Scotch eggs are a traditional food at Scottish bars and picnics, but at a Dewar's-hosted pop-up for consumers and media, New Yorkers recently got to experience the snack, which consists of hard- and soft- boiled eggs that are wrapped in meat and bread crumbs, and then baked or fried. To celebrate its 125th anniversary of arriving in the United States, the Scottish whiskey brand partnered with celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio to host the Scotch Egg Club on September 21 and 22 at 165 Allen Street in New York's Chinatown neighborhood. The event, which was Dewar's first culinary pop-up, was produced in-house by the company.
"After learning Tommy Dewar's two biggest passions in his life were scotch and chickens, we were immediately intrigued and started brainstorming different ways we could highlight these two loves," explained Dewar's brand ambassador Gabriel Cardarella, on marking the anniversary. "We wanted to create an event that allowed our guests to fully engage with the brand in a fun and quirky way that is completely different from what other scotch brands typically are doing. This delicious bar snack helped highlight the whiskey while allowing the brand to work with partners to invent a unique twist on the traditional Scotch egg."
During the day, the pop-up was dubbed Tommy's Egg Kitchen (named after founder Tommy Dewar) and served unique spins on the Scottish treat. At night, the space turned into a speakeasy that offered a variety of specialty Dewar's cocktails and included themed decor, games, and a Scotch egg cook-off between Voltaggio and chefs Joe Isidori and Angie Mar.
"Once we landed on Scotch eggs, we thought a culinary challenge between two top chefs would allow for a fun, engaging element," said Cardarella. "By pairing the Scotch eggs with different whiskeys for each round and having signature cocktails during the night, we could share the Dewar's story and showcase our whiskeys in an organic manner."
