Cheese and Cocktails. When the invitation for this event comes in, I don't really know what to think. Besides that it has a nice mouth, the flavor combination of cheese and cocktails does not sound very fantastic to me. And as a true wine lover, it also feels a bit like 'cheating'. But hey, I'm open minded, so bring on that Emmi KALTBACH cheese and those Bols cocktails.
The event can of course be held in Amsterdam. On average I drive that way twice a week these days, so I'm used to it 😉 . The House of Bols is located in the heart of Amsterdam, a fantastic building where you can enjoy a real cocktail and Jenever experience. For us in this case combined with cheese. To be precise; with Emmi KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP and Emmi KALTBACH Creamy.
Upon entering, we are treated to a wonderful scent, coming from the beauties below. Provided you like cheese at least 😉 . But I can wholeheartedly say that I like cheese, so that's certainly no problem for me in this case.
Table of contents
First of all, we get a short presentation about Emmi KALTBACH and the way in which the Swiss cheeses we are going to taste today are 'aged'. Of course I had already read a bit beforehand, and I knew about the KALTBACH cave where these cheeses ripen. A sandstone cave in a small village in Switzerland. By the way, did you know that -if you buy a house in Switzerland- you also buy the mountain on which that house is located? Fantastic, your own mountain!
Anyways, in this case it is about the ripening of cheese in a cave in such a mountain. It may sound a bit strange to you, but that cave has a continuous humidity and temperature summer and winter. Ideal for a stable environment (and secretly also very nice to see).
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It is a particularly complex event to 'grow' into an Emmi KALTBACH cheese as a cheese, did you know that? The cheeses that qualify to be handed over to the cave tafinage in the cave have been very carefully selected. But a few cheese farms in Switzerland are allowed to mature their cheeses at a depth of 15 meters further in this cave and of course only Swiss milk is used for the cheeses that are allowed in the cave.
No wonder you experience a kind of Zwitserleven feeling when eating such a piece of Emmi KALTBACH cheese!
Yes, because that's what it was all about in the end. I have to be careful not to forget the cocktails in my enthusiasm!
After the presentation about cheese, a real experience is on the agenda. In House of Bols you can be guided by Bols' past and Lucas Bols kicks off in the first 'room' you enter.
In one of the rooms of the experience we come across the original recipe book for the liqueurs. Behind glass, of course, because what is secret must of course remain secret. Not that you think we can brew such a liqueur together. That is pure craftsmanship that has been passed on from father to son from 1575.
Fun fact:There is a painting by one of Rembrandt's best students in the House of Bols. With this, Rembrandt paid off his bill at the time for all the drinks he had drunk at Lucas. Lucas and Rembrandt were neighbors and after a day of painting Rembrandt always knew exactly where to find his neighbor's door 😉 .
Freely at the beginning of the experience center in the heart of Amsterdam, you can physically experience for yourself what experience all your organs undergo when you take a liqueur.
I have to go into a small room (renamed the Red Room by me), drink a bright red liqueur in one gulp (no problem) and then stand with my feet in a special place with my eyes open. It doesn't take long before I experience the sensation of my taste buds in the flesh! A fantastic play of light, combined with a vibration in the floor, gives me a big smile from start to finish. I come out of the Red Room with muscle aches in my jaws and I'm really bummed that I don't have any of this on film. Sorry. You have to make do with my words this time.
The continuation of the experience still leads us past Delft Blue Jenever houses as you can see above. Only available for business class pilots. Then we check the 'Hall of Taste' where we do a session 'sniffing a liqueur'.
Look at what beautiful colors! It is also special to discover that not all liqueurs are available everywhere. Special liqueurs are made for export outside Europe, for example. They are simply not even available with us!
After the liqueurs we walk through the distillation process, the ingredients room and the Genever Room and sure enough… there I see the jug I recognize from the past!
Especially if you like liqueurs! They test new liqueurs under their own employees. On 'demand' you will be offered 3 bottles through a hatch. All three drinking and then answering questions, that sounds like fun work, doesn't it?
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Ever heard of it? From food pairing? All the true food bloggers with whom I will be present at the event, they obviously know exactly what this is. I myself have to admit that I have not really consciously done anything with this trend yet. But I think it's cool!
Look, I can do something with that. Food pairing is therefore a method to discover which food (or drink) goes well together, based on common taste components.
And when you're talking about food pairing, eating and drinking, Robèrt Verweij comes into play. Full of enthusiasm and charm, this TV chef gives us a glimpse into his kitchen. Vinologist and cook, and also excellently capable of making a good match with Emmi KALTBACH and cocktails, as it turns out. After his entertaining epistle about food pairing and the possibilities and similarities between Emmi KALTBACH and Bols, we get to see what creations he has come up with for cheese.
wow. I am speechless! Dice and Thanks. That's what he serves with a delicious cocktail. My mouth is watering, but I actually get a little sloshing under my armpits just thinking about presenting this at my birthday party next time. Making nice holes in the dice? You do that with a clothes hanger! Didn't know yet did you?
And just serve a bar of cheese? That's so 2016. We spoon in a small slit and voilà, the Merci is coming.
Fantastic idea, it must be said. But secretly I'm a bit happy that I don't have a hip and trendy canal house in Amsterdam. That I can just go back to Schijndel in Brabant where they are already chatting with their ears when I put a Swiss cheese on the table. One that has matured in a cave at 15 meters and bears the name Emmi KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP. I'm good from it 😉 . I don't have to do anything special to be able to enjoy myself.
In the end, I can still work on my own. After we also get a presentation of shaking cocktails and I know exactly how to make the twist on the Date Old Fashioned, we can get to work. Of course I'll also tell you how to make it. You can also serve a delicious cocktail with it the next time you put an Emmi KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP on the table.
What you need for this cocktail is not that bad. Maybe you don't have all the ingredients at home as standard, but invite some friends and the bottles you get for this cocktail will disappear automatically.
First of all, the cane sugar goes into a glass. Pour over the soda water (maximum 10 ml) and start stirring to dissolve cane sugar. Add the Angustara bitters and stir again.
Add some ice cubes and then the date liqueur. Stir again. Then you will add the Corenwijn in 3 shoots of 15 ml. In between, add a few cubes of ice and stir again to mix the flavors. Finally, top with ice cubes and add a date on a stick.
Tip:Adding extra ice cubes does not give your cocktail an extra chance of dilution. All the other ice stays colder, which means it melts less quickly!
The combination of this cocktail with the Emmi KALTBACH Le Gruyère AOP is very tasty.
It is best to serve a Twelve Months Delight cocktail with the Emmi KALTBACH Creamy cheese. How do you make it? I don't remember, sorry! But I can of course ask you about Bols' Bartending Academy if you want!
After all this grueling and hard work, there is still time to network and enjoy some delicious snacks and drinks. Unfortunately for me no more cocktails because of course I still have to drive home. But this food pairing event was certainly a great experience.
