Credit: Photo by John Anderson

Cuisine de Cocktail at The Peacock

515 Pedernales, 276-8979
www.peacock-austin.com/specialevents

For those who have yet to discover the classiest cocktail bar in East Austin, here’s a cool opportunity to gather some friends and visit the Peacock to try something new.

Owner Michael Capochiano, who is also one of the partners at Uchi, took his inspiration from restaurants that created tasting menus with wine pairings. Capochiano thought a cocktail menu with food pairings would be a perfect fit for the Peacock, so he recruited Executive Chef Deegan McClung of Cissi’s Market (former chef de cuisine at Uchi) to develop food menus. Given full freedom to make whatever dishes he likes without the constraints of Cissi’s catering menu, McClung’s talent and creativity shine. The Peacock’s head bartender and mixologist extraordinaire Slim Neumann is in charge of the cocktail pairings, teaming up with McClung to develop cocktails that best match the food.

With its retro “grandma’s living room if she were a Hollywood star” ambience, the Peacock is the perfect establishment for such an experiment. Presenting classic cocktails with a modern twist paired with top-notch, fresh, seasonal cuisine expertly served by Cissi’s catering staff, the whole affair is delightfully different – a true foodie event. The February menu included amazing pairings such as a citrus crab salad with chives and green apple, wrapped in thin slices of avocado, paired with an almond oil martini with a grapefruit twist. The Gulf oysters grilled on the half-shell topped with fresh watercress chowder paired with the Peacock’s wasabi Bloody Mary, made with soju or Korean rice vodka, was my favorite course.

Cuisine de Cocktail takes place the second Tuesday of every month, with a five-course dinner and cocktail pairings for $60 per person. See website for details, menus, and reservations for the event coming up Tuesday, April 8.

This article appears in April 4 • 2008.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.