Drink

WINE PAIRINGS, DISCUSSED 

Salon 1983

Egon Müller, 'Scharzhofberger' Riesling Spätlese 2008

Knoll, 'Vinothekfüllung' Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2001

J.F. Ganevat, 'Cuvée Prestige' 2007

Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'Clos Saint-Jacques' 1996

OK, so I chose those wines to go with the menu. I think the menu comes pretty naturally from that painting.. seafood, pale things, foods that are not necessarily fresh but maybe pickled and such, their brighter colors leached away by techniques that preserve them. The wines are like.. if I had a cellar full of the world's best wines and I was picking them out to go with the menu.

Salon is the ultimate blanc de blancs, a great start to a meal, and a good pairing with light fish/vegetable dishes. I was recently stunned by a bottle of the '96, but god I would love to try an older vintage, like the great '83.

Next is the Scharzhofberger, basically the Montrachet of Germany. Wines from this vineyard and this producer, Egon Müller, tend to have RS and that's just how wines from this vineyard naturally are. Riesling with residual sugar is a delicious pairing with pickled foods, and the acidity matches the fat in the egg in the dish. Went with a young vintage with high acid—hence 2008.

Knoll is next with the veal tongue. The Vinothekfüllung is a rare bottling of a selection of Knoll's best grapes, and if you've had it, you know it is not a delicate Grüner. It's a heady wine that can be—and routinely is—drunk with meat. Chose a good vintage with a little age, since these wines need at least ten years to show.

The Ganevat Cuvée Prestige is with the trout, 'cause, you know, sous-voile Savagnin is pretty much amazing with everything. I think it would really complement a strongly flavored fish dish.

And then finally you've got the Rousseau with the beef heart. Pretty much the greatest winemaker in Burgundy, one of their most iconic wines, a lean but beautifully structured vintage... this is Pinot noir that is masculine and sturdy yet ethereal.

-- Matthew Kudry

COCKTAIL HOUR

“Arak My World” 

Kelvin Uffre

• 4 Madagascar vanilla bean pods

• 6 grams of cardamon pods

• 6 grams of mace

Toast vanilla, mace and cardamon at 300 degrees for 20 mins or until room is consumed in the aroma. Stir occasionally to avoid burning cardamon and mace. Once roasted, let rest.

Combine the following:

• 750ml Domaine des Tourelles Arak

• 1 Liter Drapo vermouth bianco

• 500ml manzanilla sherry

• 6oz Letherbee malort

Add toasted botanicals and spices to spirits batch.

• Zest 5 Pomelo fruits and 33 Meyer lemons with microplane, zest gently with minor pressure to avoid bitter pith.

• Add 32oz granulated white sugar to citrus zest and mix with love until the mixture has homogenized.

• Juice the 33 zested Meyer lemons

• Juice 4 grapefruits

Combine both juices with sugar mixture then combine with spirits mixture. Macerate for 24 hours then strain mixture.  Add ylang ylang water diluting punch to taste.  A good measure is 2 parts punch mixture to 1 part ylang ylang water. Serve over ice and garnish with sunflower petals and milk thistle.

Ylang Ylang Infused Water

• Dilute 1 drop of ylang ylang essence per 1 gallon of water.