Sweet on Scotch – Glenfiddich Whiskey and more cupcakes
WHAT: Sweet on Scotch – Glenfiddich Whiskey and more cupcakes
WHEN: Wednesday, December 5
WHERE: Drumbar Chicago (201 East Delaware Place)
HOST: Glenfiddich, more cupcakes, Drumbar Chicago and CheekyChicago
OUR RATINGS:
Drumbar – Chance It!
Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whiskey – Do It!
more cupcakes – Do It!
A few weeks ago, Storefront City attended CheekyChicago’s “Sweet on Scotch” at Drumbar Chicago in the Raffaello Hotel and sampled several of Glenfiddich’s finest single malt Scotch whiskeys while consuming perfectly paired cupcakes from more cupcakes (located at 1 East Delaware Place) with each draught.
Drumbar is a secluded and elegant locale that seems to perfectly blend the elements of a speakeasy and lounge all wrapped up with the silver bow of having skyscraper views. Very nice indeed!
Drumbar (courtesy of drumbar.com)
After checking our coats at the door, the chaos began. It seemed everyone was invited and it took some time to find our places. We tried the mixed drink of the night, “Sweet Cheeks,” a mix of the Glenfiddish 12 year, pineapple, acai, lime and angostura bitters. Adam was unimpressed: low alcohol, low flavor and highly carbonated–if he wanted to drink college punch, he’d not be attending a swanky bar downtown. Alicia was of a different opinion, and found the drink refreshing without filling her with too much alcohol before the whiskey flight to come.
“Sweet on Cheeks” (courtesy of cheekychicago.com)
Even if the drink was a bit disappointing overall, this was not a good representation of the night to come. Glenfiddich did a great job at presenting each scotch and cupcake in an interesting and amusing manner. Our truly Scottish host taught us how to “nose” the scotch (aka take a sniff) and savor the many and varied flavors of the delightful tumblerful. The cupcakes were an interesting combo–we’re doubtful if a Scotsman would approve–but they seemed well matched and perhaps create an interesting concept for future food-scotch pairings.
(Courtesy of cheekychicago.com)
The flights started off with the Glenfiddich 12 year and more’s caramel cupcake. Glenfiddich’s signature malt, the 12 year was surprisingly fruity, and balanced a complex taste of pear and a mixture of butterscotch and oak. We were disappointed by the vanilla cake and caramel frosting cupcake though, which neither tasted extraordinary on its own, nor paired well with the 12 year.
Next was the 15 year and more’s chocolate orange cupcake, our favorite duo of the night. The honeyed single malt was composed of whiskies matured and bourbon, sherry and new oak casks in a Solera vat, which, according to our host, is always kept at least half full. Honey and vanilla came through, along with a little cinnamon. It went amazing with the cupcake, which was light, moist and creamy, with a chew of candied orange.
Our Host from Glenfidditch (courtesy of cheekychicago.com)
Decadence ensued with the Glenfiddich 18 year (matured in Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks and tasting of baked apple with an aroma of oak) and more’s Valrhona cupcake (dark chocolate cake filled with Valrhona chocolate mousse and topped with a rich Valrhona ganache and gold leaf). The pairing went nicely, and by now we were enjoying a slight swoon from the whiskey and chocolate.
“Sweet on Scotch” flight (courtesy of cheekychicago.com)
We ended the night with the Glenfiddich Malt Master and more’s coconut cupcake. The Malt Master is double matured in two types of oak casks, creating an earthy and smoky aroma with a smooth spicy and fruity taste. The coconut cupcake was topped with a generous and lovely coconut cream frosting — delicious!
All in all, we would go to Drumbar again for the atmosphere, but only for a free event. Drinks overall were watery and overpriced. We would always buy a bottle of Glenfiddich anyway, so no change there, but Cheeky did do a good job of introducing us to a new way of enjoying the water of life for the modern cosmopolitan soul.