Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
THE MESSAGE EDITION I n a private dining room at Ruth's Chris Steak House at Harrah's New Orleans, "King Cocktail" Dale DeGroff held court behind the bar, ably assisted by his son Leo and making the final preparations for the ABSOLUT ELYX Spirited Dinner during Tales of the Cocktail. ELYX is ABSOLUT's single-estate luxury vodka, and Dale DeGroff was taking the silky, handcrafted spirit and melding it with other flavors to complement all five courses to be served to this elite group of diners. ELYX is produced in Sweden, using a 1921 cop- per column still and perfected by select craftsman skilled in this time-honored style of distillation. To celebrate in style at the world's largest cocktail party, this Spirited Dinner was hosted by Ruth's Chris VP of Menu Strategy and Innovation Helen Mackey, along with ABSOLUT CEO Paul Duffy, ABSOLUT ELYX CEO Johnas Tåhlin, ELYX Brand Ambassador Josh Pearson and Stephen O'Neill, SR VP Strategy and Transformation for Pernod Ricard. ELYX is a smooth, full spirit that holds its own when sipped, yet combines well with both sweet and savory flavors. DeGroff has recently introduced his own line of bitters and he used his Aromatic Pimento Bitters in the first cocktail of the evening, the ABSOLUT ELYX Flame of Love. Garnished with flamed orange zest, it was sweetened with agave nectar and dosed with Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, which added an intriguingly earthy note to the drink—nicely paired with passed canapés of crabmeat au gratin as well as tomato and mozzarella skewers. The second course was a butter lettuce BLT salad with an ABSOLUT Craft Smokey Tea cocktail that included fresh lime juice, simple syrup, Rose's Lime Juice and DeGroff's Aromatic Pimento Bitters, garnished with a lime wheel. (Interestingly, DeGroff's Bitters also work well in non-alcoholic beverages such as tea.) For the third course, ahi poke stack, DeGroff presented clean, citrusy tastes with his ABSOLUT Citron Cosmopolitan containing Cointreau, fresh lime juice and cranberry juice, with a flamed orange zest garnish. The stellar pairing of the evening was the fourth course: DeGroff's ABSOLUT Bullshot, made with Absolut Vodka, fresh orange juice, Tabasco, pepper and beef broth, accompanying Ruth's Chris sizzling filet with chipotle smoked fingerlings and bleu cheese crusted tomatoes. Wisely, DeGroff intermingled cream and fruit for the dessert course, pairing with honey cinnamon cheesecake. He made an ABSOLUT Craft Herbaceous Sgroppino al Limone cocktail using limited-edition ABSOLUT Craft Herbaceous Lemon and Bitter Cherry vodkas, lemon sorbet and heavy cream, topped off with Mumm Napa sparkling wine—sending everyone off into the night quite sated and happy. Playful Pairings DALE DEGROFF INVENTS ABSOLUT ELYX COCKTAILS FOR A SPIRITED DINNER AT RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE by Becky Sue Epstein / photos by Scott Myers All of Dale DeGroff's concoctions for the ABSOLUT ELYX Spirited Dinner. All of Dale DeGroff's "King Cocktail" Dale DeGroff skillfully creates cocktails for the ABSOLUT ELYX Spirited Dinner during Tales of the Cocktail. Ruth's Chris VP of Menu Strategy and Innovation Helen Mackey with ABSOLUT ELYX CEO Johnas Tåhlin. 22 / the tasting panel / september 2014