The Alchemist – Fall/Winter 2018

FALL/WINTER 2018

PERFECT PEARS

VICTORIA SPIRIT

BITTER TRUTH

SIP LOCAL

The essence of autumnal cocktails

What’s new and sipworthy in the provincial capital

A guide to B.C.’s best cocktail bitters

Distillery listings and tasting panel

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Some kids don’t get gifts over the holidays.

Drink this beer to change that.

GOODWILL L AGER

Our annual Toy Drive has donated nearly $1M worth of gifts and funds to families in need. This year with your help, we’re also giving back $1 from every Goodwill Lager, available at all of our pubs through November.

do nne llygro up.ca/toydr iv e

9 05 dunsmuir st | roy a ld ine tte . c a

03 Cocktail program from Diageo World Class 'Bartender of the Year' Kaitlyn Stewart

UNDER THE PURPLE SKULL

HAPPY HOUR

Sunday to Thursday from 5-6pm and late night 9pm-close 04

$8 Margarita $4 Tequila & Verdita Half Price Tacos $4 Good Company Lager

261 Powell St., Vancouver | Open daily at 5 o’clock | 604-559-7585 @cuchilloyvr cuchillo.ca |

Contents 08 – BAR BITES A taste of what’s happening in the cocktail world 14 – BITTER IS BETTER We round up the best of made-in-B.C. bitters

by Charlene Rooke

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20 – THE BON VIVANT Alone, but not lonely, in the social milieu of the bar

by Michael White 24 – DISTANT DISTILLERIES Heading for the hills, pot still in tow

by Tim Pawsey

Byron Smith photo

28 – CL ASSICS: THE SAZERAC Think you know the Sazerac? Think again

by Joanne Sasvari 32 – HOME BAR Pears: Perfect for preserving, and in cocktails

by Justin Taylor 36 – VICTORIA SPIRIT All that’s new and delicious in the provincial capital

by Joanne Sasvari

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40 – STILL LIFE When brewery meets distillery, goodness results

by Charlene Rooke

RECIPES in this issue Dan Toulgoet photo

45 – TASTING PANEL Our expert sippers show their amour for B.C. amaro 50-60 – DISTILLERY LISTINGS Our guide to B.C. distilleries 62 – THE L AST WORD Special coffee comes in from the cold

06– Red Moon Over Manhattan 10– The Lady in Red 15– Post Opium Daiquiri 16– Appley Dapply 16– Curandero 17– Canadian Coffee 30–Sazerac 33– Caramelized Pear Purée

33– Jalapeño Pears in Syrup 34– Chuzzlewit’s Pear 34– Spicy Pear Old Fashioned 35–Mezcal Mule 35– Cognac & Pear Brulée 62– Homemade Irish Cream Coffee

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Contributors Joanne Sasvari is the editor of The Alchemist. She is a Vancouver-based, WSET-certified writer-editor who covers food, drink and travel for a variety of publications including the Vancouver Sun, Westcoast Homes & Design, Destination BC and WestJet magazine. She is also the author of theWickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.

Tim Pawsey (a.k.a. The Hired Belly) writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for print publications including Where Vancouver, Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He also judges a number of wine awards.

Justin Taylor has been mixing it up behind the bars of Toronto and Vancouver for almost two decades. He is currently general manager of The Cascade Room in Vancouver.

Charlene Rooke is a certified Specialist of Spirits and a Moonshine University-trained craft distiller who writes for enRoute, TASTE and Food & Drink. She drinks stirred rye Manhattans on the rocks.

Michael White writes about popular culture and dining. He is formerly a senior editor at Vancouver, FASHION and Glow magazines. A perfect life moment was drinking a Manhattan at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

ON THE COVER RED MOON OVER MANHATTAN

Try this new classic for your holiday parties.

2 oz chilled red wine 0.5 oz bourbon 0.25 oz simple syrup

06 Dan Toulgoet photo

Stir ingredients with ice for about 20 seconds. Rub an orange peel around the rim of a rocks glass. Place an ice sphere or large ice cube in the glass, then strain the cocktail over it. Garnish with gourmet cherries on a cocktail pick. Serves 1.

