friend Lisa and I headed down to the Grand Market for one last run of tasting,
and then were off to a most unusual brunch.
Inspirato invited us
to one of their Aspen condos for a Sommelier Brunch. Many don?t realize how
hard these wine experts work all weekend and it was a chance for them to unwind
a bit. Capture Wine Ben Shapiro brought some of his wines (including the
delicious Sauvignon Blanc) and grilled cheese egg sandwiches permeated the air.
It was a beautiful day and the views of Aspen from the
duplex we great. We enjoyed the wine, food and company for a few hours before
taking off with the last swag bag of the trip.
Inspirato definitely out did themselves with beautiful tote
bags, NIKE Jackets and hats, as well as a water bottle, though the entire week
had been filled with gifts from sponsors like I had never seen before. Among
the treats we went home with were Godiva Chocolates, Riedel Wine Glasses,
Wusthof Kitchen Shears, an AT&T Adapter, a Kitchenaid Blender, shirts, bar
utensils and assorted bottles of wine, spirits.
We took an afternoon break before riding up to Snowmass for
dinner at Eight K. The restaurant is just magnificent, with a fireplace and
glass bar, and breathtaking views from the mountain at 8,000 feet.
One of the reasons I had chosen this place for our only
Aspen dinner out was the cocktail menu and I wasn?t disappointed. From a
Pineapple Caipirnha to a Blue Moon (Leopold Brothers Gin, Cr?me Yvette, lemon
juice, simple syrup and Charle de Fere Floater), it all sounded great. I
settled on a Ginger Peach Mojito (Cruzan Rum, peach puree, house made mint
syrup, house made ginger syrup and lime) and was not disappointed.
At the end of the cocktail menu was something that caught my
eye. It was in a box by itself under the heading ?Viceroy Margarita.? I?m always
intrigued by original drinks, so I read the ingredients? Casa Dragones Tequila,
Cuvee du Cent Cinquentenaire-Grand Marnier and Peach Street Distillers Eau de
Peach. As I began to think about that delicious combination of expensive
liquor, I realized that thought was not lost on 8K. The margarita was $75!
I?m sure many are wondering if a margarita can possibly be
worth that much money. All I can say is it was the smoothest, most unusual and
tasty margarita I ever had. The food proved to be just as interesting, starting
with a creative bread basket that we nibbled on with our cocktails.
The chef brought us Gran?s Deviled Egg with country ham,
truffle, tarragon and prosciutto to taste before the Crispy Stuffed Squash
Blossom arrived. They were both great and we chatted a bit about the fresh
ingredients he uses and unusual touch, like the Lamb Ribs (excellent) which are
smoked by the pool using fruitwood and then served with Tszatziki sauce.
I really enjoyed the Potato Gnocchi with mushroom consomm?,
spring onion, truffled cr?me fraiche and black, while Lisa liked her first
taste of Elk. Dessert was just phenomenal as it combined two of my loves ?
sweets and cocktails. Eight K actually put together a dessert and cocktail menu
that cannot be beat. Our favorite was the Peanut Butter Chocolate, a chocolate
and peanut butter semifreddo with salted peanut butter caramel, fluffernutter,
pretzel peanut crunch and malted vanilla ice cream, served with The Jelly,
blackberry whiskey, Chambord and Drunken Blackberry.
The other combination Lisa and I really enjoyed was the
Honey Lavender Cheesecake, made from Avalanche Chevre with roasted vanilla
peaches, hazelnut brittle and sweet cream, accompanied by Lemonsicle, a
house-made Meyer lemoncello with cream.
It was nice to end our final night in Aspen celebrating the
food of this beautiful Colorado city. In the morning we would be off to
discover another place I had never been ? Lumiere Telluride.?
Source: http://www.wineandspiritstravel.com/2012/09/aspen-farewell-ends-with-inspirato-and.html
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