Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/646914
76 / the tasting panel / march 2016 Fred Dame: I think, if you take a look at the world of wine, if you want to change something, if we want to make a new innovation, it's going to be at least three years before we see the result. The beautiful thing about food—and why I love working with great chefs like Rick—is the fact that if he has a dish and one of the elements comes in that's not right that day, you take it off the menu. Most great chefs go, "Well, let's try something a little different tonight. Let's substitute this and see how the dish comes out." That's fun. And in cocktails, it's instant gratification; it's a beautiful thing. "Hey, have you ever tried doing it with mint? No! Why don't we give that a try?" Boom. And you do it. There you go. Rick Moonen: We have all the components to make a successful pairing at a bar, but if you do wine, it's more hit or miss. You can't make adjustments, but not without chang- ing the actual product itself. And Duke Spirits' Ethan Wayne and THE TASTING PANEL'S Meridith May join Chef Rick Moonen at his Vegas eatery, RX Boiler Room. Fred Dame, MS, is VP Prestige Accounts for Southern Wine & Spirits. He joined the Duke Bourbon team, including partners Chris Radomski and Ethan Wayne, at a shooting range on the outskirts of Las Vegas, where "Dining with The Duke" contes- tants put their John Wayne–wor- thy shooting skills to the test.