Craft Beer, Fine Wine, Artisan Spirits, and Mouthgasmic Food.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Peche - Flaming Orange Peels and Nameless Cocktails


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. Check out this video for some more photos of Flamed Orange Peels

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. 



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