Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
72 / the tasting panel / april 2016 For the third and final round of the competition, we headed to Chef Rick Moonen's Rx Boiler Room, where each contestant was tasked with creating cocktails that fit three criteria: • Contains Duke Bourbon • Contains a white or red Layer Cake wine • Pairs with a dish specially created by Chef Moonen First up, Chef Moonen rolled out light Kona kanpachi fish tacos in taro root shells, meant to be paired with Layer Cake Sauvignon Blanc– or Chardonnay-based Duke Bourbon cocktails. Next, Moonen brought out a beef tongue shepherd's pie and our contestants were challenged with cre- ating Layer Cake Malbec– or Cabernet Sauvignon–based Duke cocktails. As each dish was brought out, the contestants gathered around, tasting it with sips of the wines, and with only ten minutes to idealize their cock- tails, time was of the essence as our judges tasted along. "Craft spirits are making the world of hospitality so much more exciting than in the past," mused Fred Dame, MS. Agreed Rick Moonen, "My bartenders are coming back to the kitchen more and more, and I say have at it! We can have 850 bottles of wine on our list, but we have all the colors in the crayon box when we're talking about mixing with spirits." So with a rainbow of flavors to explore, our COVER STORY Chaenge #2: Serious Slingers The second challenge saw the contestants channel their inner cowboys with a trip to the gun range, where after a series of safety instructions, each bartender got his chance to play gunslinger. While there were no real winners or losers in this round, Radomski joked, "We're looking to see who's John Wayne material—and we'll celebrate with a shot of Duke bourbon after we shoot guns." Jeremy Hawn, Principal Bartender, Seamstress in NYC; Chef Rick Moonen peeking over his shoulder; Kurtis Williams, Bar Lead, The Gladly, Phoenix; Mack Cavanagh, bartender, The Hawthorne, Boston; Greg Richie, Executive Chef/partner, Thornton Park Restaurant Group, Orlando, FL; Fred Dame, MS; Dane Nakamura, Beverage Director, Bryan Voltaggio Restaurants; Will Benedetto, Beverage Director, William Collier's, Nashville, TN. Chaenge #3: Wine Cocktails and Food Pairings Let's just say straight-shooting runs in the family: Ethan Wayne takes aim during the Outdoor Challenge. Chef and Dining with the Duke judge Rick Moonen says that craft spirits like Duke Bourbon give mixologists "all the colors in the crayon box" to mix and match flavors. Celebrity Chef Rick Moonen created two dishes for our contestants to pair with: a braised beef tongue shepherd's pie, and kanpachi fish tacos in taro root shells.