Posted on: Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Shot glasses appearing on dinner tables
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| The shot glass is not just for measuring whiskey or vodka — for which it was originally designed.
Annette Lein • Gannett News Service |
By Karen Miltner
Gannett News Service
Now the latest darling in dining fashion is the shot glass. The diminutive vessel now carries sweet and savory sustenance beyond the jigger of whiskey or vodka for which it was originally designed.
If you think the shot glass is impractical for home entertainment, think again. Because of their limited capacity (ranging from 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 ounces), shot glasses are the ultimate in portion control, making cream-laden "shot" chocolate or expensive oysters a more reasonable indulgence for calorie-counting guests and budget-minded hosts.
The shot glass can make an entrance at any point in the meal, as an amuse-bouche (appetizer) to entice guests to the table, as an accompaniment to the entree, as an intermezzo to cleanse the palate between courses, or as part of dessert.
Consider some of the following interesting uses for shot glasses by restaurants:
- For serving a shot of demi-glace (concentrated sauce) on the side.
- For serving small oysters baptized with a spicy splash of cucumber-kiwi sauce.
- For serving a dessert sampler comprised of two shot glasses — one filled with root beer float, the other with root beer granita — flanking a bite-size cookie.
Other nonalcoholic ways of using shot glasses:
- For serving premium, well-aged balsamic vinegar (perhaps with chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano).
- For serving pomegranate, cranberry or papaya juice as an after-dinner digestif.
- For serving a citrus-flavored granita (for between-course palate cleansing).
- For serving hot chocolate made with heavy cream or half-and-half and sprinkled with cinnamon.
