The Tasting Panel magazine

December2010

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DEPARTMENT HEADER AFTER ONE LOOk AT THIS GLORIOUS GLOBE, IT’S EASY TO SEE THAT NEW CHAMBORD FLAVORED VODKA HAS FEMININE APPEAL. FROM ITS LAVENDER HUE TO ITS DELICATE, RICH BLACk RASPBERRY FLAVOR, FEMALE MIXOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND THAT THEY’RE Char Chmaembdord F by by Rachel Burkons A Happily Spirited Marriage IT GETS COLD IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, BUT THE LOVE OF A GOOD COCkTAIL—AND TWO GREAT SPIRITS— WILL kEEP YOU WARM. lowers may seem like a romantic cliché, but there’s always an exception to the rule. In this case, the exception is the feral, natural and rugged beauty of wild lavender, a botanical that runs rampant in the wilder- ness of the Pacifi c Northwest. Harnessing that unfettered beauty and putting a sophisticated spin on lovely lavender, Anu Apte, owner of chic Seattle lounge The Rob Roy, offers up a Chambord Flavored Vodka cocktail that’s born of the meeting of classic beauty and creativity. “The pretty, lavender color of the Chambord is very romantic,” admits Apte, “and I like that the fl avor is subtle enough that you can play around with it. I tried mixing it with rum and with scotch, and I imagine it going really well with gin.” For Apte, a cocktailian through and through, the excitement of experimentation is half the fun of romance. “My whole life revolves around cocktails and the food and beverage industry, and my most romantic moments have just been about grabbing a bunch of ingredients for food and cocktails and just being creative with what we have.” Creativity eventually led Apte to mix Chambord Flavored Vodka with scotch, an ingredient used to emulate the warmth of both sitting by a fi re, and the thrill of a new love. “One of the most romantic things you can do is sit by a fi re,” says this brunette beauty, for whom sights of wild lavender evoke beautiful reminders of romantic encounters gone by. “One of the most romantic experiences I’ve ever had was having wonderful food by a bonfi re, out in the open. This drink defi nitely embodies that memory, with the lavender and the smokiness.” 72 / the tasting panel / december 2010 THE GIVEN NAME ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1½ oz. Chambord Flavored Vodka ½ oz. Laphroaig single malt ¼ oz. roasted black pepper syrup 1 dash lavender bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters Shake, strain and serve over large hand-packed ice cubes in a highball. Garnish with lavender sprigs. New Chambord Flavored Vodka photographed at Park and M!X in Sacramento, PHOTO: CHAD PRYOR Anu Apte, owner of The Rob Roy in Seattle, fi nds romance in the warmth of a fi re and Chambord Flavored Vodka’s charming encounter with scotch. A

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