Martini pour le Fromage

I truly enjoy pairing cocktails with food.  The classic charcuterie and cheese board  is always difficult.  When you eat a fat such as cheese or cured meats, your tongue is coated with the fat.  This prevents you from tasting any subtleties in your beverage.  The secret is to take a bite of something such as olives, pickled foods or nuts after the bite of cheese but before you take a sip.  This removes the fat and the flavor of the cheese from your tongue prior to the sip of cocktail.  So how can you tell if the cocktail compliments the cheese?  Simple.  Have a drink of cocktail then taste the cheese.

This Martini-esque creation combines Oxley Gin, Cocchi Americano and Kina al Avion d’Or.  The botanical notes of the Gin meld perfectly with the bittersweet Kina. It really does pair well with cheese!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Oxley Gin
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 1/4 oz. Kina l Avion d Or
• 3 drops Doc Elliott’s Mixology Actually Bitter Orange Bitters

Directions:

1. Chill a cocktail glass with ice and water
2. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir to chill
3. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass

Cheers!