Biancaniello - Eat Your Drink: Culinary Cocktails

CONTENTS

1. AMUSE-BOUCHE
   
2. FIRST COURSE
   
3. SECOND COURSE
   
4. MAIN COURSE
   
5. DESSERT
   
6. AFTER DINNER
   

Special thanks to Mia Wasilevich, for her amazing photography, guidance, and creative spirit. Luke Fisher, for being my rock and taking me to the next level, you kill it every time. I love you, brother.

And thank you to all the people who have supported me, made me better and braver, and lifted me up to higher ground. I love you all.

Bradley Tuck Pascal Baudar Andrew Oliveri Geri and Steven Miller of the Cooks Garden by HGEL Bill and Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm Romeo and everyone at Coleman Farms Laura from J.J.s Lone Daughter Ranch Laura Avery Lance from CapRock Gin and Jack Rabbit Hill Farm Nicholas Family Farms Dirk from LA FungHi Mud Creek Farms Kat Odell Betty Hallock Lenny from Gourmet Blends Jason Park of Maru Marcus Fan David Greenberg David Farkas Kurt Charron and Chareau Gaston Martinez Jenn Harris Caroline Pardilla David Farkas Carlito Jocson Harald Hermann Vasiliki Biancaniello, for giving me your sense of style The Fat Dog Anthony Biancaniello, for taking me to Wilson Farm every Sunday

David Ravandi from 123 Tequila Charlotte Voisey and Hendricks Gin Bryan Chenault David Othenin-Girard and K&L Wine Merchants Michel Dozois and Nv Ice Lauren and Marissa from Bar and Garden Joe Keeper Dragos Axinte and Novo Fogo Don Jacinto Greg Debolt Brian Hepp and Hepps Salt Co. Mark Biancaniello, for instilling in me a love for nature and bees Jean Hale Coleman Dabney Coleman Julia Cheiffetz HarperCollins and Dey Street Books P.J. Pesce Vikki Karan Erin Malone Matthew Kang Julie Wolfson Josh Lurie Shane Liem Perry Kalmus Tatsu Oiye And to all the amazing guests I have served over the years!

It was a random midsummer Sunday in 2011. A friend and I were driving around LA looking to have a great cocktail.

Reaching for my phone, I searched for Creative Cocktails, and the Library Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel popped up. My friend said, Okay, lets go to Hollywood. Walking through the labyrinth of dark corridors of the hotel, we found the small bar. There, at the forefront, stood a man behind a towering fence of herbs, jars of mysterious infusions, and just-picked fresh fruit. I knew I had stumbled into the right place. After five minutes of conversation with Matthew Biancaniello, the universe had already begun intertwining us with threads of creativity and familiarity.

I quickly realized that this gentleman thought about his craft exactly the way I approach my cuisine. He was passionate, and his enthusiasm left a spark of inspiration on the palates of everyone who was fortunate enough to taste one of his creations. I then became graced. Cocktail number one came in a tall glass with a rooftop of edible flowers. Cocktail number two came in a short whiskey glass with layered textures; I was blown away. Not only that, he left me in a state of bewilderment.

In my mind, I had at this point coined him a liquid chef. Never before had I experienced flavors and textures in a cocktail like I did with Matthew. Then, before I knew it, hours had flown by and we had stayed longer than expected. Upon saying our good-byes, we said we would keep in touch. A year or so later, I reached out to Matthew and asked him if he would be interested in collaborating in a cocktail pairing to one of my conceptual/design-inspired dinners. Who am I? Im a chef with a dining group called CR8 (pronounced create).

I started my career as a private chef to Hollywood celebrities such as Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas, as well as business moguls such as Paul Allen. I collected my training by attending five schools in France. At one point, deciding to add pastry chef to my roster, I attended the prestigious Chocovic chocolate school in Barcelona. My dinners are all connected with designers (industrial, interior, cutlery, glass, furniture, etc.). I first create a master concept. This acts as a thematic roof under which are the microconcepts.

These become courses of dishes shown and expressed with the functional direction that the designers have created. The CR8 I wanted Matthew to be a part of was called The Art Of, the concept of which was a direct focus on the artistry of uncommon topics and elements. He was more than excited to collaborate with me. Meeting after meeting with Matthew, the ideas and flavor combinations became more and more explosive. I knew he was going to catapult this experience to a new level. Matthew is a self-taught mixologist with a natural gift of endless creativity and mastery of degustation.

The synergy that exists between Matthew and me is neutral and symphonic. We finish each others ideas, not with words, but with ingredients and tastes that spark new inner directions within us. This is culinary poetry in pure form. In early 2015, I was blessed once again with another collaboration with Matthew in Seattle, at my Liquid Forms CR8 event. There was a new maturity in both of us that was noticeable, and with that, another level of creativity we had both reached. His creations were brilliant and subsequently took my conceptual dishes to a sublime realm.

In a world of endless cookbooks in many styles and cuisines, this book marks the beginning of a recipe collection all its own. His wizardry is apparent, as he lays out this edible novel as a savory or sweet chef might course through a fine-dining event. The title of the book gains meaning as you notice the unorthodox incorporation of edible ingredients such as sea urchin (uni), arugula, beets, and oysters. Starting with Amuse-Bouche, small drinks and bites explode with tastes twice their size. The liquid bites continue into First Course and Second Course, where you will discover a beet horseradish and cucumber cocktail oozing sexiness. The Main Course hits high notes with a fifteen-ingredient Bloody Mary, which is every bit as delicious as the steps it takes to create it.