Tom Douglas

Brown Booze and Food Pairings by Lea Fronterhouse, Palace Kitchen

Last week I went to a wonderfully creative party.  Hosted by a local bartender, she invited other bartender friends over for a brown booze party.  The rules: Bring any high end bottle of brown liquor (ie. rums, scotch, bourbons, whiskys, liqueuers, etc) and an appetizer or finger food that pairs well with your bottle.

Well, this was right up my alley.  I love being a bartender and I love pairing food and drink together!  So, a week before the party, I went down to the Palace for a little late night brown booze tasting and a little creative inspiration, so to speak.  After tasting a few bourbons and other brown liquors, I made my pick: Pappy Van Winkle, a straight Kentucky Bourbon that is nothing short of GREAT!  Finding a bottle of this was another story.  Unfortunately, it is made in very small batches and the soonest I might be able to get some– a month!  So, I found myself wandering through the enormous liquor store downtown, looking for a comparable bourbon with a similar flavor profile.  After much deliberation–Jefferson’s Reserve, a very rare, small batch, straight Kentucky bourbon. PERFECT!

Now, food. What to eat with it? I like citrus with bourbon.  Orange brings out nice notes in the bourbon profile. And cheese is always good.  So I came up with this canape– a piece of endive, a small dollop of fromage blanc, and sliced honey tangerine with a little lemon thyme on top. I topped it all off with a little freshly ground pepper and sea salt, then arranged my canapes on a platter with some edible flowers and- Voila! the hit of the party!

Upon arrival, I met up with friends and local bartenders representing a wide variety of Seattle’s dining establishments: Palace Kitchen, Licourous/Lark, The Waterfront, Moshi Moshi, and The Old Pequliar.  The conversation was wonderful, the food was perfectly paired: grilled lamb with homemade pickled carrots and onions, Yamazaki (a Japanese single malt) marinated chicken legs, blue and brie cheeses with Salumi sausage, steak tartare, my canapes, plenty of dark chocolate, and even a red velvet cake.  AND THE BOOZE…Yamazaki, Pampero Anniversario Rum, Basil Hayden Bourbon, Pyrat Pistol Rum, Glenmorangie Portwood Finish Scotch, Jefferson Reserve, Zacapa 23yr aged Rum, Ardbeg Single Malt, and possibly some more that I can’t remember.

Needless to say, the party only drew to a close when every last morsel of food was wiped clean from the plate and every bottle drained to the last drop.  We had a fine evening dining and drinking with friends old and new.  Cheers!

March 2nd, 2009