Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
74 / the tasting panel / april 2016 COVER STORY Kurtis Williams, Bar Lead, The Gladly, Phoenix, AZ Favorite John Wayne Movie: True Grit, because it was a film that personified John Wayne—and it was his Academy Award–win- ning movie that finally recognized all of his accomplishments on film. What cocktail or dish would you make for The Duke? I would have to stick to a classic since the man was such a classic. It would be a Duke Bourbon Manhattan, which I can picture him appreciating after a long day of shooting. What is your philosophy on pairing bourbon with food? I think cocktails should complement the dish, but also have enough backbone and contrasting flavors to bring out the levels of flavor in both the cocktail and the food. Neither the food nor the cocktail should dominate the experience, but both should play an integral role in an amazing dining experience for guests. In the Southwestern challenge portion of the mixology competition, Kurtis Williams utilized two of the most unique ingredients available: cornbread and BBQ sauce. Learn From Yesterday ◗ 2 oz. Duke Bourbon ◗ ½ oz. Casa Martielletti Vermouth ◗ ¼ oz. BBQ sauce ◗ ¼ oz. Cinzano ◗ 2 dashes Bitter Truth Old Time Aromatic Bitters Stir and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with cornbread crumbles. Favorite John Wayne Movie: True Grit. I love the relationship between Annie and Rooster. What is your philosophy on pairing bourbon with food? I think a great bourbon, like Duke, can be paired with virtually any type of dish or cuisine. The flavors of the dish should be accentuated or complemented by the drink, and if the bourbon neat fails to accomplish this, there are a multitude of ways it can be mixed into a cocktail to suit the job. How do you plan to continue developing the concept of cocktail and spirit pairings with food? Certain wine varietals and styles are well established as being ideal pairings with certain foods. I think this broad concept can be applied to cocktails as well. Just as Cabernet Sauvignon is great with red meat, a robust and boozy cocktail like a Manhattan or Sazerac should complement steak as well. Whereas bourbon might overpower delicate flavors of seafood dishes, sour style cocktails would be great with oysters or mahi mahi, just like a Sauvignon Blanc would. Will Benedetto, Beverage Director, William Collier's, Nashville, TN During the Southwestern Challenge, Will Benedetto served up his The Last Puff cocktail, saying, "In every John Wayne movie, there's always a final smoke: Sometimes from a cigarette, sometimes from a gun— and not always John Wayne's gun!" The Last Puff ◗ 2 oz. Duke Bourbon ◗ ½ oz. Italian sweet vermouth ◗ ½ oz. Campari ◗ Muddled jalapeño ◗ 1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters Remove the seeds from the jalapeño and muddle, then stir and strain into a sidecar. Place the sidecar on a plate and smoke the around the glass with cherry wood and then quickly place a glass over the sidecar to capture the smoke. Serve the sidecar and plate with a chilled coupe glass.