Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/221505
THE GREAT WHITE NORTH MEETS THE GREAT WHITE WAY: NEIGE PREMIERE APPLE ICE WINE When a Canadian classic heads to the U.S.'s biggest city, it brings the big guns—or in this case, a bunch of liquid nitrogen. "The idea was to take the people of New York to Québec, where the cold weather freezes the juice of the apples used to make Neige," explains Jonathan Homier, owner of Montreal's Bar B1, and the mastermind who served up his cocktail in a hollow liquid-nitrogen-frozen apple. Made from ripe McIntosh apples, Neige apple ice wine is made through natural cryoextraction, resulting in a pure, crisp and sweet sipper that showcases apple's true potential. "Neige means snow in French. This apple ice wine comes from the cold. It's the only snow that warms up!" explains François Poulot, owner and producer of Neige. "It is a very flexible ingredient, and the end result is sweet but with nice acidity. It's very easy to use in a bar and can swap for vermouth in many classic cocktails." Neige AppleWood ◗ 1 oz. Neige apple ice wine ◗ 1 oz. Canadian Club 12 François Pouliot, owner/producer, Neige apple ice wine; Jonathan Homier, owner and bartender at Bar B1 in Montreal. SIMPLICITY AT ITS BEST: Year Old ◗ 1 oz. orange juice ◗ ½ oz. maple infused Lapsang souchong tea ◗ ¾ oz. lemon juice ◗ Flame with Angostura Bitters The New York Review: "Warming smoke note with the sweetness of the ice wine is an intriguing combination. Presentation is dramatic and captivating!" —Cory Fitzsimmons "Good acidity, light body and I like the touch of smoke. The Neige really stands out in the cocktail." —Milos Zica "Delicious, well-balanced and with really nice acidity. The smoke from the tea plays really well with the whisky and the apple ice wine shines through beautifully." —Eryn Reece CLASE AZUL REPOSADO AND Walking around Fifth Avenue's chicest clothiers, one sees a lot of well-dressed ladies and gents in head-totoe black. The monochrome look is clean, classic and always in style. Simple, spirit-forward cocktails are similarly big in this scene: "Most New York drinks are going to be very simple," explains Dominic Venegas, East Coast Brand Ambassador for Clase Azul Tequila. "If it's a good spirit, you don't need to mask it, and you want to showcase it in the most simple way possible." With a classically-made, handcrafted spirit like Clase Azul Reposado Tequila at his fingertips, Venegas kept things simple, choosing to showcase the spectacular sipping spirit in his spirit-forward Spanish Harlem, which also features Clase Azul La Pinta. "The La Pinta is a special product," Venegas explains of the pomegranate liqueur made with Clase Azul Plata Tequila. "The seasonaility of the pomegranate is perfect for this time of year, but it's a versatile product that can be used year-round." The New York Review: "A really nice Negroni-like cocktail, and the Reposado works really well with the sweet floral notes in the La Pinta." —Lynnette Marrero "Really f'ing nice, with great balance that showcases the spirit. I could definitely drink three of these, which is my mark of a great cocktail!" —Phil Casacelli "The La Pinta is matching beautiful with the sweetness and smoothness of the tequila. Sometimes less is more!" —Milos Zica LA PINTA Spanish Harlem ◗ 2 oz. Clase Azul Reposado ◗ ¾ oz. Clase Azul La Pinta ◗ 3 dashes Angostura Bitters Arturo Lomeli, Founder, Clase Azul, with East Coast Brand Ambassador, Dominic Venegas. december 2013 / the tasting panel / 109 TP1213_104-148.indd 109 11/23/13 8:36 PM