DRINK CULTURE
Food and Tequila Pairing
with the Chef Consumers have long been fond of chefs' tables, but the Maroma
Resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya has taken the kitchen to consumer interaction a step further. Th e 65-room Orient-Express hotel on the Yucatan Peninsula features intimate cooking and Tequila pairing classes with its chef Juan Pablo Loza, who worked at Le Cirque in New York. Th e ten-person cooking lessons feature a range of Tequila brands
with a focus on those guests can fi nd in the U.S. (to encourage the fun at home). Attendees are walked through a tasting of reposado, añejo and blanco styles—and sometimes mescal—while chef prepares dishes like guacamole and ceviche to enjoy with them. Th ere's ample time for a discussion of food pairing synergies and guests can access the recipes to take home after the class. It's a clever way to feature Mexico's best-known spirit and one that has
spurred a healthy interest in the hotel's 177-tequila selection outside of the cooking classes.
Time for Oktoberfest
McGillin's Olde Ale House
in Philadelphia is hosting an Oktoberfest celebration, pouring German beer and serving German food, including pumpkin ales. In early October the restaurant also will have transformed its street into a giant beer garden, where the restaurant will host karaoke, performances, family activities, food vendors and more.
8 | OCTOBER 2011
www.cheersonline.com
