The GOODS from Kale & Nori

Vancouver, BC | As Bittered Sling Bistro Season Two reaches the half-way mark in the season, we’ve become terribly excited about pairing a quintessential summertime spirit in a duelling battle between two exceptionally well seasoned rum performers. This month, Brugal Rum plays “puppet-master” to a culinary-cocktail battle between Graham Racich of The Refinery and Jason Browne of Calabash Bistro. Together with great people and Chef Jonathan’s interesting take on the menu, this month challenges everything you thought you knew about rum. Learn more after the jump…

To purchase tickets: www.legacyliquorstore.com/events

About Bittered Sling Bistro

“Bittered Sling Bistro” – a bi-weekly food and cocktail pairing competition dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cocktail craft presented at the beautiful Legacy Liquor Store in Olympic Village, Vancouver. This event is hosted by Kale & Nori’s award-winning mixologist, Lauren Mote and Chef Jonathan Chovancek. This is Vancouver’s longest running and biggest cocktail and food-pairing competition, offering a high level creative event for apprentice and veteran bartenders across British Columbia. This event is proudly sponsored by the Canadian Professional Bartender’s Association.

Lauren Mote starts our evening off, with a unique and palate-cleansing cocktail, with our feature spirit and Bittered Sling Extracts, accompanied by delicious and beautifully paired hors d’oeuvres, in the gorgeous foyer of Legacy Liquor Store. Their vaulted ceilings, spirit displays and living wall create a dynamic setting for this exciting and interactive event. Guests are guided though a bartender-friendly spirit tasting, led by our host bartender, offering up invaluable information about why bartenders love this particular spirit, and what it means to them. The rest of the evening is rather indulgent; Kale & Nori’s Chef Jonathan Chovancek creates a seasonal three course menu, inspired by the feature spirit’s wide range of notes and character, and the addition of a Bittered Sling Extract. Each course is accompanied by a expertly paired cocktail by the host bartender. Following the dinner, our guests will be invited to rate the bartender’s presentation and pairing skills. The top scoring bartenders at the end of the program will compete for a grand prize.This six month program offers 6 veteran and 6 apprentice bartenders their chance to promote their style and character in an creative way. This is all about spirit – in both the bartender and the bottle.
This is all about spirit – in both the bartender and the bottle.

BRUGAL ANEJO RUM

July’s Competitors & Dinner Schedule:

Wednesday July 04 – Graham Racich, The Refinery
Wednesday July 18 – Jason Browne, Calabash Bistro (with special guest, Dan Volway – Global Brand Ambassador, Brugal Rum)

Location – Legacy Liquor Store
Time – 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Date – Wednesdays, bi-weekly
Tickets – available online through Legacy Liquor Store for $60/person (this includes HST and Gratuity).

Menu

Hors d’Oeuvres:
Oyster ceviche, smokey yams, elderberry capers and rosemary
Brugal pork buttermilk crêpe rolls, caramelized pineapple sauce

Plated Dinner:
Japanese risotto, crispy pickled leeks, wild ramp kim chi and preserved sea urchin
Slow roasted Hawkshaw salmon Guisado
Raspberry and lemon tart, burnt meringue, Brugal caramel

Schedule – Spirit and host bartender schedule will be online through Kale & Nori and the Legacy Liquor Store events page. This program runs from May – October 2012 twice monthly on Wednesdays (exception: Tuesday June 19)
Prizes – each host bartender receives a prize to participate; each host bartender is eligible to win one of two spots in the finals (one night), November 2012. Grand prize for winning host bartender will be announced in November 2012.

About Brugal Rum

A rum perfected by the Brugal family over the course of more than 120 years, its proprietary distillation process creates a dry and clean spirit that is then aged in select oak casks for additional smoothness and flavor. The pride of the Dominican Republic since its founding by Don Andres Brugal in 1888, Brugal is the only 100% Dominican rum, as it’s crafted from start to finish on the Caribbean island, from the harvesting of local Dominican sugar cane, to the production of molasses, to the creation of a clean distillate, to the final aging process and bottling. Don Andres Brugal’s vision and experience has been passed on through five generations of Brugal family members known as Maestros Roneros – Rum Masters – who ensure traditional methods, superior quality, and exceptional care have been captured in every bottle.

Today, the chairman, George Arzeno Brugal, and most of the board members are direct descendants of the founder of the company. Available in select international markets, Brugal Rum preserves the tradition, authenticity and quality for which it is famous. Its dry style is preferred by consumers who want to experience a different kind of rum, and by bartenders and mixologists as the perfect balance to sweet mixers often paired with rum.