Dan Toulgoet photo

Smoky, spicy and tart: the Mescal cocktail from Cuchillo. Find the recipe at thealchemistmagazine.ca

T

here’s a chill in the air and that can only mean one thing: it’s time for warming cocktails! As we head into the dark, cold days of fall and winter we crave brown spirits, spicy flavours and hot, boozy drinks. In this issue of The Alchemist, we’ve got you covered.

Charlene Rooke offers a guide to made-in-B.C. bitters, the bartenders’ salt and pepper, while our tasting panel samples the province’s vermouths, aperitifs and amaros. In Home Bar, Justin Taylor transforms autumn’s sweet pears into flavourful cocktails and offers a Last Word on the special coffee. Want to get out of town? Us, too. Tim Pawsey explores what it’s like to run a distillery far from the big city. And we hop over to Vancouver Island to see what’s new in Victoria’s cocktail scene.

You will also find our complete guide to B.C.’s distilleries and enough cocktail recipes to keep you warm and cosy until spring. Still thirsty?

There’s lots more to sip and savour over at thealchemistmagazine.ca.

—Joanne Sasvari, Editor

PUBLISHER: Gail Nugent gnugent@glaciermedia.ca EDITOR: Joanne Sasvari jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Kelsey Klassen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Dan Toulgoet ILLUSTRATOR: Ryan Mitson TheAlchemistMagazine.ca @TheAlchemistBC @TheAlchemistMag Published by: Glacier Media Group 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 604-742-8678 © The Alchemist 2018 This issue is complimentary.

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BAR BITES NEWS AND NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR AND AROUND THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS AND SPIRITS

SWEET LAUNCH FOR BITTERS LINE It’s not even available for sale yet, but already Christos Kalaitzis’ new bitters line is reaping the kind of recognition a crafty bartender could only dream of.

Bitters by Christos, created by the spirits brand ambassador and mixologist for Central City Brewers & Distillers, just took home not one, not two, but three double gold awards at the prestigious San Diego Spirits Festival, the premiere West Coast celebration of spirits and cocktails. (Central City’s Lohin McKinnon Peated Whisky also won double gold.)

Central City photo

“It was the most awarded cocktail ingredient for 2018,” Kalaitzis says. “Also it’s the only Canadian bitter with three double gold medals in international spirits competition so far.”

His aromatic, rosemary and mole bitters all won double gold; he’s also producing cherry, orange and coffee flavours. He promises that they are “100 per cent handcrafted, hand bottled, made with real spices and herbs, non GMO, no artificial flavours or colouring. And,” he adds, “they’re perfect for cocktails and culinary purposes.”

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Bitters by Christos will be available in early November; they will retail for a suggested price of $15 at Central City’s retail store in Surrey as well as select liquor stores. centralcitybrewing.com The 11th annual San Diego Spirits Festival will be held August 24 to 25, 2019. For more info, visit sandiegospiritsfestival.com.

Central City photo

VANCOUVER’S WINNING COCKTAIL

Denny Culbert photo Fairmont Pacific Rim photo

Another day, another competition under the belts of Vancouver’s extraordinary bartenders.

To chants of “Back to back!” on Thanksgiving weekend, Chris Enns of the Lobby Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim made it into the top-20 round at the Diageo Reserve World Class competition in Berlin.

Australia’s Orlando Marzo took home the overall title this year, but Enns made it all the way to number eight in the world, with a trio of Vancouverites cheering him on— last year’s global winner, Kaitlyn Stewart of Royal Dinette, as well as previous World Class Canada winners Lauren Mote and Grant Sceney. “Until next time, friends,” Enns said on Facebook. “May your hearts be filled with love and your glasses filled with World Class cocktails.”

Meanwhile, his colleague Max Curzon-Price from The Botanist upstairs placed third in the world at the Bombay Sapphire Most Imaginative Bartender competition in London, and also won the media challenge.

“What a week,” he said. “The MIB National Finals in London was an adventure I will cherish forever.”

Here at home, Katie Ingram, bar manager for the Toptable Group (including Elisa, the elegant new Yaletown Steakhouse set to open in November), won the Hennessy VS Cocktail Competition in early October.

