Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/723381
september 2016 / the tasting panel / 81 Oceanaire Seafood Room, Denver Brad Moore, General Manager of Oceanaire Seafood Room, Denver, learned his love of cooking from his grandmother. He pulled from this skillset to build a serve that turned the traditional Scotch and cigar pairing on its head, by making the cigar an edible one. Moore pipes cold mascarpone mixture into cookie shells, overfilling one end by half an inch, and then rolling the end in an "ash" mixture, consisting of Charred fennel stalks, toffee cinnamon almonds, powdered sugar and tapioca maltodextrin. He then burns oak in a glass and traps the smoke with another glass containing Glenfiddich 18 Year Old, a few drops of Aqua Panna and a zested orange peel. When the guest picks up the whisky, the smoke is released, further adding to the illusion of a cigar. Morton's The Steakhouse, Denver With a master's degree in history, Julie Calabrese, Sales and Events Manager for Morton's The Steakhouse, Denver, looked to the past for her serve's inspiration. She begins her serve with a stone slab, representing the masonry involved in the building of the distillery in 1887, and a wooden board, a nod to the barrels that house the Scotch and the on-premise cooperage, on which she places a glass with a cooper rim, paying homage to the stills of Glenfiddich. The Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera Whisky accompanies chamomile cracked vanilla ice and homemade orange toasted barley bitters in the glass, revealing the earthy notes of the Scotch. This drink sits beside an elevated version of bar nuts that remind the guest of a Christmas morning, the first day that whisky ran from the Glenfiddich stills. The Gladly, Phoenix "We wanted to create a theater for all your senses," mused Brian Goodwin, Beverage Director for The Gladly, located in Phoenix. Goodwin and Andrew Fritz, owner of The Gladly, did just that with their three-part serve, which drew on Goodwin's experi- ence in the back of the house as a chef. The serve starts with Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Cask paired with Houston Baby Bourbon chocolate s'mores; it then moves into a dram of Glenfiddich The Original with yuzu and green tea sorbet—a refreshing palate cleanser, which takes the guest to Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Grand Reserve with apple and pear compote on a Sailor Jerry caramel sauce. Finished with toasted pipe tobacco, this serve is truly a delight for all of your senses.