mosyjacob: Grown-up Cocktails and Dessert

There are two ways to navigate a gluten-free diet. When first diagnosed, many Celiacs (myself included) are pretty much afraid to eat. Learning the ins and outs of foods that include gluten, how to ask the right questions at a restaurant, and where to find good information can initially be crippling. This leads many newly diagnosed Celiacs to only eat whole foods and to absolutely avoid any food they haven?t prepared themselves. But that begins to wear on not just the Celiac, but also their social life.

Eventually, we all begin to understand our disease and experiment with the second method of practicing a gluten-free life. We look at menus online, we call restaurants and ask questions, and we terrify servers with the specifics of just what might happen if they give us gluten. We put on our big girl/boy pants and get out there and try to reclaim our culinary lives.

This generally goes well with the exception of two areas. Desserts and cocktails seem to be the Bermuda Triangle of food/drink for a Celiac. Good desserts are difficult to find and there is a ton of conflicting information available about what is and isn?t safe in a cocktail. Because I have a respiratory response to gluten, I can?t make a mistake when making food and drink choices. Well, I can, but a gal can only jam an Epi-pen into her thigh so many times before she loses interest.

Fortunately for me, Denver has some pastry chefs who are creating gorgeous, delicious desserts. Even better, we have a small number of barmen who have made it their business to understand what is and isn?t safe for a Celiac.

Kevin Burke, head barman at Colt & Gray, has made it his business to learn the ins and outs of wine and spirits that could negatively impact even the most severe Celiac. We were having one of our frequent conversations about Celiac-safe cocktails when, knowing of my sweet tooth, he suggested I just come to the restaurant and try some dessert pairings. If you?ve been to Colt & Gray or met the darling Mr. Burke, you already know that I didn?t hesitate to accept!

We planned our outing and began my cocktail education. The idea being that I have great barmen (and women) in and around Denver who can make decisions for me, but like knowing how to order safely, it seemed time for me to take a grown-up approach to cocktails ? post Celiac diagnosis.

Kevin began with the basics:
Behind the bar, GF is actually fairly easy. Distilled spirits are gluten-free. Gluten proteins are not volatile; therefore they are ?left behind? in the distillation process. Whisky, gin, rum, tequila, and vodka in their proper forms are all gluten-free regardless of what they are made from. The tiny asterisk to this is if the product is flavored after distillation. In that case, extra caution should be paid since it doesn?t always have to be disclosed what the additives are made from and they may not be GF.

In the wine world, I usually recommend white wines that haven?t been barrel aged. I also tend to look for wines that are less manipulated by the wine maker.?Wines with a lot of additives can be a minefield for a GF diet, so I find it safer to stick to producers that are biodynamic and natural. The more severe the gluten allergy, the more restrictive it becomes when selecting wines.

I ask: what questions I should ask or how I want to ask them in order to make sure I?m not making the wrong choices.

Kevin gives me some language:
The main exception in the spirits world for being GF is caramel coloring. Some are GF, and some aren?t. The safest response is to stay away from spirits that are colored. Luckily, in the US, this has to be disclosed on the bottle. If (as a guest) you?re unsure, ask to see the bottle and look for the disclosure. By law, bourbons and ryes can?t be colored with caramel, so I consider them safe.

On GF wines, I ask if the wine has been aged with oak. Oak itself isn?t a bad thing, but lesser quality barrels can be treated with products that don?t have to be disclosed, therefore, they can have unknown allergens. Unfortunately US labeling laws don?t require disclosure of additives and wine-making agents, so the best questions to ask are to suss out the style of the wine maker. Did they use cultured yeasts or native? Yeast nutrients? Did they sulphur the wine prior to bottling? How was the wine fined and filtered? I tend to recommend wines that are fairly hands? off. ?The less the wine maker does to their wine, the less likely it is to contain an offending agent.

The delightful Mr. Burke!

Most of that makes sense to me, so we meet on a Sunday night at the restaurant to try some pairings. It?s Kevin?s day off, but he?s been there since afternoon working on inventory. Our host behind the bar is Brian Smith (I swear it?s not an alias), Colt & Gray?s front of house manager. Kevin and pastry chef Jenna Hodges have already determined which of the desserts I?ll taste and he and Brian talk through what we?ll drink.

We begin with the potted cheesecake with salted caramel (this comes with orange tuile ? left off for this Celiac because of the uncertainty of the coloring in the liquor used in it). It?s paired with Rare Wine Companies? Sercial Dry Madeira.

Separately, the cheesecake is a mild custard, not overpowering but with a delicate flavor. Topped with a rich caramel and finished with salt, it is cool and fresh. The flavors and textures complement each other, offering the salty sweet so many crave. The Madeira alone is just delightful. I immediately detect hints of something along the lines of dried fruit or a roasted almond. Kevin explains that what we?re noticing is almost a caramelized quality. Together, the Madeira brings out the salt in the cheesecake. They blend and complement. ?The difficulty in pairing with desserts is that you want the same level of sweetness,? explains Kevin. This combination is simply lovely.