She was inspired by the four elements and how they influence the wood and grapes that come together to create the flavours of Cognac.

A CL ASS APART

Since it first launched in 2009, more than 250,000 bartenders have taken part in Diageo Reserve World Class, making it the biggest and most prestigious cocktail competition on the planet. It is now in 60 countries, including, since 2013, Canada. (Of six World Class Canada winners, four have been from Vancouver.) The global winner is considered the world’s best bartender. DiageoWorldClassCanada.com

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Leila Kwok photo

SPIRITED SIPS AT THE HOTEL VANCOUVER Glance up at the sloping green roof of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and you might just catch a flash of scarlet at one of the windows. Wave hello to the Lady in Red, a gracious spirit said to haunt the halls of this grand dame of a hotel.

The Lady is believed to be the crimsonclad shade of one Jennie Pearl Cox who, along with her husband and daughter, was a regular at the hotel’s luxe shindigs back in the day. Then, on a sultry summer day in 1944, she was killed in a tragic car accident right outside the hotel. Since then there have been numerous sightings of her, mainly at The Roof or on the 14th floor.

If it is indeed Cox, she is one of a whole sub-set of “Red Lady” spirits who typically haunt historic hotels, theatres and other public places. Unlike the White Lady, who is usually a bride or innocent maiden, a Red Lady is likely to be a friendlier, more sophisticated sort of spirit, a scandalous socialite, perhaps, or a jilted lover.

Of course, there are those of us who prefer to sip, rather than encounter, spirits, so the hotel’s bartenders have prepared the perfect cocktail for the spookiest time of the year.

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Fairmont Hotel Vancouver photo

THE L ADY IN RED

Recipe courtesy of the Fair mont Hotel Vancouver.

1 oz Hendricks Gin 0.75 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur 1.5 oz cranberry juice 0.25 oz lemon juice Sparkling wine Combine the gin, St. Germain, cranberry juice and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with sparkling wine. If you like, garnish with a skewer of cranberries or cherries. Serves 1.

SPOOKTACUL AR SIPS

Looking for Halloween cocktail ideas that aren’t cheesy and gross? Consider classics like the Zombie, Blood & Sand, Dark & Stormy, Bloody Mary or a Kill Devil punch. Or look to ingredients such as blood orange, cranberry or tomato juice, as well as black sambuca and, of course, Crystal Head vodka.

A KNOCKOUT READ In 2012, a handful of local bartenders slipped on some boxing gloves and started fighting for a cause. Aprons for Gloves, they called it, a non-profit organization with the aim of providing community outreach in the Downtown Eastside through the sweet science of boxing and the annual Restaurant Rumble charity boxing match.

Now there’s a gorgeous hardcover book celebrating the event: Blood, Sweat & Beers is written by wine writer and boxer Laura Starr and features some 450 photos by Guy Roland, who has been documenting the event since the beginning.

Boxing is all about discipline, respect, hard work and self-control, as well as fitness and camaraderie; the AFG program offers free mentorship and training to at-risk women and youth who may otherwise not have the resources to participate. Plus it’s a whole lot of fun for the bartenders, like Sabrine Dhaliwal and Jamie Cruickshank, who take part in the annual rumble and have learned to roll with the punches.

Blood, Sweat & Beers is available for $50 online at BloodSweatBeers. ca or at Eastside Boxing Club for direct pickup.

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or over a decade, Chambar has been known as not only a destination restaurant famous for its Belgian and Moroccaninfluenced cuisine, but also as a cocktail mecca that has attracted and nurtured some of the city’s top talent.

With a fantastic kitchen that produces bold flavoured dishes, the bar program works collaboratively to uphold these flavours, while being rooted in storytelling. The classic cocktail world is extremely dynamic; there are beverages that have outlasted multiple wars, multiple countries. The stories of the cocktails add interesting complexity to Chambar’s well considered list. Every cocktail is perishable art.

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568 Beatty St., 604-879-7119, ChambarRestaurant @Chambar_Restaurant

@Chambar

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Photo credit: Jenna Low

Victoria Distillers photo

Victoria Distillers produces the Twisted & Bitter lineup, which ranges from fruity (orange, grapefruit, schizandra) to spicy (pepper, ginger).

