BERTOUX Brandy, a fine brandy from California, announces the launch of its inaugural Brandy Salon debuting on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, in celebration of its first anniversary.
The Brandy Salon’s keystone is a panel discussion addressing the range and diversity of Brandy cocktail applications across all seasons. The event, which is open to media members by invitation only, will be held at The Dead Rabbit, 30 Water Street, in Lower Manhattan.
BERTOUX Brandy is a solera-style blend of pot-distilled California fine brandies aged 3 to 7 years in French and American oak. Conceived by Jeff Menashe, a 25-year veteran of premium wines and spirits, BERTOUX Brandy is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between top bartender Jeff Bell (PDT and Legacy Records) and acclaimed sommelier and winemaker Thomas Pastuszak (The NoMad) as Consulting Master Blenders. BERTOUX Brandy was developed to excel in classic and next-generation cocktails and has been embraced by top craft bartenders in New York, California and Illinois.
The panel features Dan Farber (Osocalis Distillery); Jeff Bell (PDT, Legacy Records); Thomas Pastuszak (The NoMad); Jillian Vose (The Dead Rabbit); and Nicholas Bennett (Porchlight and Cedric’s at The Shed). Spirits and cocktail expert Jack Robertiello will moderate.
“Our Brandy Salon will shine a light on the role of brandy and specifically fine brandy from California as an expressive and expansive cocktail base with great vibrancy, range and dimensionality for cocktail application across all seasons,” says Jeff Menashe, Co-Founder, BERTOUX Brandy. “Brandy was a foundational and ubiquitous spirit of the Golden Age of the Cocktail in the 19th century, and our Brandy Salon’s mission is to share insights that will showcase its re-emergence and marquee role in today’s mixological firmament.”
Panelists:
Dan Farber, Founder & Distiller, Osocalis Distillery (Soquel, Calif.)
Brandy Expertise
Farber, an éminence grise and one of the pioneers of fine brandy from California, will share his vision and perspectives for the state’s unparalleled potential for producing world-class brandy. He will focus on the diversity of geography and geology of the region.
Career Highlights
He founded Osocalis Distillery in 1989 and is on the leading edge of producing artisanal California brandy that marries Old World techniques while capturing the expressiveness of New World fruit.
Farber is a researcher in geophysics and tectonophysics and planted the U.S.’s first biodynamic vineyards and orchards.
Jeff Bell – General Manager, PDT and Legacy Records
Brandy Expertise
As Consulting Master Blender for BERTOUX Brandy, Bell will discuss how he and fellow Consulting Master Blender Thomas Pastuszak of The NoMad developed a blend optimized for cocktails across all seasons.
Career Highlights
Bell won “Best American Bartender” at Tales of the Cocktail, Diageo World Class American Bartender of the Year and Zagat “30 Under 30.”
His bar, PDT, earned “World’s Best Bar” (London) and “Outstanding Bar Program” by the James Beard Foundation.
Previously, Bell tended bar at Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern.
Thomas Pastuszak – Executive Wine Director, The Nomad, and Prolific Winemaker
Brandy Expertise
As Consulting Master Blender for BERTOUX Brandy, Pastuszak will discuss how he and fellow Consulting Master Blender Jeff Bell of PDT, developed a blend optimized for cocktails across all seasons.
Career Highlights
Pastuszak was named among Food & Wine’s Sommeliers of the Year (2015), Forbes “30 Under 30” (2013) and Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Best New Sommeliers (2012).
He is also the Founder and Creator of several premium wine brands produced in New York State’s Finger Lakes Region: Empire Estate, Terrassen and Vinny.
Jillian Vose – Beverage Director, The Dead Rabbit
Brandy Expertise
Vose will address the organoleptic properties of brandy versus grain-based distillates, like whiskey, and how it particularly bolsters split-base cocktails.
Career Highlights
Her cocktail creation skills contributed to The Dead Rabbit earning “World’s Best Bar” at World’s 50 Best Bars (London) and at Tales of the Cocktail (New Orleans).
Previously, Vose had stints at Death & Co, Maison Premiere and Clover Club.
Nicholas Bennett, Head Bartender, Danny Meyer’s Porchlight and Cedric’s at The Shed
Brandy Expertise
Bennett will address Brandy’s versatility in a wide range of styles, with a Tiki-style brandy cocktail at Porchlight and one to be featured at Cedric’s at The Shed.
Career Highlights
He gained wide acclaim at Porchlight, Danny Meyer’s first standalone bar, for drinks like the Gun Metal Blue.
Previously, Bennett presided behind the bar at Booker and Dax, where he mastered molecular techniques under Dave Arnold’s aegis.
Moderator:
Jack Robertiello
Robertiello has worked with or written about spirits, wine, food and restaurants for most of his adult life, for many publications.
He speaks frequently at conferences and meetings, and judges at numerous competitions, including the annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Robertiello also gives private classes and seminars on tasting wine and spirits, and has advised producers, importers, marketers and publicists about the field.
