Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/413994
24 / the tasting panel / november 2014 THE MESSAGE PHOTO: JAIME LEWIS Ali Rush Carscaden, CS and restaurateur Carole MacDonal of La Cosecha in Paso Robles. For the Love of Sherry A li Rush Carscaden, CS, is on a mission. "Sherry is very close to my heart," she says, introducing a Sherry dinner for the dining club over which she and restaurateur Carole MacDonal preside. "In Spain, they do dinners with Sherry at every single course, which is what we're doing tonight. It's no wonder Rush Carscaden and MacDonal are pushing Sherry; a self- proclaimed hispanophile, Rush Carscaden owns industry favorite wine shop, 15 Degrees C, while MacDonal owns the Latin- and Spanish-centric La Cosecha Bar + Restaurant with her husband, Chef Santos MacDonal. For the Sherry dinner, Rush Carscaden's selections run the gamut from a salty Gutierrez Colosia Manzanilla cocktail with rum and Calisaya bitters, to a figgy Dios Baco Pedro Ximénez, which when paired with Chef Santos' elegant menu, makes for a dining experience that doesn't just educate—it evangelizes. —Jaime Lewis It's Time to Get Slingin'! F or this year's upcom- ing Arizona Cocktail Week, the popular Last Slinger Standing Competition is looking to expand to a fourth market to go head- to-head with Arizona, Nevada and Colorado, all clamoring for the coveted Last Slinger title. The wild card competition opens November 1, so head over to www.arizonacocktailweek.com/ lastslingerstanding to enter. In the Arizona double-blind shake-off to determine which 'tenders would represent the Grand Canyon State, judges Rachel Burkons, VP Managing Editor, THE TASTING PANEL; Aaron DeFeo, Property Mixologist at Tucson's Casino del Sol; Travis Nass, Spirit Guide at The Last Drop; and Kailee Gielgens, Arizona and Las Vegas Sales Manager for Azuñia Tequila, gathered at Phoenix eatery Crudo to finalize the Arizona team. Look for the complete field of 16 competitors in the Jan/Feb issue of THE TASTING PANEL! An Unbeatable Bloody Mary I n August, Tallarico Vodka pitted the bartenders of The Beverly Hills Hotel against each other to see who could concoct the best Bloody Mary. After a heated battle, Denise Nordgren's creation—featuring a heavy dose of Tallarico Vodka and a cream cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapeño as a garnish— won out and became the first cocktail to ever be served at hotel's Fountain Coffee Shop. Giancarlo Tallarico, owner of Tallarico Vodka, explained why his vodka and the competition worked so well together: "The spice of our vodka mixed with the flavors of other Bloody Mary ingre- dients yields a deliciously balanced cocktail. During the competition, the contestants got very creative with their ingredients, and all of the recipes were delicious and different, but the winner's recipe really stood out . . . . Who doesn't love bacon?" We couldn't agree more. —Emily Coleman coveted Last Slinger title. The wild card competition opens Giancarlo Tallarico, owner of Tallarico Vodka, and Robert Rouleau, Assistant F&B Director of The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.