Cocktail Pairings

A couple of weeks ago I attended a cocktail pairing dinner hosted by Plymouth gin. Since the pairing of cocktails and food is a growing trend, I wasn't surprised when I was invited to another dinner. This time the spirit of choice was Pernod Absinthe and the evening was an exciting cocktail crawl. We started at Comstock Saloon — a highly anticipated new bar that has yet to open! — and moved on to the Fifth Floor. There, bar master Steven Liles served three stellar drinks paired with three amazing courses. After that the night finished at the famed tiki bar Smuggler's Cove.

To take a closer look at the cocktails and see the fabulous vintage cars that drove the group from location to location, check out my images after the break.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a special dinner hosted by my favorite gin, Plymouth, to celebrate St. George's Day. As seen on last week's Top Chef Masters, the food was paired, course by course, with cocktails. I was excited for the chance to experience this growing trend firsthand, and I wasn't disappointed.

Mixologist Brandon Clements and chef Mark Sullivan from Spruce collaborated and created an exquisite menu that not only highlighted the nuanced flavors of the gin, but also the local ingredients of the season. The first dish was paired with the cocktail shown here, the Violet Beauregarde. With its beautiful garnish, light floral undertones, and refreshing lemon quality, it was a very memorable cocktail.

To see what it was paired with, browse my photos of the dinner after the break.