Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/504216
may 2015 / the tasting panel / 99 PULP, NON-FICTION Eat This: Sliced baguette with Camembert and bourbon pecans Sip This: Bungalow 23 Pear Ginger Martini Cocktail Mixer True to nature, Bungalow 23 Pear Ginger Martini Mixer contains Washington State Wenatchee Valley pears, ginger root, lemons and homemade lemongrass extract. The pulp is there, adding a tex- tural experience that brings this up many notches from the competition. With a one- year shelf life, this mixer wowed us all with its hand-crafted sophistication and premium quality. It had also just received a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Neat Notes: "What a great 'pear-ing' with the ripe French cheese! The cheese counters the ripe fruit Bungalow 23 Pear Ginger offers, and the mixer also settles the big flavors of the cheese. This mixer tastes great on its own and sings with a splash of bourbon. Would make a perfect home in crunchy granola– and juice-centric San Francisco."—Michael Logan "This may be the best cocktail mixer yet. The ginger just pops out of the glass and with the pear, becomes extraordinary. Crisp citrus notes follow and the pair- ing with the cheese works for both items, underlying richness with elegance." —Brian MacGregor DISTINGUISHED DIGESTIF Eat This: Milk chocolate with almonds Sip This: Amaro Lucano This rich, bright Italian digestif from Basilicata in southern Italy—like its category mates—was origi- nally designed as an herbal remedy. Amaro Lucano was first created in 1894 by Pasquale Vena in the tiny village of Pisticci, using a blend of 30 local herbs and spices. Today, the recipe remains unchanged and its tradition is entrusted to a 4th generation of family members. The second highest selling amaro in Italy, Amaro Lucano can be enjoyed neat or as the base for a variety of cocktails. Neat Notes: "Lucano enters richly and brightly with chocolate/citrus up front and a middle of lemon oil and sweet orange—it has no dominant ingredient, but washes through the palate with a flood of lavender, cinnamon, fennel, allspice and dried herbs. The nutty saltiness of the almond chocolate dissolves the viscosity in the lush amaro."—Meridith May "An awesome amaro with melt-in-your-mouth cocoa and citrus/burnt sugar notes, candied orange peel, ginger and winter spices. The chocolate almond bar subdues any bitter tones from the dried herbs but the amaro stays the star of the show."—Erik Adkins DOMAINE SELECT Rick Ferrone, a former management consultant, is owner is owner of Bungalow 23 Culinary Cocktail Mixers. Molly Casey is Director of Spirits for Henry Wine Group. may 2015 / the tasting panel / 99