The Tasting Panel magazine

JUNE 2011

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/33511

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 102 of 132

Cream of Society TRES LECHES TRIPLE CREAM LIQUEUR GOES POOLSIDE AT A TOP SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESORT by E. C. Gladstone / photos by Jimmy Cohrssen winter months and holidays. M With a product like this, you can just chase Mother Nature, and update seasonally.” Then again, we love milkshakes in the summertime, as well as milky blended lattes, Creamsicles, even Latin American licuados. “Why not an adult version,” wonders Jaren Singh, Mixologist for Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Bay resort in Southern California. Singh has been experimenting with Tres Leches Triple Cream Liqueur, a product from Western Spirits that is distinctly different. First of all, even by itself over crushed ice, it isn’t as heavy as other cream liqueurs, nor overly sugary. Secondly, though inspired by the classic Mexican wedding cake with vanilla and caramel notes, it’s based on silver rum—more neutral than the brown spirits behind other cream liqueurs—making it endlessly mixable with just about any flavor you can imagine. “It’s got a really long finish, which helps its mixability,” says Singh, pool- side at his resort. “You can incorporate almost any fruit flavor, and it’s cold and refreshing.” The company notes response to Tres Leches, which took over a year to develop, has come from surprising places—playing well in regions as diverse as Massachusetts and Texas, and more high-end accounts than Latin restaurants. Stonehill Tavern at St. Regis certainly falls in line with that; a star chef–supervised restaurant at California’s only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five- Diamond resort certainly wouldn’t put just any product in front of its guests. So far, Singh has chosen to keep things simple, combining Tres Leches with raspberries, strawberries and pineapple in refreshers that mirror desserts and milkshakes. Stone fruit, he says, is next on his list. “With a product like this, you can just chase Mother Nature, and update seasonally.” Other bartenders have combined it with tequila, coffee liqueurs and colas, all to pleasing results, while pastry chefs are finding many dessert uses. The company’s own website offers recipes including a Black Cow, Cream Martini and Blackberry Cream, using the attributes of Bird Dog Blueberry Whiskey. Adventurous souls may want to even try creating adult egg creams, floats, or Piña Colada adaptations. Tres Leches is available through Western Spirits. 102 / the tasting panel / june 201 1 ake a mental list of your top summertime cocktail mixers, and one thing is pretty much guaranteed: A cream-based liqueur isn’t on it. Somehow heavy, sweet sippables seem more appropriate for the The Summer’s

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - JUNE 2011