Bitter is better

COCKTAIL BIT TERS ARE A BARTENDER’S SALT AND PEPPER. HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO B.C.’S BEST

by Charlene Rooke

A

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ficionados of Old Fashioneds are familiar with oversize-label bottles of Angostura, the classic aromatic bitters from Trinidad and Tobago that have made a million cocktails sing. Signature mixes of botanicals, often originally used as medicine, have earned famous bitters brands like Sazerac, Peychaud’s and Amargo Chunchon (for Pisco Sours) a place in the classic-cocktail canon.

Today, it’s a bitter, brave new world, with several B.C. companies making both

traditional and innovative flavours. Try a few drops in a glass of sparkling water, or use bitters in a marinade or pandeglazing liquid when cooking. Note that most bitters have a base of around 45 per cent alcohol (Fee Brothers, with a plantbased glycerin base, excepted)—though since you only use a few drops, they don’t significantly increase the proof of your drink. Watch for Surrey’s Central City Brewers & Distillers to debut its bitters line soon: six local flavours hand-mixed and bottled by its brand ambassador, Christos Kalaitzis (see page 8).

MS. BETTER’S BITTERS

Damp evergreens on a mountain slope on a warm winter day: That’s the smell of Cypress Bowl, just one of this brand’s inventive bitters blends that “carry you through a journey” of senses and memories. Dash pure notes of orange, chocolate or grapefruit, or let Green Strawberry Mah Kwan and Pineapple Star Anise blends help create unique and unmistakable drinks. This brand has become an international bartender darling for a reason.

Watch for: Wormwood or Smoke and Oak, shortcuts to adding pure palatesmacking bitterness and barrel age, respectively, to your drinks.

Favourite use: Lime Leaf in a classic daiquiri.

Buy: msbetters.com

TWISTED & BITTER

With a copper-pot still and a ton of botanicals lying around, what’s a distiller to do? Victoria Distillers, aside from making award-winning gin, puts its assets to use in a line of bitters. Traditional orange (classic in a Martini) and versatile rosemary-grapefruit and ginger flavours turn your bar from the equivalent of a galley kitchen to a Michelin-starred flavour factory.

Watch for: Schizandra, an exotic berry that combines sour, sweet, salty, tangy and fruity tastes.

Favourite use: Black Pepper bitters to spike a Caesar.

Find: twistedandbitter.com

Andrew Kong photo

POST OPIUM DAIQUIRI THE BASE: 1.5 oz Havana Club 3-year-old rum 1 oz Ms. Better’s passionfruit purée 0.5 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice 0.5 oz Ms. Better’s demerara syrup 1 dash Ms. Better’s Lime Leaf Bitters Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice.

Hard shake and fine strain into a chilled coupe. If you like, top with the foam cap below and garnish with fine shreds of lime peel. Serves 1.

THE FOAM CAP: 7 oz (200 g) high-quality white chocolate 7 oz (200 g) coconut milk 0.75 mL Pisco Gobernador 0.5 oz St. Remy VSOP Brandy Sliced peel of 1 lemon (no pith) Combine ingredients in pot and simmer over lowest heat setting until chocolate melts. Strain out lemon peel. Pour warm liquid into an iSi siphon. Double charge the siphon, then apply to top of cocktail. In between uses, keep the siphon in a warm water bath as the chocolate will become firm at room temperature.

—Recipe from Ms. Better’s Bitters

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APPLEY DAPPLY 1.5 oz Victoria Gin 1.5 oz pressed apple juice 1.5 oz tonic water 2 dashes Twisted & Bitter ginger bitters Combine all ingredients on ice in an Old Fashioned or sherry glass. Stir and garnish with an apple slice. Serves 1.

Victoria Distillers photo

—Recipe from Victoria Distillers

THE APOTHECARY BITTERS COMPANY

The prescriptive-sounding name is a play on what these can do for your home bartending: “Remedies for cocktails.”

