Since Havana Blue, the Latin fusion restaurant at the Frenchman's Reef & Marriott Morning Star Beach Resort in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, opened in November of last year, Chef Omar Sanchez has showcased what he calls "specialty drinks." So when Sanchez learned that 65 diners from Houston, TX-based real estate appraisal firm Boswell & Associates' annual company retreat were "looking forward to a night of creative cuisine and equally inspiring beverages" at his restaurant, he suggested a four-course meal paired with a flight of specially matched cocktails.
Sanchez presented an appetizer of Duck Spring Rolls with a Sunset Sangria made with red wine, fresh mangoes, fresh green apples, and lemongrass. "The sangria brings a little red wine and lime juice that balances the richness and fat of the duck," says Sanchez.
The second course paired Caesar de Vieras—blackened scallops served with ginger aioli, spice-roasted cashews, crispy garlic wontons, and romaine lettuce with a spicy Caesar dressing—with a traditional Brazilian Caiprinha. The refreshing concoction of light rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar cane juice "breaks the richness and the spice of the dressing, while the rum helps the scallops to sparkle a bit more," says Sanchez.
This was followed by the main course, a pan-roasted sweet miso sea bass, prepared with garlic spinach, wasabi mash, and mango mojo, which was paired with the Mango Mojito. "We marinate the fish in the miso for two days so it becomes very rich," Sanchez explains. "The mojito cuts that, plus it matches the mango that is already in the dish."
The finale: Cuban Coconut Flan, served with Havana Cafe, which combines Caribbean-spiced rum, Kahlua, coffee, and freshly whipped cream. "After the third bite, the flan could get dull, but the coffee keeps it interesting."
Cocktail-paired dinners require more carefully orchestrated service than those in which bottles of wine are simply circulated, and Sanchez makes the most of this opportunity. "We have to streamline the process because you've got to get the cocktails out quickly before the ice melts, and cocktails like the mojito don't work well if you prepare them too far in advance," Sanchez says. "And when a course is ready, we come out all at once for a simultaneous presentation of both food and drink."