Hennessy X.O. to get an Academy Award debut with Ridley Scott directed short film
By Mads Lennon
Ridley Scott makes his small-screen return with a visually stunning short exploring the Seven Worlds of Hennessy X.O. set to debut at this years Oscars.
The 2019 Academy Awards are shaping up to be the most controversial and exciting Oscars telecast in recent memory. While some decisions have been less popular than others, I don’t think the award show branching out into unconventional territory is a bad idea.
The 100th annual Academy Awards is looming closer and closer. Anything running for almost a century needs to take risks to shake things up from time to time.
Hennessy X.O. cementing their first ever Oscars spot is proof of that. Why? Because they’ve secured visionary director, Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner), to direct said spot in an ambitiously cerebral short film.
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In essence, the short film is an extended advertisement for Hennessy X.O., so why should you be interested in it? Because in Ridley Scott’s own words (as can be heard in the behind-the-scenes video clip at the bottom of this article) why shouldn’t advertisement be entertainment?
The entire film is only four minutes in length. The clip set to premiere at the Academy Awards is a shortened version of that, I would recommend watching the whole film afterward. It is a breathtaking piece of imaginative cinematography; a glimpse into seven distinct worlds (in reference to the seven flavors of Hennessy X.O.), each with its own landscape, culture, color palette, and distinctive architectural design. With Scott’s creative vision dictating the story unfolding, it evolves beyond a commercial and becomes an immersive odyssey of sensorial experience.
"“7 Worlds” features seven individual “taste-scapes”: sweet notes, rising heat, spicy edge, flowing flame, chocolate lull, wood crunches and infinite echo, based on the taste journey of X.O, as defined by the Hennessy Tasting Committee."
By the time I finished watching, I wanted to see more of the stories introduced. One vignette features a woodland setting with a being animated by the leaves, its reminiscent of a scene in last year’s film, Annihilation, to give you an idea of the grandiose scope and enterprising world-building that went into the film’s creation.
If you really want to join in on the fun (and let’s be real here, who doesn’t like getting a little buzzed during award shows?) feel free to make your own “7 Worlds” cocktail to celebrate Ridley Scott’s return to the small screen.
The 7 Worlds
- Ingredients
- 2 oz. Hennessy X.O Cognac
- 2-inch Tea-Infused Ice Cube*
- 2 tablespoons Lapsang Souchong Tea
- 3 tablespoons Rooibos Tea
- 1 oz. Wildflower Honey
- Garnish
- Flamed lemon twist, gold leafed lemon twist**
- Method
- *Infused Tea Cube: Boil 1 liter of water, remove from heat & add Lapsang Souchong Tea, Rooibos Tea and wildflower honey; allow to steep for 5 minutes, strain out tea leaves, allow to cool to room temperature. Then, agitate the tea before filling ice molds and place in freezer until solid (approx. 24 hours)
- **Gold Leafed Lemon Twist: Use edible gold leaf, take a lemon twist that has been trimmed so edges are clean, using the paper the gold leaf rests on press the gold leaf onto lemon twist, rubbing the back of the paper to ensure it sticks. Prepare these ahead of time and keep cool and damp.
- Pour Hennessy X.O over Tea-Infused Cube in rocks glass; flame lemon twist over cocktail glass and discard, garnish with gold leafed lemon twist.
Are you planning to watch the Academy Awards this year? Are you looking forward to seeing Ridley Scott’s short film? Do you think more companies should try creating innovative advertisements to appeal to their audiences?
The 91st Academy Awards will air this Sunday, Feb. 24, on ABC.