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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/504798
www.cheersonline.com 37 May 2015 • Pairing strategies for spirits and food B efore-dinner drinks and post-dessert drams are no longer just bookending meals. Many bartenders and chefs now collaborate on libations that mix, mingle and coax out the fl avors and aromas from the dishes on the food menu. Mizuna, a 55-seat American/French restaurant in Denver, CO, offers ongoing kitchen and bar pairings. One is the "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" cocktail ($12), a mix of sweet corn-infused whiskey, quinoa whiskey, basil, smoked lager, black pepper and lemon, paired with Oussua-Iraty cheese from France. "The cocktail is fun, bright, and mildly sparkling, which does well with the mild but nutty nuances in the cheese," says bar manager/sommelier Austin James Carson. A Gin and Tonic riff ($12) infuses St. George Spirits dry rye gin with tarragon, basil, thyme, sumac and clarifi ed lime, and serves it with house-made tonic. The drink's herbaceousness goes nicely with Mizuna's arugula salad with pomegranate, fromage blanc and white balsamic vinegar, Carson says. MATCH GAME Denver, CO-based Mizuna matches its "Smoke `Em If You Got `Em" cocktail (corn-in- fused whiskey, quinoa whiskey, basil, smoked lager, black pepper and lemon), paired with Oussua-Iraty cheese from France. [ [ PICKING A PAIR Where to start when matching cocktails with food? Carson says his experience as a sommelier has guided his philosophy for pairing cocktails with food. "The same rules of thumb govern: Match weight and texture— heavy, fl avorful dishes call for heavy, fl avorful cocktails; acid and sugar are your friends, and use complementary fl avors when possible." The 160-seat restaurant Mesa in Costa Mesa, CA, offers a six-course tasting menu each month that pairs a cocktail with a dish. Recent partners include Spanish style Mizuna's herbaceous Gin and Tonic riff goes nicely with an arugula salad with pomegran- ate, fromage blanc and white balsamic vinegar.