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f a l l 2 0 1 6 | 4 7 Chef Cyndi Tran of Lock & Key drew upon Venezu- ela's vibrant culinary history for inspiration for the evening's dishes. Tran notes, that from the outside, "Venezuelan cui- sine seems a little all over the place—it is influenced by many cultures and draws inspirations from Span- ish, African and indigenous peoples of the region— so we have a bit of everything represented." The evening started with mini chicken arepas, made from fresh hand-pressed tortillas, stuffed with marinated chicken, avocado, tomato, lettuce and cheese. For the second course, Chef Tran introduced a beet and fried yucca salad, with roasted beets, hard-boiled egg, fresh corn, mouse melon, cu- cumbers, leopard lettuce and fried yucca croutons in a creamy marjoram dressing. Next came the pabellón criollo. As Tran ex- plains, "This traditional recipe is widely consid- ered the national dish of Venezuela." With slow roasted short rib, stewed bell peppers and onions, jalapeño black beans, fried plantains, cilantro rice and quasacaca salsa. "Each ingredient represents a different aspect of Venezuela's culture, history and heritage." Uncertain of whether we could fit another bite, our sweet tooths were piqued by the arrival of dessert—quesillo—a Diplomatico Añejo caramel rum flan with coconut-and-grape salsa and cinna- mon rice puffs. Mini chicken arepas paired with a Rum Martini featuring Diplomático Blanco. Pabellón criollo paired with a Rum Martinez featuring Diplomático Reserva. Quesillo paired with the Rich Heart cocktail featuring Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva. Beets and fried yucca salad paired with a Hemingway Daiquiri featur- ing Diplomático Añejo. Sai Charan Hamsala shares his tips on crafting the perfect cocktail and clues us in on what goes into his delicious concoctions from the evening. "The whole idea is to make the base product (spirit) shine, in our case it is Diplomático." Rum Martini: Diplomático Blanco, dry sherry, cocoa white, banana, salt water, Sicilian olive. "Now it's time to put the creative cap on and choose different components—syrups, amaro, liqueurs, Sherry, bitters, etc.—that you think will match well with the rum, depending upon the style of drink you are planning to go for, be it a rendition on a classic, a spirit- or citrus-driven drink, a flip, a high ball, a julep, a smash—there are a myriad of options." Hemingway Daiquiri: Diplomático Añejo, freshly squeezed lime juice, white grapefruit, maraschino cherry, cinnamon. "Balance is very important—each ingredient should match and be mixed in harmony in order to complement one another. The right measure- ment has to be used so that one ingredient does not overpower the others. Let the base product be the hero of the final cocktail." Rum Martinez: Diplomático Reserva, vermouth di Torino, maraschino liqueur, orange twist, cherry, chocolate bitters. "Something that is sometimes overlooked is aroma and garnish. Smell is very important—80 percent of the sense of taste is in our nose. If a drink smells good, it will likely taste good. And your garnish game has to be spot-on! Imagine you are dressing up for the best party in your life; dress the cocktail to make it look as pretty as possible." Rich Heart: Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, Cocchi Americano, Pedro Ximénez El Candado infused with banana, Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters, orange twist. "And remember, every successful story begins with having a passion and working towards what you want to achieve." ■cr