Pisco Peruano: Aprenda a tomar como estrella de cine...

Learning to drink like a movie star
Filmfest Beverages
Adam McDowell , National Post

So what if it's pink? Bold, bittersweet and exquisitely balanced, you couldn't insult the Spoke Club's Pink Tanq by calling it a girly drink -- it's more like a sophisticated beverage for an empowered woman.
Jennifer Aniston loved it when she visited the Toronto private members' club on Sunday night.
"She actually had a couple of them," says John Paul Potters, the club's food and beverage manager, sommelier and the creator of the drink. "The greatest compliment to a cocktailer is when they order a second one."


No one would confuse Toronto with a cocktail town. It's more of a beer-and-whisky burg that's forced by a certain annual festival to mix up a few drinks --often clumsily.
However, this year's filmfest attendees are drinking better than ever, as more bartenders have adapted to the biggest news in cocktails of the past several years: "The martini's over," as Drake Hotel bar manager David Brown puts it.
He's not referring not to classic gin-and-vermouth martinis, which, like Ray-Bans, will always work for certain people. What's on its way out are the predictable concoctions of vodka and fruit juice in oversized, conical cocktail glasses -- the ones we have been fooled into calling "martinis" since sometime during the 1990s. The cosmopolitan and other over-the-top, colourful "martinis" are as much leftovers from the Night at the Roxbury era as shiny suits and frosted tips.
"Hopefully, the cosmo's dead," Potters says.
It's time for an adventure, one that might even involve pushing aside the martini glass and drinking out of a less ladylike rocks glass. If Jen can do it, so can you.
If you're somewhere other than Toronto and can't try the creations described below, don't worry; TIFF has always served as a preview of things to soon be released to a wider audience.
THE IT DRINKS
The venue Upstairs at Grace (503 College St.), a restaurant that openedinMay. The upstairs bar opened just last week, in time to host filmfest parties.
The drink The Graduate, containing Tanqueray gin, elder-flower cordial and lemon balm grown on the roof. Tangy and sour, but with sweetness coming from the cordial.
Star power Gin. Chris Hoffman, husband of Grace owner Leslie Gibson, says, "I think it's kind of like the long-lost spirit." Back in the old days of Hollywood, says Hoffman (who moved here from Los Angeles just a few months ago), stars would soak themselves in gin after a long day on the set. "We're single-handedly trying to put gin back on the map."
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The venue The Spoke Club (600 King St. W.), location of several small, private parties during the festival.
The drink In addition to the delicious pink Tanq, the club has also offered the Emerald Geisha to guests during TIFF. It's a sweet and earthy combination of Tanqueray 10 gin, organic jasmine tea, lime juice and lychee, garnished with flower petals.
Star power Balance. The Spoke's Potters can speak eloquently about the need for calibrating the basic flavours to create a sense of deliciousness, whether with a wine, a dish or a mixed drink. "You've got to make sure the sweet-sour balance is on the money," he says. But actions speak louder than words, and the demure Geisha does the eloquent talking for him.
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The venue The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.), host of Virgin Festival after-partying, the Passchendaele private party and other events.
The drink The Apple Fix, an interesting combination of Goldschlager, apricot brandy, dry Marguet Pere & Fils Champagne, apple juice and a slice of organic McIntosh apple
Star power Fresh ingredients -- and gold flakes. "We wanted something gold and flashy but still connected to the harvest," says the hotel's Brown, explaining the double timeliness of bartender Simon Ho's creation. It features some sparkle and zip from the bubbly, but the main thrust is the tried-and-true combination of apple and cinnamon.
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The venue Skylounge , InterContinental Hotel (220 Bloor St. W.), often used by publicists as a locale for one-on-one interviews.
The drink The Leading Man, featuring pisco, muddled cucumber and honey.
Star power Pisco. The hot, of-the-moment ingredient is a brandy hailing from South America. Already popular in New York, pisco looks like the next cachaca. As assistant bar manager StefanieGeorgopoulos puts it, the drink uses pisco in a way that exudes "character, as you'd want in a leading man" --but it does have a sweet side.
JUICY MARTINIS, IF YOU MUST
The venue Sassafraz (100 Cumberland St.), a TIFF institution and a restaurant at the heart of the Yorkville neighbourhood. Ed Harris, Colin Firth and Ivan Reitman have popped in for a bite this year.
The drink The WAMStini, featuring Polar Ice vodka, Uphoria Pomegranate, raspberry liqueur and topped with prosecco, garnished with raspberries and fresh lime.
The justification For each drink sold, $5 is donated to Women Against M. S. The WAMStini also works as a flashy fashion accessory.
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The venue One Restaurant (118 Yorkville Ave.), chef Mark McEwan's luxe restaurant inside the posh Hazelton Hotel.
The drink The One, made with apple-and pear-infused vodka, fresh pineapple and lime juice with hints of cinnamon and clove, and garnished with a gooseberry.
The justification This fruity drink looks great but lacks substance. However, it probably works even better than the WAMStini as hand candy; it's a gorgeous drink for a glam restaurant.
amcdowell@nationalpost.com

Link: http://www.canada.com/topics/lifestyle/story.html?id=6213b1b2-2adb-468c-815c-617455a58461