Friday Cocktails: Le Mexique

One recent evening during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, I took in a high-wire act of a dinner at Le Bernadin: 6 gracefully-executed courses by Chef Eric Ripert, each featuring Domaine de Canton, the aromatic, small-batch ginger liqueur made in France. It was emulsified into a silken vinaigrette paired with slivers of fluke and added to a rich river of red wine sauce that accompanied wild striped bass, toothsome green papaya salad, and Bhutanese red rice. Each dish was paired with an artfully mixed drink also featuring the spicy apéritif. What really took my breath away, however, was when the menu turned sweet. Normally, dessert is where my dining enthusiasm wanes; that evening, though, I fell hard for the first dessert pairing. An unusually-hued black sesame meringue dripping with macerated mango and Domaine de Canton sorbet was complemented by the best drink of the evening—a subtly-sweet, silky smooth mango and ginger margarita garnished with thin shavings of deep, dark chocolate. I was transformed.