On March 23, in the cozy atmosphere of the Citronelle restaurant, the Vogue Ukraine team presented the new spring issue, the cover star of which was Oleksandr Usyk, the world heavyweight and super heavyweight champion. The presentation took place in the format of a dinner with food pairing – dishes inspired by Ukrainian gastronomic traditions were organically combined with signature cocktails based on LEX by Nemiroff*.
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“We are celebrating the release of the 13th issue of Vogue Ukraine Edition since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This issue is special, historical, and collectible for us. For the first time on the cover is the world boxing star, world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk,” began the evening with Yulia Kostecka, publisher of Vogue Ukraine, who told more about the new edition. “On the pages of the magazine, we implemented the “Heroes” project, the idea of which arose before the symbolic date – four years of the great war. Its goal is to celebrate the resilience of the Ukrainian nation through portraits of people who demonstrate leadership in their place and inspire entire communities: Vogue Ukraine honors doctors, military personnel, artists, and paraathletes.” Then, Maria Didkovska, founder of the Citronelle restaurant, spoke in more detail about the concept of the dinner, which became a symbolic journey across Ukraine – from East to West, from North to South.
Yulia Kostetskaya
Jamala
Kateryna Usyk
Alan Badoev
Maria Didkovska
So, the first stop was Slobozhanshchyna. Buckwheat pancakes with eel from Shatsk Lakes and fresh horseradish were served for appetizers. This is a traditional dish for this region, because the pancake is a symbol of the Sun rising in the East of Ukraine. LEX by Nemiroff brand ambassador Igor Novoseltsev prepared a refreshing LEX Fizz cocktail for it: “I like to serve a drink with bubbles as the first cocktail, which allows you to awaken the guests' receptors,” adds Novoseltsev. “I wanted to emphasize the buckwheat base of the pancake and reveal its nutty profile – that's why I created a buckwheat liqueur based on our vodka, using maceration and vacuum distillation methods.” The supporting notes in this cocktail are coconut, lemongrass and yuzu.
Buckwheat pancakes with eel from Shatsk Lakes and fresh horseradish x LEX Fizz
Next, the guests went to sunny Crimea, whose cuisine was represented by tarama with a salad of baked vegetables. This is a traditional cold appetizer with cod caviar, sour cream and baked vegetables. Here, the LEX Tomato Tini was the perfect pair, representing the umami cocktail trend popular in mixology today. “We used two interpretations of tomatoes at once: lacto-fermented tomato liqueur and tomato water. This helped to reveal the main star of the cocktail from different sides,” says the brand ambassador of LEX by Nemiroff. “But we like to surprise – guests will still be able to feel the unexpected sweetness of banana in the drink.”
Tarama with roasted vegetable salad
LEX Tomato Tini
Next stop is the Carpathians and the traditional porcini mushroom soup for this region. Citronelle chef Vladislav Kinder added duck ravioli to it, and the LEX Forest cocktail helped to emphasize the intense aroma of the dish. In this case, the LEX by Nemiroff base was combined with mushroom distillate, forest berries, herbs and fir.
Mushroom soup with porcini mushrooms and duck ravioli x LEX Forest
This dinner could not do without the classic of Ukrainian cuisine – cabbage rolls, which, thanks to the skill of the chefs, were transformed into an exquisite main course – Carpathian trout chu-farsi with smoky Ber-Nante sauce. “The recipe for this dish inspired me to play with the creaminess of the sauce. I infused the vodka in butter using Fat Wash technology, which adds aroma and silky texture to drinks without leaving any greasiness. We wanted the cocktail to be reminiscent of croissants with their signature butteriness.”
Carpathian trout shu-farsi with smoky sauce Ber-Nante x LEX Blanc
Cherry dumplings were the final chord of the festive dinner. “When I create a cocktail for a dish, I look at it as a sauce that should emphasize the main ingredient,” says Igor Novoseltsev about the fifth cocktail. “In the LEX Cherry Cream cocktail, I decided to use a symbolic combination not only for gastronomy, but also for perfumery – cherries and tonka beans. There is also my childhood story here – I come from the Kharkiv region, in the summer, during the cherry season, blackberries still grew at our house. In my memory, these two flavors are always together – that's how the blackberry note appeared in our cocktail.”
Cherry dumplings x LEX Cherry Cream
After dinner, all the guests, including Kateryna Usyk, Jamala, Vasilysa Stepanenko, Ivan Uryvskyi, Nikita Kadan, and Valeria Guzema, were able to get to know the new number better and exchange opinions. See how the presentation went in the gallery.
Kateryna Usyk
Anna Zolotareva, Olga Bolsunivska, Olga Basovska and Olena Ponomarenko
Martha Bertman
Vincent Amursky
Vasilisa Stepanenko
Yulia Kostetskaya
Olena Zubchenko and Anastasia Maherramova
Valeria Guzema
Andriy Fedoriv
Karina Sorochynska
Maria Didkovska
Anna Zolotareva
Ivan Uryvskyi
Igor Novoseltsev
Svitlana Roschuk
Olena Zubchenko
Igor Novoseltsev and Karina Sorochynska
Katya Silchenko
Sergey Kovalev
Anna Zolotareva and Olga Bolsunivska
Olena Zubchenko
Yulia Kostetska and Victoria Kovalchuk
Violetta Fedorova
*LEX by Nemiroff is an ultra-premium vodka that combines a unique terroir, exceptional craftsmanship and over 150 years of history. Created from selected ingredients and refined using a special technology, it embodies depth of taste and impeccable quality. It is more than a drink – it is a sophisticated addition to the gastronomic experience, emphasizing the character of each dish.
LEX by Nemiroff: The Freedom to Be — be unique, be different, be yourself, raise the bar and inspire. Ignite your potential and, above all, enjoy this journey.
Photo: Daria Shramko