (with some change to spare). Need a gift for your mate who loves making cocktails and is always upscaling their bar cart? Hennessy V.S. A bottle for your parents who loved the French 75 you made them last week? Hennessy V.S. And you’d better pick up a fresh bottle for yourself while you’re there – it is hosting season, after all.
A bottle of Hennessy VS Cognanc on a shelf
Ready to try Hennessy V.S? Shop Hennessy at Dan Murphy’s.