Peche and Cruzan Rum
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Email: Jennie at Roman Reign dot com.
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Peche. Not Lindeman's Peche which is a lovely peach lambic. Peche. 208 West 4th Street in Austin, TX. That's the Peche I'm talking about. For the past four months or so, many of my friends have been urging me to go to Peche. I was promised that I would have a good time. I was promised that the drinks were delicious. And I was promised that there would be entertainment at the bar. I finally visited Peche, and well, those promises were fulfilled.
The decor of Peche immediately caught my eye. Check out this chandelier.
This water dispenser is pretty neat. It's several feet tall, and it sits right at the edge of the bar behind the hostess.
Fresh berries at the bar. Good to see that fresh fruit and herbs are used here.
Rosemary and mint.
If you haven't seen this before, it's flaming an orange peel. The fire releases the essential oils in the orange into the drink. I've tried capturing this neat trick on camera before many times, but it happens really quickly. I finally got it this time. In the photo above, you'll see the light from the fire shining from behind the orange peel.
That is the orange peel flaming for a split second. You can literally see the essential oils from the peel coming out. The first time I went to Peche, I happened to have some Tipsy Ispahan Cupcakes with me. To go along with the cupcakes, Russell at the bar decided to make a drink to pair with the cupcakes. Let's just say that the drink was fabulous! Here's the recipe, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a name. Name suggestions will be taken. I want something original, creative, and fitting. There may be a reward to whoever comes up with a fitting name for this drink. The Nameless Cocktail ¾ oz Bombay Gin ¾ oz St Germain ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice ¼ oz Simple Syrup 1/8 oz (barspoon) Rose Syrup Shake and Strain into a chilled martini glass and top with 2 oz Champagne. Garnish with a floating rose pedal.
As person who works with beers, spirits, and wine in the kitchen, I'm often asked are my favorite beers, spirits, and wines. I asked Russell what his favorite spirits were and why. In less than 10 seconds, these 5 bottles appeared on the bar. Starting from the left, here's Russell's favorites and why. Dulce Vida is organic, made in Austin, 100 proof, and has amazing flavor. The St. Germain was easy. What is not to like about St. Germain? It's also one of my favorites as well. The subtle fruity and floral notes are perfectly balanced. Russell sometimes substitutes St. Germain for simple syrup to give drinks that extra dimension. Pierre Ferrand Cognac is comes from a single vineyard, and he calls it the original whiskey. St. George Absinthe is up next, and the flavors in it are amazing and complex. And lastly, Rumple Minze is like an old friend that Russell loves from his previous bartending days.
My wonderful photographer and I were invited to a Cruzan Rum tasting dinner at 219 West. We've both done beer tastings and wine tastings, but spirit tasting was new to us. Needless to say, we were both pleasantly surprised. It was also my first visit to 219 West. I was not only blown away by the time and effort put into preparing the food, the staff was extremely friendly and thoughtful.
We started off the night with pineapple Cruzan coconut mimosas. Bright, refreshing, with a subtle finish of coconut made this drink unique and tasty.
Fresh Ahi Tuna Tartar with Chipolte vinegar and cilantro oil, and mango habanero guacamole was paired with a Cruzan Mango Mojito. The mango habanero guacamole was my favorite part of the dish. Sweet plus spicy and the texture of avocados was fabulous. The heat wasn't too much, and the cool minty mojito was a nice complement.
Spinach and arugula salad topped with crimini mushrooms, hickory smoked bacon, crumbled blue cheese, candied spiced pecans and a raspberry champagne vinaigrette was paired with a Cruzan raspberry champagne martini. The bitterness of the salad contrasted with the bacon and candied pecans well. The surprising combination of pungent blue cheese with the sweet pecans and smoky bacon was fantastic. Props to the chef for coming up with that combo.
Next up was grilled lamb chops, roasted garlic whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, and arbol jelly served with Cruzan Black Cherry Sangria. The lamb was served medium, and is one of the most tender pieces of lamb I have ever had. It was sweet, juicy, tender, and flavorful. The arbol jelly on the side accentuated the sweetness of the lamb, and the heat at the end gave it just a little kick. The sangria wasn't overly fruity, and it finished with the cherry note on the end. This was quite a nice pairing.
I'm a dessert snob, and I don't try to hide it either. I have to hand it to the pastry chef. This dessert impressed me. Warm blondies, vanilla ice cream, caramel, chocolate, and toffee served with Cruzan vanilla and cream spiced coffee. This blondie baked in an individual serving size was perfect. The outside was crispy and buttery, and the inside was moist, and not at all runny or underdone. The caramel, chocolate, and toffee pieces on the side pulled this dessert together by incorporating different flavors and textures. Also, I'll add that I hate coffee. I rarely drink it, but I finished all of the creamy coffee paired with dessert. Enough said.
Here's a photo of me hanging out with @liquidaustin after dinner. |
