Bordeaux goes with gastro grub

The art pairing of Indian food with fine single malt whiskies is not new, but unlike food and wine pairings, far too little of this delectable topic has been written about or documented. In particular, the pairing of the savory and spicy cooking of southern India with The Singleton of Glen Ord results in some extraordinarily delightful experiences of the senses. First, let’s take a closer look at southern Indian cuisine. Read more

優質蘭姆酒 ~ 濃縮一觚中的歷史與甜蜜趣味

鮮有飲品如同蘭姆酒能將豐富的歷史與純粹的樂趣集於一身。由甘蔗與甘蔗副產品製成的蘭姆酒是世界上最變化多端且饒富趣味的烈酒之一。在台灣，長久以來用於調製雞尾酒的蘭姆酒僅是少數，不過頂級蘭姆酒的滋味已逐步獲得賞識。對於那些品味獨到的台灣年輕族群而言，自己所飲用蘭姆酒的品牌及風格漸漸成為生活品味的宣告。本次專欄中，我將稍加介紹這種誘人瓊漿玉液的歷史背景，並且提出一些享受頂級蘭姆酒最佳方法的建議。 

歷史
雖然甘蔗最初種植在一萬年前的馬來西亞、新幾內亞、印尼部分地區，但現在我們知道最早的甘蔗發酵飲料是出現在約四千年前的印度。在馬來西亞，稱作布蘭姆（brum）的甘蔗發酵飲料差不多在三千年前開始蔚為流行。摩爾人將甘蔗及它的發酵飲料帶往地中海的時間最早可追溯至古希臘時代，他們也是第一個將蒸餾技術改良的文明。不過摩爾人將蒸餾用於製造香水及藥品，而非酒精飲品，目前也沒有證據顯示他們曾蒸餾過甘蔗。蘭姆酒的蒸餾出現在十七世紀的加勒比海，自此這種烈酒的品質與人氣便急遽上升。  Read more

Wine to pair with Mexican food

There are those who would claim that the best beverage to enjoy with Mexican food is beer, but I beg to differ. Many people outside of Mexico confuse real Mexican cooking with the more modern and Americanized version referred to as Tex-Mex. Mexican cuisine is actually as diversified and complex as European cuisines and likewise meets its perfect partner in fine wines. Though Mexico has been making wines for over three centuries and has some good producers, these wines are not readily available in Shanghai. Instead, I’ll suggest some wines from the old and new worlds that pair beautifully with Mexican dishes. Read more