Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
THE MESSAgE dinner and a Movie Los Angeles's Russian Standard F PHOTO: RACHEL BURKONS oreign Cinema has been a go-to spot for al fresco dining since it opened in San Francisco's Mission District in 1999. As the name implies, movies are screened nightly on a towering white wall that encloses the restaurant's tented courtyard. While entertainment ambi contributes a film noir ambience, Foreign Cinema's draw is the Mediterranean-inspired cuisine of chef and co-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark and an inspired beverage program anchored by Sommelier Shannon Tucker . Shannon Tucker. Tucker, formerly Wine Director at the memorable-butshuttered Bacar, joined the restaurant last year and has livened up an already diverse list with wines ideally suited to the cuisine and the neighborhood's balmy weather. "It's time for fresh, floral whites and chilled Northern Italian reds that pair well with seasonal artichoke and asparagus dishes," says Tucker, who offers two dozen wines by the glass and flights that reflect her current favorites. Top picks include Egly-Ouriet Brut Rosé Champagne, André-Michel Brégeon Muscadet, Maison Seux Montille Soeur Burgundy, Reid Vogelsang, a blend from Austria's Heidi Schröck, and a Baron Widman Schiava from Alto Adige. —Deborah Parker Wong Randy Tarlow, West Coast Brand Ambassador, Russian Standard Vodka. W Championing Comfort T PHOTO: GLORIA SARMIENTO here's a reason Southern Comfort calls their regional brand ambassadors "Brand Champions." "We truly believe in championing our consumers to be their awesome selves," says Cassie Schroeder, Southern Comfort's Milwaukee Brand Champion. "SoCo has the same mindset as our consumers; we encourage them to be or do whatever is comfortable." This "Whatever's Comfortable" campaign even included sponsoring a New Year's Day polar plunge into Southern Comfort's Milwaukee Brand Lake Michigan. Yep! Southern Champion Cassie Schroeder. Comfort and Schroeder were there, cheering them on and offering a free shuttle service from the beach to a variety of accounts where SoCo cocktails were served to warm them right up. "I don't really see my job as just smiling while wearing a SoCo shirt," explains Schroeder. "I'm out there really connecting with the consumers and spending a lot of time on-premise, as well. Engaging with bartenders and really educating them on SoCo, how it was started by bartender in 1874 and familiarizing them with its versatility is vital." —Breanne DeMore hen THE TASTING PANEL caught up with Russian Standard Vodka West Coast Brand Ambassador Randy Tarlow at Caulfield's Bar and Dining Room in the chic Beverly Hills Thompson Hotel, it felt awfully multicultural. With the restaurant's gorgeous décor accented by a distinctive European flair, the oh-so-L.A. beautiful people crowd, the only thing missing was a little influence from the Ruskies. "Russian Standard is the epitome of Russian vodka," said Tarlow, whose working to make cocktails like the Vold Fashioned (vodka Old Fashioned) a thing. "I'll have a bartender make a Vold Fashioned, and give it to someone who doesn't know that it's made with vodka, and they don't even miss the whiskey. This is a vodka with character, and enough flavor and texture to really build any cocktail." For more on the ever-nuanced vodka category, please see our vodka special section starting on page 125. —Rachel Burkons 18 / the tasting panel / june 2013 TP0613_001-41.indd 18 5/23/13 4:24 PM