Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/504216
96 / the tasting panel / may 2015 SPEED TASTING REPORT To put this pairing to the test, we invited some of the top judges from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, whose expert palates are attuned to tasting spirits neat, along with some of San Francisco's top beverage influenc- ers. Left to right: Brian Bowden, VP Spirits, Beer, Tobacco, Beverages, BevMo!; Brian MacGregor, Bar Director at Wingtip; Meridith May, Publisher/Editorial Director, THE TASTING PANEL Magazine; Michael Logan, Chef, Trick Dog; Caitlin Laman, Bartender, Trick Dog; Erik Adkins, Beverage Director, Slanted Door Group; Bridget Alpert, Director of Mixology & Spirits Education, Southern Wine & Spirits; and (front) TonyAbou-Ganim, "The Modern Mixologist." EAT THIS. Food and drink go hand-in-hand, but cocktails and wine shouldn't have all the pairing fun: THE TASTING PANEL's first plated speed tasting took shape at Trick Dog bar in San Francisco, showcasing the marriage of tasting neat spirits with a bite designed to bring out the liquid's nuances. AT SAN FRANCISCO'S TRICK DOG, OUR SPEED TASTERS ARE TREATED TO BITES WITH THEIR BOOZE photos by Hardy Wilson SIP THIS. SPEED TASTING REPORT