Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/49694
THE MESSAGE Why James Bond Is a Bollinger Man D ennis Overstreet can be regarded as a historian in our industry. He would make the perfect guest for a talk show about the Who's Who of the wine and spirits biz. A successful wine retailer since the 1970s, his shop, The Wine Merchant, continues to cater to a celebrity clientele in the chic heart of Beverly Hills. Overstreet is known for the legendary story of making Bollinger champagne synonymous with James Bond. "In the late '70s, I was at a party with Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, producer of the James Bond fi lms," Overstreet tells THE TASTING PANEL. "He told me that he was going to throw a spectacular New Year's party and announce his new James Bond actor. He asked me to supply the wine and champagne—and said he would prefer a specifi c brand of "pink" bubbly. Well, in those days, rosé champagne was a rarity and diffi cult to get. It was mostly allocated to New York retailers—forget about the rest of the country." Dennis Overstreet, proprietor of The Wine Merchant in Beverly Hills, with THE TASTING PANEL'S Meridith May. Drinking Bollinger, of course. Broccoli gave Overstreet his contact at the champagne house, with an order for ten cases. "Well, my excuse was that I was young," Overstreet confi des. "I simply told her that Cubby wanted ten cases. I didn't realize he was very willing to pay for it, and the rep thought he was asking for a freebie. She was quite angry, and I relayed that to Cubby." Broccoli was incensed at her supposition. "I never wanted anything free in my life," he exploded. Broccoli cut off all dealings with that brand and asked Overstreet to choose a champagne to replace it. "I chose the brand that Thomas Jefferson loved and the label that is poured at royal weddings: Bollinger. From that time forward, Bollinger was James Bond's call when it came to Champagne." —Meridith May Although Nicole Moseley is the bartender/fl oor manager at Grumpy's and Amex Steuart is a server there, the ladies joined us at Rafter's restaurant for an afternoon of food, wine and spirits tastings. Here, the "Honey Bees," as we nicknamed them, pose with a bottle of Bärenjäger honey liqueur. The Honey Bees T HE TASTING PANEL spent several days up in Mammoth Lakes, California's premier ski resort town. We visited with restaurateurs and found out Who's Who. See our story on page 98. A Tucson Original W e met with Geneya Sauro, the creative and energetic F&B Director for Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, by the pool, adjacent to Chef Ken Harvey's herb garden. The crop, which inspires not only the hotel's cuisine, but many of the exquisite cocktails, prepared with such savories as purple basil, prickly pear jalapeño, desert sage and chocolate mint. The sweet and savory infusions for their star dining outlet—The Flying V Bar & Grill—draw on a tremendous tequila selection, and Flying V Bar & Grill—offers a tremendous tequila selection, and the cinnamon-apple infusion is just one inspiration for Sauro's Southwestern twist on the traditional and seasonal hot toddy. Casa Geneya Sauro is the F&B Director at Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort. A tequila hot toddy! Noble Blanco tequila melds with apple, cinnamon sticks and cloves for 48 hours. The Hot Toddy Happy Hour cart is a treasure on wheels at the lobby's Cascade Lounge. Pastries and a selection of toppings (the housemade marshmallow made my head spin) may seem like retro tableside service, but Sauro is convinced, as are we, that it's the future as well. —M. M. 18 / the tasting panel / december 201 1 PHOTO: ROB BROWN