Last night, we headed into Philadelphia for the Wilds of New England dinner hosted at the Elwood Restaurant. As huge fans of the strange spirits of Tamworth Distilling, we couldn't resist a menu that boasted oddities like venison scrapple, smoked trout brandy, beaver stew, and green crab whiskey.
The presentation was phenomenal. The spirits were brilliant and paired perfectly with each of the five courses. The atmosphere was fun and light, as we all knew we were partaking in some kind of bizarre and peculiar taste-testing. It felt like the sophisticated Halloween dinner outing I've been craving my entire life (that's a sad sentence).
The neatest part of the evening was talking to the chief distiller from Tamworth. Hearing about the complex process involved with creating each spirit made each sip something really special. We also talked with him about his new and yet-to-be-released The Devil's Footprints. Can't wait to try that one.
The menu:
Venison Scrapple (on antlers), served with The Deerslayer Venison Whiskey.
Green Crab Soup (with a small potato crab cage in each bowl) made with invasive green crabs, served with Crab Trapper Whiskey (also made with the invasive jerk crab).
Trout with brown butter and pumpkin - served with the brand-new smoked trout brandy (with tiny briny roe in the bottom of each bottle).
Beaver Stew, served with Eau De Musc castoreum-flavored whiskey.
Apple tart with caramel ice cream, served with Tamworth Garden VSOP Apple Brandy.
It was a perfect menu and an amazing evening out.
