Food and spirits came together in a medley of unique pairings when the Washington, D.C., International Wine and Food Festival presented its “Spirit of the Festival” event on Nov. 30 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Themed "Where the gift of cocktails and plates merge," the event celebrated a union of chefs and mixologists.

Five teams each comprising a chef and mixologist from participating restaurants were asked to craft and pair a unique cocktail and dish using a featured spirit for attendees to enjoy. Following the festival, each restaurant will feature its specialty pairing on its menu for a limited time. Washington Wholesale distributes the spirits presented at the event.

“The mixologists all did a live demonstration for the audience so they could see firsthand how the cocktail should be made, the glassware it should be served in and how the cocktail should be garnished, and then the audience had an opportunity to taste,” said Sharon Charny, regional director of national accounts at The Charmer Sunbelt Group (CSG). “The real highlight will be to watch the success of these pairings as they are featured this month in each restaurant.” Charny added how rewarding it was to see one of CSG’s proprietary on-premise concept-selling tools, “Spirits and Food: Making the Perfect Match,” come to fruition as the chefs and mixologists embraced the concept.

The teams consisted of Peter Smith and Gina Chersevani of PS 7’s, Oliver Perriet and Vincent Gernigon of Ici Urban Bistro, Al Nappo and Jon Arroyo of Founding Farmers, Thomas Wellings and Simo Ahmadi of Equinox, and Xavier Deshayes and Dennis Burns of Aria Pizzeria & Bar.

The specialty dishes included a caramel custard with Woodford Reserve-compressed apples and a maple Bourbon froth paired with a Woodford Reserve Manhattan latte; herb-crusted rotisserie chicken with Maryland kale, cabbage and Patron XO Café-sautéed pears paired with Patron XO Café Dolores Dulces; and Mississippi farm-raised shrimp and citrus ceviche with Herradura Tequila granita paired with Herradura Tequila Mockingbird.

The festival included a cocktail recipe contest. Cocktails from the three finalists were available during a pre-event mixer. Guests at the mixer were also given the chance to learn how to mix the perfect cocktail.

This was the first time an event at the Wine and Food Festival included a responsibility aspect to its marketing. Ellen Gray, co-owner of Equinox and executive director of the event, reached out to The Charmer Sunbelt Group to ask its Community Relations department to assist in making sure attendees respected the legal drinking age and drank responsibly. The invitation to the event included CSG’s responsibility message. Charles Brodsky, chairman of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, attended the event as CSG’s guest and was complimentary of the responsibility messaging.

For more information on “Spirit of the Festival,” visit http://spiritfestival.wordpress.com.

Photos: Emily Clack Photography