ON THE ROCKS, AND ON YOUR PLATE
For all those who love their peg of whiskey, experts suggest other, interesting ways — be it food or desserts — to savour the ‘water of life’
Only a true whiskey lover will know the importance and value of a bottle of old, aged whiskey. And if we were to say that it hails from one of Ireland’s oldest distilleries, hidden in dark cellars for more than four decades — it’ll, undoubtedly, be the kind of stuff dreams are made of, for all whiskey connoisseurs. Well, that dream just turned to reality. Ireland’s Old Midleton Distillery, earlier this week, presented the country’s oldest ever whiskey collection created by master distiller Max Crockett back in 1974. With just 48 bottles, these are priced at an exorbitant amount of $40,000 (₹28,86,000) a piece.
And whiskey lovers, unsurprisingly, went berserk over the news, congregating for the launch event. We wonder what makes this amber liquid such a rage. Former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill once said “Water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whiskey”. Such is the charm of this spirit. “The aromasromas and flavours of whiskey are imparted by the woo od it gets in contact with which are,a ideally, the casks in which they are stored duri ing maturity. The use of fa particular ingredien nt
— peat, during the process of malting — determines the smoky flavour,” explains Gaurav Gidwani, food and beverage director, Corum Hospitality
Pvt Ltd.
WHISKEY IN FOOD
Whiskey has the mo ost diverse flavour spec ctrum, which makes it one of the most malleable spir its for cooking. While we are aware that whiskey goes well with food, it also goes well in food. And with each passing day, whiskey is slowly making its way from people’s glasses, into their plates. “Whiskey blends really well with food, especially to enhance salty, smoky or sweet flavours. The spirit is the alcoholic equivalent of salt — it brings out the flavour of the sea in seafood, the smokiness of smoked food, and the sweetness in a dessert,” opines Rachel Goenka, founder, The Chocolate Spoon Company. Gaurav adds that it is whiskey’s two distinct flavours — woody and smoky
— that “give a nice undertone to food, not completely overpowering the dish when used in right quantities”.
As Rachel pointed out, different qualities of whiskey can be used to boost certain flavour profiles in food, which Swanand Thipsay, sous chef, ITC Grand Central, Mumbai, agrees. “For people who want to experiment with cooking using whiskey, there are a lot of combinations that they can try. Smokiness of a scotch is ideal to boost the flavour of red meats and it intensifies the smokiness of grilled meat. Whiskey reductions with cream make for a savoury sauce, which is perfect to accompany your Sunday
barbecues. Bourbon, with sweeter notes, pairs great with soft cheese such as Brie. The use of whiskey while cooking meat might still be rare but the Scottish have been using it in their desserts for decades,” he says.
CHOCOLATE + WHISKEY = A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
We have all tasted chocolate bonbons with a rum-based or whiskey-based centre, and most will acknowledge that it does, indeed, taste divine. However, experts feel that not every chocolate pairs well with the amber liquid. “Whiskey and chocolate truly complement each other the best. However, you have to be careful to ensure that the flavours complement each other, instead of overpowering. For instance, something bitter can become more mellow with a smooth spirit, or a food with sweet flavours can be paired with a smoky or spicy flavour. Also, something very rich and creamy can get cut down with something oaky or even licorice-esque,” says Devashree Muni, founder of Cocoa Cellar. Cocoa Cellar is a recent addition to the city’s dessert delivery space, that specialises in alcohol-infused desserts and boasts of an entire menu with unique combos such as Sacher Torte,
Kahlua and Coffee Macarons, Amarula and Dark Chocolate Cupcake, and Whisky and Cashew Cookies, among others.
While combining both together, one needs to keep in mind that “chocolate and whisky should not have same ingredients”. ingredient Nilesh Vaidya, junior sous s chef at Renaissanc ce Mumbai cites a few examp ples — dry whisky ill go wel l with milk ocolate es whereas an Irish bour rbon whisky suites ell wwith dark chocolates her rein you can feel the st tes of chocolate as ell e as whisky in one hot.
NTOXICATING BREWS
Another exciting airing is whiskey th cold brews. With ny cafés including ldd brews in their nuus and people ishiing them, the pairing s bounnd to be a hit. xtremely offee def finitely fiw well with goes whiskey nd servess aas a great mbinaatiion since whiskey lutess tthe strong flavour coffeee and further haances it,” affirms toon Bhakta, head eef at The Daily All ay, who has urated a coffee ocktail menu that ncludes cold brews. “Of late, it has en noticed that ditional chhniques are used in e prroduction of spirits pliedd to cold brew fee, annd vice versa. This coming ttrend is a romising avenuea for caffeine and alcohol lovers to indulge in, and exploore something new,” adds Devashree.
AN EVOLVING DEMOGRAPHIC
More and more people are travelling and hence, are exposed to global niche cuisines. Not only are they experimenting, but also developing a palate, and appreciating new flavours and pairings. Chef Hemant Nagaraj Biradar, executive sous chef, Conrad Pune, affirms the same but warns that “the key here is to not overcomplicate a dish but to have a basic understanding of spirits and flavours”.