Bartender and brewer Cole Benoit makes small-batch brews—from aromatic General Ambrose’s to Mystic Caravan Smokey Pear—that add that “What is in this?” element to drinks. He collaborated with Long Table on its Amaro No. 1 Linnaeus, and you’ll find Apothecary bitters in heavy rotation in the tasting room there, as well as other local watering holes.

Watch for: A bourbon-barrel-aged edition of General Ambrose.

Favourite use: Spirit Fire Cherry Cedar bitters in an Old Fashioned.

Find: apothecarybitters.com 16

Apothecary Bitters photo

CURANDERO 2 oz blanco tequila 1 tsp agave nectar 1 tsp Port 2 dashes Apothecary ‘Mason Dixon’ Southern Pecan bitters Orange twist, for garnish Add all ingredients to a mixing vessel. Fill with ice and stir 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice (the larger the better) and garnish with an orange twist, squeezing the oils over the drink. Serves 1.

—Recipe from The Apothecary Bitters Company

Bittered Sling photo

CANADIAN COFFEE 1.5 oz Lot 40 Rye Whisky 0.75 oz maple syrup 4 oz hot brewed coffee 2 dashes Moondog Latin bitters Heavy cream, lightly whipped Grated cinnamon

BITTERED SLING

Take a talented chef’s palate and add a dash of global cocktailian flare, and you get the love child of Vancouver chef Jonathan Chovancek and bartender Lauren Mote. The wildly complex and creative formulas thrill “palate, plate and potion,” multi-tasking between kitchen and bar. Only whole botanicals (no extracts) are used. This brand doesn’t skimp on the essential bitter flavours: its name is an old-timey synonym for “cocktail.”

Watch for: Three gift packs containing six mini-bottles; the Bittered Sling Bistro recipe book.

Favourite use: Amaro-tinged Kensington in a Manhattan.

Find: bitteredsling.com

Build whisky, syrup, coffee and bitters in a coffee cup or heatproof glass, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serves 1.

—Recipe from Bittered Sling

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The reformation of Santa Teresa

WITH BOLD BACARDI DEAL, A LEGENDARY RUM EMERGES FROM VENEZUEL A

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ars. Runaway inflation. Gangs.

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The last 200 years have seen a lot of turmoil in Venezuela, and Ron Santa Teresa has been around for all of it. “The whole history of Venezuela has been quite volatile,” says brand ambassador Jason Browne. “The family is constantly battling outside forces to keep the company going.”

Today, despite being located in one of the world’s most unstable states, Santa Teresa’s owners, the illustrious Vollmer family, are not only continuing to make rum, but putting new energy into it, thanks to a 50/50 venture with Bacardi.

It’s an exciting development for an estate that dates back to 1796, before Venezuela’s 1810-’23 war of independence from Spain. That

war claimed the lives of the original plantation owners, leaving only one survivor, a daughter, who married the scion of a wealthy German merchant family. Their son installed the first copper still and started making rum.

Five generations later, the Vollmers continue to produce exceptional rum while grappling with rampant corruption, violence, 700-per-cent inflation and rigid state rules. Now with the Bacardi deal, the family plans to increase exports some 30 per cent by 2020. That’s good news for rum aficionados here in B.C. Santa Teresa is a rare single-estate rum.

The family grows the sugar cane in a fertile mountain valley that Browne describes as “prime climate for making rum.” They use a combination of pot and column stills, which, along with aging in second-use oak barrels, provide the wide range of flavours and textures that contribute to the rum’s rich complexity.

“The other interesting thing is that it is a solera-based system,” Browne says. “It’s a lot like making a sourdough. There’s always rum that’s been in there since the very beginning.”

For now only the Santa Teresa 1796 will be available here in B.C. A blend of four- to 35-year-old rums, it has notes of vanilla, toffee, dried fruit, spice, wood, leather and mellow tobacco. “It’s dry and it’s complex and drinks like a whisky,” Browne says. “It’s delicious. It’s got a very long, smooth and silky finish. It’s definitely a premium rum.”

And don’t think the history of Santa Teresa has been completely written yet.

The Vollmers have fought their country’s instability in myriad ways, with compassion, practicality and… rugby. When gang violence consumed their community, they built a rugby pitch so gang members could work out their rivalries on a muddy field. Today, gang-related crime in the area has almost disappeared.

