Are you a gulper or a taster? There are some who just throw back their food and drink as though the anticipation has gotten the better of them. With those folks, the tender morsels of 'grilled this' and 'roasted that' together with the 12 ounces of 'something shaken' rather than 'something stirred' seem to have to go from gullet to stomach ASAP. Then there are some that stop and savor the efforts of the chef, the expert concoctions of the mixologist and the glorious provisions that Mother Nature doles out from her kitchen.
Food life is such a physiological experience where the goal is to be satisfied internally. So the physical and mental along with how, why and what we ingest play such major parts to varying degrees in whether we will let our food linger over the palette and appeal to our senses or just mildly fly down our throats towards our goal of culinary satiety. I implore folks to let their food and drink do their intended work all-around. Let it have a balanced conversation with all our senses and find contentment in our tummies.
Besides those intricate dishes with key decipherable flavors, one of the best ways to pinpoint and savor the sweet subtleties is with a wonderfully fresh cocktail. Sure, a vodka and cranberry can be a great wind-down but when you add fresh herbs it calls for your senses to pay closer attention. This was the case at an event I attended recently for Ketel One, the top-shelf premium smooth vodka, and Farm One, a local technology-based vertical farm in New York City that delivers rare and unique hydroponic farm fresh ingredients to your door in less than an hour. The magic that happened this evening was how the crisp and clean Ketel One became the quintessential base for the interesting delectable herbs from Farm One in the hands of discerning mixologists.
The evening titled "Grow Your Garnish" featured a great mixology lesson with Ketel One and Farm One herbs followed by an amazing edibles bar filled with many of the unique herbs the farm offers. I was able to get my senses involved by handling the delicate herbs, smelling their essences and tasting them in their natural pre-cocktail states. What's interesting to note is not only how these rare herbs call to mind similar-looking herbs with possible similar flavors, but also how they awaken your herbal sensibilites in relation to how you enjoy your vodka. The refreshing and surprising flavors from oddly verdant herbs like purple opal basil, wood sorrel, Britton shiso, nepetella, Aztec sweet herb and pineapple sage not only gave exciting twists to mints, sweet notes and garden flavors but also served as a great complement to the smoothness of a clear well-executed vodka.
It's also interesting to note that the skilled hands of the mixologists, who crafted original cocktails based on the edibles guests picked from the Farm One garden, were rooted by the satisfying weight of the Ketel One vodka and created a perfect cocktail trifecta. You can find Ketel One on the top shelf at any bar, restaurant and wine & spirit retailer and Farm One can deliver you unique freshness through their website here. I challenge you to sip and not savor.
www.KetelOne.com
