CHAMPAGNE BY THE GLASS
Champagne by the glass just got easier. Forget hoping that Champagne stoppers will keep the fizz in the bottle. Forget the feeling that you can only offer inexpensive Champagnes or other sparklers.
Put an elegant wine bucket at the center of your bar, filled with ice and five or six minis of Gosset Champagne. Pop the cork and your guest will enjoy one of France’s finest champagnes. Gosset, founded in 1584, is the oldest wine house in the Champagne region. Until the early 1990s, it was still owned by the Gosset family when it was sold to the Renaud/Cointreau family, with ties to the Cognac district spanning 20 generations—dating back to the early 1200s.
Gosset uses juice from the first and best pressing of grapes and still carries out initial fermentation in small oak barrels. Riddling and disgorgement are performed by hand.
These minis are also ideal for your room minibars. For guests finishing up some late work, what could be better than an excellent glass of luxury Champagne? Well, perhaps some would prefer a fine Cognac. V.I.P. XO Cognac Frapin Grande Champagne Premier Grand Cru du Cognac is available in a 50 ml mini and is sure to soothe any Cognac aficionado.
Family owned, Frapin owns all of its vineyards, including 494 acres of prime Grande Champagne Premier Grand Cru du Cognac vineyards.
TEQUILA
Ritz-Carlton properties take tequila seriously. While guests at the Cancun property are open to sampling different tequilas, the national spirit of Mexico, Tequilier Ricardo Cisneros introduces them to an elegance they didn’t expect to find in this spirit.
At tasting sessions in the Lobby ºLounge, he explains the history of tequila and the process by which it is made. “Blanco is bottled directly from the distillation process and does not undergo aging. A distinctively strong spirit, it is best enjoyed with a mixer or with lime and salt,” Cisneros says.
“Reposado is unmistakably flavorful. Aged six months to two years in large oak barrels, it can be enjoyed straight or with lime and salt. Anejo, the finest of all tequila varieties, is aged in small quantities in white oak barrels three to five years and longer. Incredibly smooth, with complex flavors, these are best enjoyed in a snifter glass.”
The tasting covers two selections from each of these categories, with 3/4-ounce servings in a Riedel Crystal Tequila Glass.
Tiberio Lobo-Navia is the Tequilier at Cantina Beach, a Coastal Mexican restaurant opened last June at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. The authoritative voice on the 40-plus tequilas offered, he mingles with guests, musing on the different qualities of each tequila, recommending particular ones for pairing with culinary selections, and making suggestions on creating the perfect Margarita to fit a particular mood.
“I am a particular fan of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcals,” says Matthew Zubrod, executive chef/F&B director at Ritz-Carlton Club Aspen Highlands, Willow Creek Bistro. “Each village in the Oaxaca area delivers different tastes due to varying micro-climates, much as is the case with wines.”
In addition to Mezcal Tastings with a one-ounce pour served in ceramic handmade vases from Oaxaca, servers suggest a Mezcal floater on Margaritas. Zubrod offers Del Maguey’s Pechuga, Crema, Minero, Chichicapa, and Tobala, his personal favorite, made from wild mountain agave grown in the shade of oak trees. Completely organic, it is 100 percent pure, with no water or chemical additives. He features a drink created by Ron Cooper, owner of Del Maguey.
The Green Chapulin
- 12 oz. red grapefruit juice
- 20–30 sprigs of fresh cilantro (discarding stems below bottom leaf on each)
- 4 oz. Del Maguey San Luis del Rio
- 2 oz. Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal highly carbonated soda water
large ice cubes
Blend juice and cilantro until mixture turns medium green and barely any cilantro particles show. Stir in mezcal, pour over ice in a large glass, and top with a 1/4-inch float of soda water. Serves 6 to 10.
Dave Steadman is editor & associate publisher, HOTEL WINE, BEER & SPIRITS
