Bartender Matt Perkins of Cedar conducted a fun and delicious class as part of Cedar’s popular dinner series, “Sunday Experience.”
During this intimate gathering, guests dined on fresh bay scallop ceviche with avocado and pancetta and beautiful cocktails like The Crimson Slipper with Pyrat Rum, Campari, Cointreau and a lemon twist, all while Perkins demonstrated how to create Prohibition-era cocktails with the ingredients of your choice.
My favorite cocktail of the night is The Therapist with Silver Tree vodka, Domain de Canton, chocolate mole bitters and a garnish of espresso beans. To accompany it, a small plate of Martin’s Angus Beef, mole pearl onions, honey carrots and pumpernickel tuile.
A “class” where someone does all the homework while I sit back and relax? Where was Perkins when I was in school?
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.