While we wait for the next pair, Kevin, Brian, and I discuss sharing desserts. Each of the desserts I try at Colt & Gray almost requires a partner in crime in my view. It isn?t that they are enormous or too sweet, but they are generous and you want to share them. And isn?t that the point of cocktails and dessert? A shared experience, a stolen hour, a chance to finish a perfect evening, or a reason to slip out of the house after dinner ? whatever the case, going out for cocktails and dessert always feels very grown-up to me. I can remember my parents going to the theatre when I was a child. They always finished the evening with a cocktail and dessert. In fact, some of my best memories are from the evenings I was included. I can recall dessert after many evenings at the Youngstown Playhouse, feeling very grown up as we shared a treat and talked about the play we had just seen.

Our second pairing is the Basil Buttermilk Panna Cotta and a Barman?s Choice.? The panna cotta includes Prosecco strawberries, aged balsamic, and honey thyme ice cream. Another light dish, this in particular feels like a compliment to summer and a finish to a summer dinner. Berries, fresh herbs, ice cream, all pulled together to taste like summer. Kevin and Brian agree to pair this with a drink that is delightful in every fashion possible. Beefeaters Gin, fresh lemon juice, a small amount of house made simple syrup, and a few dashes of Cr?me Yvette (a liquor flavored with some berries and violets). This cocktail is perfection! The subtle botanical of the gin brings out the berries in the liquor. I expect this very pink drink to be sweet and find it anything but. I describe it as a sippable cocktail ? something you would happily drink alone. Together, I imagine serving this pairing on my patio on a beautiful summer night. The fact that it?s pink and green reminds me of my very preppy high school friend Kelly, I can almost see her head thrown back in laughter and again am reminded that the best things in life are shared experiences.

Our third pairing is one I?ve agreed to, but I?ve warned Kevin about a food I simply despise. If my college roommates Kristin and Amy are reading this, they have already figured out that I am about to attempt to eat the dreaded cherries. I?ve explained to Kevin that I don?t eat cherries in any instance. Cherry pie? Yuck. Cherry flavor? Ick. Fresh cherries? Gag! (Seriously, they make me gag!) Here comes the Chocolate Ellie with cherry compote, cherry pit ice cream, and hyssop. (I am absolutely not kidding!) It?s paired with Roagna Barola Chinato.

I?m going to tell you about the Chinato first. The aromatics are dreamy ? cinnamon, chamomile, a citrusy vanilla, combined with a rustic base. Alone, it?s bold in the best way possible ? spicy and delicious. After each sip, I want a moment to savor it. This could absolutely be the thing to satisfy me after a lovely meal. But there is chocolate (and cherries) to taste, so I dive in. Kevin turns the plate to minimize my cherry exposure (they are actually really pretty). He?s told me they make the dish perfect, but I don?t have to actually eat any.

The first bite of chocolate and ice cream is almost shocking after two desserts without the decadent richness found in the Ellie. My pallet adjusts with the second taste and I experience dense, rich chocolate, a hint of licorice, and something more ? the cherry pit ice cream and a bite of cherry. But I don?t get (the dreaded) cherry flavor I so despise. The cherries simply make the chocolate that much more.

Together, the Chinato and Ellie make an ideal pair. They each bring out the flavor of the other ? and this seems to increase with each bite/sip. Like a perfect couple, they keep making each other better.

While, I chose to feature the desserts and beverage program at Colt & Gray, that in no way should suggest that the rest of the menu is something you should miss. Celebrating their third birthday this month, Executive Chef and Owner Nelson Perkins? team gets it all right every time. They are one of Denver?s committed farm-to-table restaurants and Nelson dictates that no matter the season, the menu must have options for just about any diner, from vegetarian to serious carnivore to an allergy sufferer like me. Everything is made in-house, allowing the kitchen to change a component if need be. The farm-to-table concept actually translates to the bar program. Kevin explains, ?I want to know what is in every bottle. There are some great products out there that we don?t carry because we don?t know what?s in them.?

Sitting in this beautiful and elegant restaurant, occasionally noticing Frank Sinatra or Adele serenading me, I feel like I?ve been transported to a more metropolitan city. Colt & Gray is sophisticated without being pretentious. It is elegant and charming and unique. The staff cares about the details, is knowledgeable and has the innate ability to understand exactly what you need. Can you imagine a better place to share a great cocktail and a lovely dessert?

As I?m saying goodnight, I realize that each time I visit Colt & Gray I can?t help but feel very grown-up, in the best ways possible!

[The creation of the incredibly delicious Barman's Choice via Brian Smith!]