TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF:
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT PROJECTS?
I recently got back from a trip to Southern Belize, where I was sent to take photos and document a rum distillery, eco jungle resort, and sustainable farm. Besides the extraordinary surroundings and wildlife, it was amazing to see the entire process of sugarcane being turned into rum, raw cacao into chocolate bars, fresh beans into coffee, and more. Visit Copal Tree Lodge and try Copalli Rum—you’ll be glad you did.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE YOU HAVE COME UP WITH USING AN ACC PRODUCT? WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IT?
My favorite recipe I have come up with using an ACC product is the “No Holds Barred,” a sour style cocktail served on the rocks which features cognac, ginger, lemon, yuzu and bitters. This cocktail was inspired by the bond shared by France and Japan—a mutual respect and appreciation for one another’s culture has been notable since the 1870s and still continues to this day, affecting tradition, culture, and undoubtedly, culinary style. These two diametrically opposed cultures are both shaped by their shared admiration and awareness of food and cuisine, tying them as the world’s top gastronomic leaders. My goal was to create a drink that reminds folks of the progressive and culinary-related relationship that France and Japan share.
WHEN YOU ARE COMING UP WITH NEW DISHES OR DRINKS, DO YOU HAVE A SOURCE(S) FOR INSPIRATION?
I get many of my cocktail ideas by exploring foods and traditions of cultures from all around the world. I love learning about and using exotic ingredients that are only available in certain locations. I love trying ingredients and flavor combinations from lands afar because it feels like a form of traveling to those places.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT OR BAR, WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK DO YOU RECOMMEND IT, AND WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE CAN A VISITOR EXPECT?
My favorite bar is Foreign National. It’s a lovely Southeast Asian-inspired cocktail bar located in the Lower Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. As described by the Seattle Met, Foreign National is “a dark den of glamorous drinking where cocktails summon the same refreshing, subtropical flavors you’ll find next door at elder sibling Stateside, but dial up the technique by a factor of 10. Bar snacks are similarly beautiful adventures. Sometimes you have to queue up outside for a seat; though Foreign National isn’t a pretentious mixology shrine—just one of the most memorable bars in town, in a room with just 28 seats.”
WHAT INFO ABOUT COCKTAILS DO MOST PEOPLE MAKING DRINKS AT HOME NOT KNOW THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM?
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend picking up a copy of “The Flavor Bible” by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, as well as “Liquid Intelligence” by Dave Arnold. The former lists possible flavor affinities for virtually any ingredient you can think of, while the latter explains many of the techniques you need to know to create almost any cocktail imaginable.
FAVORITE ACC FLAVOR?
Spicy Ginger Mule
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?