THETASKOFAMONTILLADO
Fortified wines stand up to the spice
and salt of charcuterie
As the cured-meats craze reaches fever pitch in
Boston, popular watering holes like Belly, a wine
bar in Cambridge’s hopping Kendall Square
neighborhood, are beefing up their booze
options for pairing with salumi pla ers. Bright
beaujolais, tannic orange wines and bracing
Spanish sherries have all made appearances, but
Belly general manager Fanny Katz recommends
“
The Diener”: an amalgam of dry amontillado,
raisin-y Lustau PX, and two
kinds each of vermouth
and bi ers. Named for a
sherry-loving regular, it
pairs best with the house-
made duck prosciu o.
THE DIENER
nonperishability, which the Pilgrims
brought along on their trans-Atlantic voyage.
Suffice it to say, the hardtack crackers served
with Gilson’s bluefish pâté represent a well-
deserved update.
While it’s near impossible to find a chef
these days who doesn’t pay lip service to loca-
vorism, for Gilson it’s not a trend but instead
another nod to his heritage. Herbs and greens
for Puritan & Company come from the Herb
Lyceum, his parents’ farm in nearby Groton,
whereGilsonwas raised. Eightypercent of the
beer list hails fromNewEngland, including a
cra brown ale brewed in Portland, Maine,
that features locally sourced honey, ginger,
hops and barley.
Even the restaurant’s décor speaks to
authentic New England: In place of tricorns
and bayonets are 19th-century kitchen
gadgets and a host stand created from a
1920
s gas stove. “That’s actually the stove
I used to cook on with my grandmother
when I was 3, standing on top of a chair,” says
Gilson. Most of the vintage items, in fact, were
salvaged from his family’s home.
“
I grew up in very much a New England
household,” he says. “We made apple pies. We
ate boiled dinners. We grew a lot of the food,
and then we cooked it. In the end, I’m just
trying to pay homage to the way some of us
ate growing up.”
›
1½
oz. Lustau dry amontillado
›
¾
oz. Cocchi vermouth
›
¾
oz. Punt e Mes vermouth
›
¼
oz. Lustau PX (optional, but
recommended)
›
2
dashes Bittermens Xocolatl
Mole bitters
›
2
dashes Angostura orange
bitters
›
1
piece orange peel
Combine the
ingredients in an
ice-filled mixing glass
and stir until very
cold. Strain into a
chilled cocktail glass.
Squeeze the orange
peel to release its oil
into the glass, then
drop it in as garnish.
DISPATCHES
||
FOOD&DRINK
MEAT OF THE MATTER
A charcuterie spread
at Belly; inset, general
manager Fanny Katz
BOARDING PASS
Eager to sample the
Boston dining scene for yourself? United
can take you there with nonstop service
from all eight of its U.S. hubs: San Francisco,
L.A., Denver, Cleveland, New York/Newark,
Chicago, Houston and D.C. Before your trip,
be sure to enroll in MileagePlus, the world’s
most rewarding loyalty program, and start
accruing miles for travel and one-of-a-kind
experiences.
To see schedule information
or buy your tickets, go to united.com.
36
MAY 2013
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
BEHIND BAR
A lively crowd samples the goods at
Puritan & Company’s minimalist drinks counter
MICHAEL PIAZZA (CHARCUTERIE); SIMON SIMARD (PURITAN & COMPANY)
