We Love Whiskey
/As with many foods and beverages that we love, the earliest record of distillation of alcohol was in Italy in the 13th century, where the product was used in monasteries for medicinal purposes. The art of distillation spread to Europe, Ireland and Scotland in the 15th century.
George Washington had a distillery at Mount Vernon and whiskey was used as currency during the Revolutionary War. The term “moonshine” was coined in 18th century Scotland when an excise tax on Scotch whisky forced distillers to work at night to avoid the tax man.
In the U.S., bourbon must be distilled from no less than 51% corn and rye whiskey must be at least 51% rye. Tennessee whiskey must be filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging. Aging only occurs in wooden casks - not in the bottle. Bourbon must be aged in new charred barrels. There is no aging requirement, however bourbon and rye aged more than two years will have “Straight” on the label.
Elijah Craig, a Kentucky Baptist minister and distiller, is credited with inventing bourbon and being the first to age it in charred wooden barrels. Read on to see the Elijah Craig specials for the week at M’tucci’s Italian.
This leads to the Whiskey Pairing Dinner at M’tucci’s Moderno on Thursday, October 20. The menu is below. In order to create a Five-Course dinner with unique dishes and cocktails, our talented chefs, Cory Gray, Shawn Cronin and Jorge Monterossa sat down with GM Robin Dibble for an intense tasting and planning session.
Some of the labels for the Whiskey Pairing Dinner at M’tucci’s Moderno on October 20.
“It's no secret that we are all whiskey enthusiasts, so this is a dinner we have been wanting to do for a while. Cocktail dinners are always fun because it takes a lot more collaboration within our team to create a drink (possibly try a sip) and fine tune it and the food to work together,” said Shawn Cronin, Partner/Company Chef.
“We started by tasting the cocktails before creating the menu. Robin, Shawn, Jorge and myself collaborated on the dishes. We tossed around ideas and fed off of each other to create each dish. We are incorporating a lot of menu ideas and concepts into this menu from the Pulpo dish to the Seared Lamb and the Amaro-Glazed Guanciale. Jorge is really growing as a chef - in monumental strides,” said Chef/Partner Cory Gray
“This is the first time we’re technically doing an Amuse at the beginning of the dinner. A “bonus course” if you will, which is meant to get the appetite excited and give your tastebuds a ‘heads up’,” said Robin Dibble, General Manager/Operating Partner at M’tucci’s Moderno.
”The first cocktail, the Tree Fort, is not meant to punch you in the face. Honestly, none of these drinks are meant to do this, but some are much more robust than others. The Tree Fort isn’t glamorous, but it’s familiar and is meant to be refreshing and easy to drink. Think of a unique twist on a whiskey and coke, Bourbon takes a supporting role alongside the citrus oil and smooth round cola notes. Fernet is also added to bring some bitter herbal notes to balance the sweetness and calm the stomach.
The flatbread on the first course is also intended to get the digestive juices flowing. The Amuse has some very familiar/appetite-inducing flavors. Bacon, onion jam, sourdough - ‘delicious’.
As the menu moves through each course, the focus is rooted in the excitement for the holiday season ahead. As we count down the last 3 months of the year, we all start to get a little sentimental. For this reason we chose to use some unique, yet sentimental, ingredients to prepare comfort food inspired dishes. We want to enjoy some familiar, yet elevated dishes. For example, Lamb is often traditionally saved for holidays and special occasions. “Pulpo” is also a specialty near and dear to us at M’tucci’s. Octopus is a protein which is often prepared for celebratory meals, and deserves the upmost respect and appreciation during its preparation.
Every cocktail we have prepared for this dinner includes barrel-aged spirits as a main ingredient. Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye, are all utilized for their rich and warm flavor profiles. While most of these spirits are generally very big and bold on their own, our goal was to temper and support those big flavors and use them to then support and enhance each dish. Bourbon and Rye can be fairly intense. The have the ability to “take over” a palate. Our goal is to celebrate bourbon and barrel aging while also acknowledging each spirits ability to play a supporting role, rather than be the loud and dominant star of the show.
