Leave it to my good friend Roy Chung — manager of Roy's in Hawai'i Kai — to be on the cutting edge of restaurant trends. He has now brought the trendy art of food and cocktail pairing to the Islands.

Bartending has come a long way since I started many moons ago. Bartenders on top of their game are now referred to as mixologists, and you would not catch them using premixed cocktail syrups. They muddle, infuse and create the same way a famous chef creates a dish.

And the proof is in the taste. For instance, Azure at the Royal Hawaiian has a fantastic fresh cocktail menu created by Joey Gottesman, who also consulted on a recent Roy's pairing dinner.

I was lucky enough to attend the second in a series of cocktail pairing dinners, the first of which featured Jack Daniel's bourbon. This dinner featured Grey Goose vodka. I saw many Facebook postings referring to the challenge of the pairings. The dinner menu having been set, it was up to Chung to find cocktail flavors that would both complement and contrast with the food. And I believe he was spot on!

First course: Hog Island oyster trio. Cucumber shooter, Kamuela tomato dashi preserved Meyer lemon, Hawaiian chili pepper "shaved ice" paired with a drink similar to a Bloody Caeser with Grey Goose Citron, Clamato, celery salt, Serrano chili, lime and black pepper, garnished with a pickled asparagus sprig. It was a great match for the three different oyster preparations, with the Clamato juice in the drink picking up the flavors of ocean in the oysters.

Second course: Golden Israeli "Caspian Sea Sturgeon" Osetra caviar with champagne gelee and quail egg. Tsar Nicoulai Estate Domestic Osetra with Hawaiian Ama Ebi and Coral Chawan Mushi. What is a better pairing with caviar than a icy-cold martini? Chung poured a Grey Goose martini in a frozen glass and garnished with anchovy-stuffed olives.

Third course: Crispy ocean-farmed moi risotto. This pairing gave Chung the most agonizing moments and yet was the biggest success, agreed upon by everyone at my table. Chung muddled cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, celery, a lemon wedge and sugar. He then added Grey Goose La Poire and ice, strained it over an iced rocks glass and garnished with a sugar cane and lime wedge. This drink was so refreshing with the moi, and the glasses were quickly drained.

Fourth course: Goose three ways — foie gras on french toast with lychee syrup, hoisin goose confit and breast of goose with orange brown butter. Ordinarily, fois gras would be paired with Sauternes. In this case, the pairing was Grey Goose La Poire transformed into a lychee and lime martini with a starfruit garnish that complemented the goose nicely.

Fifth course: Roy's famous melting chocolate souffle was reworked as a white chocolate souffle with a melting chocolate center and a dusting of orange powder. This was served with a twist on the classic B-52 followed with a Kahlua, Baileys and Grey Goose L'Orange on the rocks. Heavenly! I did not need to eat again for a week!

To find out about future Roy's cocktails dinners please "friend" the original Roy's on Facebook or follow "the original Roy's" on Twitter. "RoysRoy" to follow Roy Yamaguchi on twitter. You can also stop by Roy's Hawai'i Kai to get on their mailing list. Tell them Cyn sent you.