Bloody Marys and Muga: Batali on the Golf Course
I have special affection for a man who unapologetically endorses early morning Bloody Marys on the golf course, followed by “a couple Coronas, just to, you know, clean that acidic tomato juice taste out of your mouth.”
That man is of course Mario Batali, the most-overexposed-yet-still-undeniably-relevant of America’s culinary giants. The man can cook his tail off, a skill I can attest to going back to his days at Po. He’s also an extraordinarily gifted restaurateur. Add to that a fierce intelligence and a make-it-look-easy eloquence on camera, and it’s easy to see why when Mario talks, people listen.
He also knows his wines, and not just Italian. In a recent Q and A for ESPN’s online magazine, he gives well-informed props to Rioja on the eve of golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup:
ESPN: [Spanish golfer] Miguel Angel Jimenez’s only requirements for the team room in the Ryder cup were “Rioja wine, an espresso machine, and cigars.” Would you suggest some specifics for him?
Batali: For the wine I’d say a Rioja from a bodega called Muga, espresso made with a Nespresso machine, and, of course, a Churchill cigar.