Eating Around: Bourbon and Cocoa

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"CHOCOLATE HAS OVER 4,000 aromas — more than any other food," said Biagio Abbatiello, owner of Biagio Fine Chocolate on 18th Street NW. Abbatiello has absorbed this tidbit and others in his chocolate bible, "The Chocolate Connoisseur," by chocolate consultant Chloe Doutre-Roussel.

With flavors that include hints of fruits, flowers, vegetables, coffee, tobacco and nuts, the dark chocolate bars Abbatiello prefers are sourced from particular regions and single plantations in Venezuela, Sao Tome and Madagascar. To his advanced tastebuds, milk chocolate and filled confections are less complex.

How to navigate Biagio's dizzying selection for your bean-fiend sweetie? One selection he suggests is France-based Michel Cluizel's sampler, which includes roasted beans and nibs from Santo Domingo, as well as white and milk chocolate discs and dark chocolate that ranges from 45 percent to 85 percent cacao.

» Biagio Fine Chocolate 1904 18th St. NW; 202-328-1506. (Dupont Circle)

IT'S NOT JUST GOOD PRESS that's driving up the sales of bourbon lately. "It's the combination of affluence in this area and the trend that people around here are drinking less, but drinking better quality spirits," said Aaron Bernstein, co-owner of Calvert Woodley Wine and Spirits retailer in Van Ness.

Perhaps because of its Southern pedigree, bourbon has always sold well south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Bottles of Tennessee-based Jack Daniels "fly off the shelves," said Bernstein, while $50-and-up Kentucky brands such as Booker's, Woodford Reserve and Eagle Rare are selling more briskly than ever in the store's 25-year history.

Rye is enjoying a renaissance in the District as well, although "more people in New York and north drink what people think of as rye," said Bernstein. He clarified that the spirit is actually a whisky blend that's made with at least 51 percent rye.

You can also blame all this good liquor, in part, on the resurgence of such old-timey drinks as the Sazerac — made with Old Overholt Rye Whisky, Herbsaint or Pernod, bitters and simple syrup.

» Calvert Woodley, 4339 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-966-4400.

Photo courtesy Biagio Fine Chocolate