DeGroff Does Dallas (or Wine Not, with Dinner) By Darryl Beeson, Cellar Master   Demographic research and trends note that the nom-de-boom "Baby Boomers", aka "Yuppies" embraced wine in a big way during the 1980's. Generations tend to rebel and my theory is that boomers, decades before, observed parents that exclusively drank highballs and beer and therefore sought other beverage sources.  What started as a hippie rebellion with Annie Green Springs in tow later evolved into coveted purchases of first-growth Bordeaux  futures, now being sold off to fund college tuition for ungrateful "Generation X" progeny, sipping strangely colored Manhattans and Martinis. With maturity we sometimes backtrack to our roots, or maybe we listen to our near-grown kids.  Boomer Dale DeGroff is a true believer in the cocktail, before and during dinner.  Perhaps the world's top award winning bartender, based in Manhattan (a town so great that they named a drink after it), he approaches and offers a boyish smile not unlike Robert DeNiro's.  His hair has shades of gray.  Bartenders hear lots of shocking stories, thus the grayness. I dined with DeGroff in Dallas at the fine, but sans Chef Stephen Pyles restaurant Star Canyon.  We were seated and grateful to dine at the bar.   This is a guy that you want to dine at the bar with.   "I expect bartenders to be exactly like chefs, examining fresh produce and wondering what can I use here?"  proclaims DeGroff, in a recent tour of the nation expounding the message of mixers and more.  "Consider the composition of the food dish and then match; Here's an example, with spicy oriental food, opt for a sweeter drink based with bourbon or scotch."  With citrus based sauces, he prefers drinks like Mojitos, the now trendy rum concoction combined with lime and mint, or maybe daiquiris. "Grilled fish demands a stiff shot of well-chilled Aquavit." concludes DeGroff.  The point of his message is to use quality booze with freshly made mixers, therefore and thusly aligned to work with the meal.  This is a science.  A fun science. His safe bet is a combination of both oranges and lemon worked in with Maker's Mark bourbon, accompanied by a few drops of the orange inspired triple sec.  Tart and assertive, this blend could be the perfect match for any entree, be that venison or sole. "A new trend is to implement the exact, the same fresh herbs incorporated into a food creation, maybe sage or basil, for a muddled drink creation." proposes DeGroff.   "Try grinding fresh basil into the beginnings of a vodka tonic and matching this with maybe grilled chicken with a pesto sauce." A difficult match for wine is the salad course.  Vinegar tends to react negatively with some wines.  DeGroff's solution is a Collins, made either with gin or vodka plus lemon juice, simple syrup and a splash of soda, but with the cool meld of mint.  "The addition of mint makes a crisp, slightly herbal match to the salad.  The citrus nuances match perfectly with a tart vinaigrette and maybe a  Romano cheese laced salad." he explains. This is a message that can be embraced.  Of course the Distilled Spirits Council, an underwriter of his tour, has fondness for the message as well.   They are wise to hire Dale DeGroff as a sincere messenger.  This longtime bartender of the renowned Rainbow Room, positioned above New York's Rockefeller Center, knows enough secret recipes, herbal or not, to make a Kentucky Colonel blush. So I asked Dale the bartender the obvious question,  "How do you make a Kentucky Colonel Blush?" "Very simple," DeGroff replied, "the Kentucky Colonel, or Southern Stinger used to be a house drink at the Hotel Bel Air, basically Bourbon and Benedictine."  Here is his impromtu adaptation: Kentucky Colonel Blush 1oz Bourbon 1 oz orange Curacao 1  oz. Fresh Orange juice 1  oz. Cranberry dash Angostura Bitters, Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into an old-fashioned or rocks glass. Garnish with orange slice and a mint sprig. For more information, go to his website at www.kingcocktail.com. --- Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. He has been recognized in recent months by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Smart Money Magazine, and InStyle Magazine for his insights on wine. For more great wine suggestions, click here Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.