THE LOCALS
BRAND AMBASSADOR
NICK MAUTONE GrEy GOOsE VOdKA
Nick Mautone’s life in the hospitality and food service industries began long ago while working for his grandfather’s company – Brunetto Cheese in Yonkers, New York. Later, Nick, along with his three brothers and three sisters, opened American Pie, a N.Y. favorite deep-dish style pizza restaurant. Nick then turned his focus to the fine dining arena, managing and educating members of some of the most prestigious establishments in the world including Gramercy Tavern of NYC. Currently, Nick operates two multifaceted food service, management and consulting companies. He is also partnering with TV celebrity and author Rachael Ray on a new restaurant concept called “Bar RR.”
GrEy GoosE CLassIC MartInI
Nick authored his first book, “Raising the Bar; Better Drinks, Better Entertaining”, and works with several beverage companies in marketing, training, talking and educating about food, wine and spirits. In addition to working with restaurants, writing books and being an acclaimed wine judge, Nick is currently the brand ambassador for Grey Goose Vodka. “Working with Grey Goose is exhilarating and frankly easy because Grey Goose is so elegant and so mixable that it’s hard to make a “bad” cocktail with it,” says Nick. “Many people think they know vodka and simply assume it’s bland and flavorless, but it is shocking when you actually go through the flavor profile of a product like Grey Goose and highlight the nuance, citrus notes and buttery mouth-feel.”
PreParatIon
34
CHILLED MAGAZINE
2 Parts Grey Goose Vodka 1/2 Part Noilly Prat Original French Dry Vermouth Dash of Orange Bitters Fill a shaker with ice. Add Vermouth and stir to coat ice and strain out. Add Grey Goose and bitters, stir well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Present with an olive or lemon twist. garnIsH tIPs
Feel free to experiment, mix olives and lemon twists or use a fresh bay leaf. These additions will give subtle yet unique changes to the cocktail.
Nick Mautone photo courtesy Grey Goose
Given Nick’s roots in the food service industry, he embraces the trend towards culinary cocktails. “There are great similarities between a top mixologist and chef. Top mixologists, just like a chef, use fresh natural ingredients with a seasonal mindset to ensure that their drinks are perfectly matched to what the guest may be eating. So therefore, the culinary trend is always evolving as to the taste profile of the chef or mixologists. Many mixologists today, just like their chef counterparts, are taking a worldly look at seasonal and exotic ingredients creating a wonderful fusion of flavor profiles to entice their guests.”
IngredIents
