DRINK CULTURE
Tempting Tequila Pairings
Tequila goes surprisingly well with food, so dinners that
focus on pairings for the blue agave-based spirit can be fun
and educational. Mas Malo restaurant in Los Angeles recently
held a tasting dinner featuring three tequila brands matched
with an appetizer, main course and dessert. Chef Robert
Luna, who runs the bar program, shared the menu.
Guests started with a scallop and Pacific red snapper
ceviche including cucumber, radish, red onion, lemon, lime
and organic purple tomatillo, served along side an Espolon
Silver Perfect Margarita made with Cointreau, lemon, lime
and sugar cubes. The main course of pan-roasted coriander
chicken with grilled nopales and drunken (Fortaleza Silver
tequila-spiked) black beans was matched with a Pinata Smash
cocktail: jalapeno, cilantro, pineapple, agave syrup, lemon
juice and Fortaleza silver, shaken hard and served over ice.
And for dessert? Churromisu—a Mexican riff on Italian
tiramisu, made with churros, mascarpone egg custard, cream,
chocolate and coffee powder. Luna paired the dessert course
with a Spicy Cucumber Margarita, mixed with house-made
hot sauce, lemon and lime juices, agave syrup and Casa
Nobles blanco tequila. —Monica Kass Rogers
www.cheersonline.com
Mas Malo's Spicy Cucumber
Margarita, which it recently paired
with its "Churromiso" dessert.
MAY 2013 |
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