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Cooking with whiskey, gin and vodka | In the news | My Website
Cooking with whiskey, gin and vodka
24/01/09 05:26 Filed in: In the news
Ashland Daily Tidings
Ashland distillery teams up with Medford restaurant
By Vickie Aldous
People have long been accustomed to cooking with wine, but the Cascade Peak Spirits distillery in Ashland and Medford's 38 Central restaurant want to introduce diners to food cooked with whiskey, vodka and even gin.
The two local companies are teaming up on Monday, Jan. 26, for a dinner at the restaurant that will feature Chef Juan Murillo's creations. The dinner is limited to 60 people and reservations are required.
Murillo will use Cascade Peak Spirits' Organic Nation vodka, gin and whiskey to take diners on a taste adventure.
Dishes will include brie and leek soup paired with a vodka and lime sorbet, steak with whiskey sauce, seared scallops finished with a gin and tonic reduction and chocolate and whiskey bread pudding.
David Graham, co-owner of 38 Central, said he and Michael Wolf started the restaurant last summer with the idea to support local farmers and producers.
They hosted a meeting at the restaurant with the nonprofit The Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, or THRIVE. The nonprofit promotes local agriculture and businesses.
Farmers and business owners want to find interesting ways to educate the public about supporting the local economy, Graham said.
"For us, it was a natural progression to take products you get locally and look at them differently. We want to use distilled spirits and match them with flavors in the food," he said. "What we hope to do is to introduce people to a new flavor."
While some people might be leery of preparing food with distilled spirits because of the high alcohol content, Graham said most alcohol is burned off during the cooking process, leaving behind the essence of flavors.
Keeping the alcohol can be appropriate for some foods. For example, the alcohol in the vodka and lime sorbet helps create a fresh, palate-cleansing effect, he said.
Melodie Buell, who recently joined Cascade Peak Spirit's staff as the distillery's marketing and sales manager, had plenty of experience pairing mixed drinks, beer and wine with food in her previous job as the bartender and events coordinator for Standing Stone Brewing Company in Ashland.
Just as beer and wine can pair with different types of food, distilled spirits can also be used to make complementary matches, Buell said.
She recommended mixing Organic Nation vodka with something acidic, like orange juice. Pair the mixed drink with food that contains oils and fats, like cheese, for a palate-cleansing effect, Buell said.
A classic gin martini with a big twist of lemon goes well with steak and salad, she said.
As for using distilled spirits in the food itself, Buell recommended adding Organic Nation gin — which has a cucumber flavor — to a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and then drizzling it over spicy greens like arugula.
"We used to think adding beer to food was kind of crazy. Now we're adding liqueurs and gin, whiskey and vodka," she said.
For people who want to taste the pure flavors of Organic Nation spirits, the event at 38 Central on Jan. 26 will start with a complimentary tasting of spirits.
There will also be a no-host bar featuring special cocktails crafted by the owners of the restaurant and the distillery.
Cascade Peak Spirits previously teamed with Lark's restaurant at the Ashland Springs Hotel. Last fall, the hotel restaurant began offering cocktails and dishes prepared with the distillery's Organic Nation line of spirits.
Cascade Peak Spirits co-owner Diane Paulson said the event at the 38 Central restaurant this month is less about introducing people to organic spirits and more about local businesses supporting each other during challenging economic times.
"We're trying to help each other. Members of the community are looking out for each other," she said.
Graham said his restaurant's event with the distillery will be the first of several dinners featuring partnerships with other local businesses, including Deux Chats bakery and Noble Roasting Company, both in Ashland.
To make a reservation for the 38 Central and Cascade Peak Spirits dinner at 38 Central Ave. in Medford, call 776-0038. The cost is $42.95 per person.
The tasting of spirits begins at 5 p.m., with dinner to follow at 6 p.m.
Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com.
Ashland distillery teams up with Medford restaurant
By Vickie Aldous
People have long been accustomed to cooking with wine, but the Cascade Peak Spirits distillery in Ashland and Medford's 38 Central restaurant want to introduce diners to food cooked with whiskey, vodka and even gin.The two local companies are teaming up on Monday, Jan. 26, for a dinner at the restaurant that will feature Chef Juan Murillo's creations. The dinner is limited to 60 people and reservations are required.
Murillo will use Cascade Peak Spirits' Organic Nation vodka, gin and whiskey to take diners on a taste adventure.
Dishes will include brie and leek soup paired with a vodka and lime sorbet, steak with whiskey sauce, seared scallops finished with a gin and tonic reduction and chocolate and whiskey bread pudding.
David Graham, co-owner of 38 Central, said he and Michael Wolf started the restaurant last summer with the idea to support local farmers and producers.
They hosted a meeting at the restaurant with the nonprofit The Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, or THRIVE. The nonprofit promotes local agriculture and businesses.
Farmers and business owners want to find interesting ways to educate the public about supporting the local economy, Graham said.
"For us, it was a natural progression to take products you get locally and look at them differently. We want to use distilled spirits and match them with flavors in the food," he said. "What we hope to do is to introduce people to a new flavor."
While some people might be leery of preparing food with distilled spirits because of the high alcohol content, Graham said most alcohol is burned off during the cooking process, leaving behind the essence of flavors.
Keeping the alcohol can be appropriate for some foods. For example, the alcohol in the vodka and lime sorbet helps create a fresh, palate-cleansing effect, he said.
Melodie Buell, who recently joined Cascade Peak Spirit's staff as the distillery's marketing and sales manager, had plenty of experience pairing mixed drinks, beer and wine with food in her previous job as the bartender and events coordinator for Standing Stone Brewing Company in Ashland.
Just as beer and wine can pair with different types of food, distilled spirits can also be used to make complementary matches, Buell said.
She recommended mixing Organic Nation vodka with something acidic, like orange juice. Pair the mixed drink with food that contains oils and fats, like cheese, for a palate-cleansing effect, Buell said.
A classic gin martini with a big twist of lemon goes well with steak and salad, she said.
As for using distilled spirits in the food itself, Buell recommended adding Organic Nation gin — which has a cucumber flavor — to a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and then drizzling it over spicy greens like arugula.
"We used to think adding beer to food was kind of crazy. Now we're adding liqueurs and gin, whiskey and vodka," she said.
For people who want to taste the pure flavors of Organic Nation spirits, the event at 38 Central on Jan. 26 will start with a complimentary tasting of spirits.
There will also be a no-host bar featuring special cocktails crafted by the owners of the restaurant and the distillery.
Cascade Peak Spirits previously teamed with Lark's restaurant at the Ashland Springs Hotel. Last fall, the hotel restaurant began offering cocktails and dishes prepared with the distillery's Organic Nation line of spirits.
Cascade Peak Spirits co-owner Diane Paulson said the event at the 38 Central restaurant this month is less about introducing people to organic spirits and more about local businesses supporting each other during challenging economic times.
"We're trying to help each other. Members of the community are looking out for each other," she said.
Graham said his restaurant's event with the distillery will be the first of several dinners featuring partnerships with other local businesses, including Deux Chats bakery and Noble Roasting Company, both in Ashland.
To make a reservation for the 38 Central and Cascade Peak Spirits dinner at 38 Central Ave. in Medford, call 776-0038. The cost is $42.95 per person.
The tasting of spirits begins at 5 p.m., with dinner to follow at 6 p.m.
Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com.