The Best Thing We Drank Last Night: Wrinkled Tie at Henri's Spirited Dinner

By Sarah Freeman

The third installment of the Henri’s spirited dinner series took place last night with the guest of honor Danny Shapiro and the rest of his team from Scofflaw. The bartender’s spirit of choice, of course, was gin, and seven cocktails were created for the five-course meal. Very few people left the dinner without a healthy buzz.

Our favorite from the boozy evening was the Wrinkled Tie, the first of the paired cocktails. The rich drink was made with Boodles British gin, Carpano Antica, Escorial and Fee’s rhubarb bitters. Any concern about gin being a warm-weather spirit with its bright and herbal flavor was quickly squandered with this warming cocktail. The well-balanced drink had a subtle sweetness from the rhubarb and sweet vermouth while the herbal notes of the gin were matched by Escorial, an herbal German liqueur.

The cocktail was paired with mackerel served with grapefruit consommé, crisped rice cake and sorrel oil. The acidity or the grapefruit and light flavor of the fish was well matched by the robust cocktail. Check out the photos of the full menu of food and drinks below. Or join the fun at the next spirited dinner on February 12 with Bradley Bolt and the team from Bar Deville preparing Fat Tuesday-themed drinks.