Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/391612
october 2014 / the tasting panel / 1 15 FRENCH ELEGANCE: LE GRAND COURTÂGE SPARKLING WINE Entrepreneur Tawnya Falkner imagined creating an elegant yet affordable French sparkling wine, a cuisine and cocktail-friendly bubbly styled for the American pal- ate. The grapes used for this Charmat-method Blanc de Blancs Brut are a veritable Tour de France: Chardonnay from Burgundy, Chenin Blanc from the Loire, Ugni Blanc from the Cognac region and Colombard from Gers. Available in 750-ml. and 187-ml. bottles, Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut or Brut Rosé makes for a lovely sipper or adds sophistication to sparkling cocktails. The Bets Are In: "The Brut's aroma is bright and fresh with delicate bubbles. Pretty floral tones and a creamy middle with a dry finish. The cocktail is perfect for brunch, creating bigger, even brighter citrus flavors. " —Raul Faria, Gordon Ramsey Pub & Grill, Caesars Palace "Le Grand Courtâge's blending of grape varieties shows off a beautiful dichotomy of creamy and yeasty, while still remaining floral and bright. The cocktail is so refreshing; I can picture drinking it in a Parisian café." —Mariena Mercer, The Cosmopolitan NOMAYO ♣ 1½ oz. Tito's Handmade Vodka ♣ ¾ oz. St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur ♣ ½ oz. Aperol ♣ Top with Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut ♣ Orange peel garnish Jim Pollock from Le Grand Courtâge. PANAMA PIÑA COLADA ♥ 2 oz. Selvarey White Rum ♥ ¾ oz. Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut ♥ ¼ lime, squeezed and dropped in ♥ 2 oz. fresh pineapple juice ♥ Pineapple leaf garnish KING OF THE JUNGLE: SELVAREY RUM Selvarey's Master Blender is the legendary Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez, who once worked in Cuba with Havana Club Distilleries and became the Cuban Minister of Rum. He left Cuba and purchased fields of sugarcane and a sugar mill in Chitré, in the jungles off the Gulf of Panama. Selvarey White is a blend of three- and five-year- old rums, distilled in 1922 copper column stills, aged in bourbon casks and carbon-filtered to remove the color without losing the deep flavors imparted from the aging process. The three-year-old rum brings youth and vibrancy, which is then rounded off by the full-bodied richness of the mature five-year-old. The Bets Are In: "A finely aged rum that balances the sugar cane with the finesse of barrel aging—neither overshadowing nor fighting for the spotlight. The cocktail is perfect to sip by the pool on a hot Las Vegas day. This interpretation of the Piña Colada is bright and acidic without the weight and viscosity of cream." —Mariena Mercer, The Cosmopolitan "Selvarey White rum has character: Guava and other tropical notes come on initially, with cinnamon, vanilla on the finish. The rum allows the fruit juices in the cocktail to shine through, and this would make a great base for any tiki cocktail! " —Tim Weigel, Hakkasan at MGM Grand Mixologist Marcos Tello let the Selvarey rum shine through in his Panama Piña Colada, a modernized twist on the classic cocktail.