Courtesy of Bombay Sapphire

Perfect Pairings

By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)

It may be time for you to reconsider the outdated notion that only wine is fit to drink with a gourmet meal. Today’s talented mixologists are tailoring cocktails to complement the savory flavors of fancy fare.

James Moreland, Aussie native, former New York bartender and now resident mixologist for Bombay Sapphire gin, has a flair for mixing fine cuisine with imbibe-able counterparts:

White Sapphire Ginger Martini
Fabulous with rich, meaty crab cakes.

1 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
Slither of fresh ginger
8 white grapes
1/2 ounce fresh apple juice

Muddle ginger and grapes at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients, then shake with lots of ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Sapphire Bubbles
Adds sparkle to elegant strawberry crepes topped with a kiwi reduction.

1 ¼ ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
1 teaspoon fine sugar
1/2 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces dry champagne
½ ounce mandarin liqueur

Mix lemon juice and fine sugar into stirring glass, then fill with ice. Add gin and mandarin liqueur. Shake and strain into chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.

(November 2007)