CHOCOLATE & COCKTAIL PAIRING




When I received an invite to the launch of Tanqueray’s new partnership with Lindt, I was confused and intrigued. Gin cocktails and chocolates?

The event was hosted at the Lindt chocolate studio in Design Quarter, Fourways.
We were served an abundance of cocktails, one of which we made ourselves and the rest served up by the expert mixologist. Each cocktail was paired with a specific variety from the Lindt Excellence range.

The 2 that stood out for me was the wasabi, cucumber and lime cocktail, called a Tanqueray Dragon served with Lindt Excellence Wasabi as well as the Flipped Symphony (among other things a raw egg is 
added before shaking it) that was paired with Lindt white milk chocolate.

The Lindt chocolatiers showed off their skills and produced beautiful plates of dessert. A spicy chocolate fondant, passion fruit and white milk chocolate aero, chocolate soil and vanilla marshmallow twirls.

It wasn’t just about eating and drinking, we actually learnt a thing or two about gin, like: 
- London Dry gin is just a variety of gin (like a Bordeaux blend is just a style of wine)
- Gin is flavoured with botanicals. Tanqueray for example is flavoured with juniper berries,
coriander seeds, angelica root and liquorice.
Gin originated in Holland. Rumour has it that English troops coined the phrase “Dutch courage” 
after observing the “calming” effect gin had on Dutch soldiers before going into battle….









One must take a lesson out of everything in life, right? 
But I can’t decide whether the lesson is that: 
(1) One can have gin with everything, even your dessert; or
(2) One can have chocolate with everything, even your gin…


1 comment:

  1. Love it! Will take the chocolate with the gin on the side...

    ReplyDelete