This dinner is going to be delicious and a lot of fun! We’re all very excited to get the holidays started a little early ,” he said.
Two New Whiskey Specials at M’tucci’s Italian
Every week, a Whiskey flight featuring three different spirits, will be available. There will also be three unique Old Fashioned cocktails from which to choose. The whiskey flights will change each Thursday. This week we are featuring the Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the Toasted Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon and the new Straight Rye Whiskey from Elijah Craig.
Old Fashioned
Smooth Ambler with Old Forrester 1920 - $10
Diplomatico Rum Old Fashioned - $11
Michters American Old Fashioned - $12
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
Ravioli - Roasted Olives & Ricotta filling, Spicy Capicola, Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, Gorgonzola Thyme Cream Sauce, Pecorino, Micro Greens $25
14 oz Rib Eye: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Lemon, Balsamic Reduction $37
Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi - Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Grilled Artichokes, Lemon Caper Sauce $27
Braise - Pomegranate Red Wine Lamb over Red Beet Risotto, Brussel Sprouts, Mint, Pomegranate $27
Weekend Cocktail
Old Fashioned Choice -Choose one: Old Forrester 1920, Diplomatico Rum, Michters American Bourbon
M’tucci’s Moderno
14 oz. Ribeye - Traditional Italian Salsa Verde, Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, & Grilled Asparagus $39
Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Roasted Artichoke, Braised Escarole, Mashed Potatoes, Caper Lemon Butter Sauce, & Smoked Prosciutto Powder $27
Sackett Farms Pork Picatta - Arugula, Tomatoes, Capers, Feta Cheese, Spaghetti, Leon Butter Sauce $21
Weekend Cocktail
Whiskey Sour - Minor Case Rye, Lemon Juice Simple Syrup, Egg White
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
Veal Porterhouse - Grilled Broccolini, Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Blackberry bone Marrow Butter $36
Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Braised Greens, Stem on Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Butter Caper Sauce $27
Lobster Linguine - Butter-Poached Lobster, Roasted Fennel, Grape TomatoesSugar Snap Peas, Lobster Cream Sauce $32
Weekend Cocktail
Black Cauldron- Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon, Giffard Cassis Noir, Walnut Liqueur, Simple Syrup, Walnut Bitters & Smoke
M’tucci’s Bar Roma
Pan-Seared Ruby Trout - Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Braised Arugula, Garlic, Pan-Seared Artichoke Hearts, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $27
Pasta D’Anatra - Confit Duck Thigh, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Herbs, Smoked Citrus & Mint Cream Sauce with House Made Spinach Pappardelle, topped with a Fried Egg, Fried Parsley and Maldon Sea Salt $26
Weekend Cocktail
Spice Spice Baby - St. George, Kahlúa, Simple Syrup, Half & Half, Cinnamon
Live Music for October & November
M’tucci’s Bar Roma - Wed 6:30-8:30. Sunday noon-2pm
10/16 Nathan Fox
10/19 Cali Shaw
10/23 Rob Martinez
10/26 Shane Wallin
10/30 Shane Wallin
11/2 Lani Nash
11/6 Nathan Fox
11/9 Rj Perez
11/13 Oscar Butler
11/16 Shane Wallin
11/20 John Martinez
11/23 Ron Martinez
11/27 Shane Wallin
11/30 Oscar Butler
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five - Thursday 6:30-8:30 * Friday 7:30-9:30
10/14 Lani Nash
10/20 Oscar Butler
10/21 Alex Long
10/27 Matt Jones
10/28 TBD
11/3 Amy Faithe
11/4 Jason Seel
11/10 John Martinez
11/11 Lani Nash
11/17 Rj Perez
11/18 Matt Jones
11/25 Rob Martinez
M’tucci’s Moderno - Thursday 6:30-830 *Friday 7:30-9:30
10/14 Matt Jones
10/20 Gilbert Uribe
10/21 Oscar Butler
10/27 Lani Nash
10/28 Rj Perez
11/3 Cali Shaw
11/4 John Martinez
11/10 Rob Martinez
11/11 Rj Perez
11/17 Matt Jones
11/18 Lani Nash
11/25 Alex Long
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
