Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/960891
104 / the tasting panel / april 2018 Ben Golden Bellwether in Jacksonville, FL "Black Chypre" The Serve: Golden dubbed his serve Black Chypre, a play on "black sheep" (Bellwether is owned by the Black Sheep Group) and a term used by the perfume industry to describe an array of aromatics (typically citrus top notes, bergamot heart notes, and oak moss base notes) coexisting in harmony. For his cocktail, Golden first created a Whisky Smash utilizing Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve 14 Year Old Single Malt, grapefruit, mulled wine syrup (red wine, mulling spices, and brandy), and rosemary. The serve was then strained into a glass smoked with vetiver root and topped with a cocktail foam aromatized with bergamot, black pepper, Luxardo maraschino, and a spritz of lime with a rosemary sprig garnish. The fusion of the whisky and vetiver root's woody and spicy base notes, the bergamot heart notes, and the jasmine top notes, meanwhile, form the "chypre" of the cocktail. The Inspiration: Golden says his love of classic French perfume "in all of its timeless elegance" inspired him to demonstrate through his serve how aroma influ- ences taste: "I set out to create a perfumed cocktail that will transform a simple drink into an artistic, sensual experience. Golden believes the Black Chypre proves "aromatics can take a simple cocktail to the next level" while still celebrating the inherent character of the Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve 14 Year Old Single Malt. Oscar Sinisterra Cold Drinks in San Francisco, CA "A Moment of My Love" The Serve: Sinisterra's thoughtful, multi- step tea serve requires audience participation: Inside a wooden whiskey box, he uses a small candle stove to heat a mixture of Fernet-Branca, coffee beans, anise, and cinnamon, which, once boiling, is immediately cooled in a glass over ice. Sinisterra then presents his audience with three crystal glasses—each containing an ice block, Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, and the Fernet mixture—before providing them with three brightly-colored syrups: hibiscus/raspberry, saffron, and mint. Participants can then use a paintbrush to paint the inside of their glass with the syrups, reserving the other ingredients to create their own Old Fashioneds as Sinsterra plays music from a small wooden music box. The Inspiration: "I wanted to capture all of the senses with my serve," Sinisterra explained. "The wooden whisky box in which the central elements are contained are literally 'captured.' The boiling mixture with coffee beans uses your sense of smell, while the painting of the syrups provides the tactile element, the music box provides the sounds, the presentation itself is the visual aspect, and of course, there's the taste of the cocktail you create!" PHOTO: HARDY WILSON PHOTO: HARDY WILSON PHOTO: BENJAMIN RUSNAK PHOTO: BENJAMIN RUSNAK MOST EXPERIMENTAL BARTENDER