Now Browne wants to hold a Santa Teresasponsored charity rugby match here in Vancouver. “It’s kind of like Aprons for Gloves… an amazing concept for bringing people together for a good cause,” he says.

Ron Santa Teresa 1796 is available at premium liquor stores around the province for a suggested price of $69.99.

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THE BON VIVANT OUR MAN-ABOUT-TOWN DISCOVERS THAT TAKING A SEAT AT THE BAR IS A SOCIAL ACT, EVEN FOR THE SOLO SIPPER

by Michael White

E

arlier this year, for no apparent reason, multiple stories were published about the stigma of eating in a restaurant alone, each of them offering counsel as to why no one should feel selfconscious for doing so. I appreciate these pieces having been written, but I don’t understand why they need to exist.

I’ve never felt self-conscious about dining solo. I’d argue, in fact, that it’s often a superior experience to dining as part of a couple or a group. Without the pressures or distraction of conversation, one can fully appreciate a meal, consume it at a preferred pace, and get lost in a book or people-watching or whatever private reveries help the mind relax and the heart sing.

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The most prominent of the abovementioned articles, at the website Eater, suggests it might actually work to your advantage in a major way: Ryan McCaskey, chef at Chicago’s two-Michelin-starred Acadia, says a table for one might be assumed a critic or an inspector, and staff

therefore fall over themselves to provide red-carpet treatment.

But what of going to a bar—a wellregarded cocktail bar, not some scruffy beer-and-wings tavern—alone? A casual survey of self-identified lone wolves revealed that, to many of them, this is a declaration of independence too far.

Too uncomfortable, too exposing, too potentially depressing, to contemplate.

(Curiously, they say this wouldn’t be their feeling if they were a visitor in some faraway city, where solitude is beyond their control. None of their servers or fellow patrons would know this, of course, but they would.)

We seem to have fallen a long way from the Mad Men era, when an adult apparently thought nothing of warming a barstool unaccompanied, holding a Martini aloft in one hand while using the other to scribble ideas onto the back of a napkin. What, exactly, do we now fear? Appearing friendless? Troubled?

Lecherous?

ONE CAN FULLY APPRECIATE A MEAL, CONSUME IT AT A PREFERRED PACE, AND GET LOST IN A BOOK OR PEOPLE-WATCHING OR WHATEVER PRIVATE REVERIES HELP THE MIND REL AX AND THE HEART SING.

(Please note: Another casual survey revealed that people, including servers, overwhelmingly could not care less about your public lack of companionship.)

Bar manager Luke McInnes has seen everything from his post behind the wood at Blue Water Cafe. The Yaletown seafood temple is rarely anything less than bustling with a wide assortment of neighbourhood dropins, itinerant foodies, busy executives and concierge-directed tourists. Blue Water’s long, elegant, impeccably stocked bar is something of a different world to the dining room, despite there being no barrier between them. McInnes says solitary customers reveal a great deal about themselves simply by virtue of which of these two worlds they choose to live in during a visit. “A table in the dining room is like an island,” he explains. “Some people want to be on an island. But others prefer to be on land—at the bar—where they might have some company.”

McInnes considers it part of his job to quickly assess a customer’s personality,

Illustration by Ryan Mitson

thus knowing whether to be purely transactional or to provide the attentive, sympathetic ear for which the bartender is renowned. His takeaway: Whether a person comes to a bar alone to be left alone or to try to lose their loneliness, the very act of pulling up a stool and taking receipt of a delicious cocktail is a therapeutic ritual that should be embraced and celebrated.

“The busier people are, the more inclined they are not to have anyone else around them, which isn’t good for anyone,” he says. “That’s where the therapy comes in: We need to be around people.”

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Distant distilleries THE CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF MAKING SPIRITS IN RURAL REGIONS

by Tim Pawsey

W

hat’s the flip side of the urban winery? That’ll be the rural distillery. Artisan distilling in British Columbia is on a roll, with some 60 distilleries in full operation, and at least a dozen more to open within the year (according to BC Distilled). While the Lower Mainland is home to many distilleries, there’s no shortage of them popping up in far-flung spots, from Shirley and Ucluelet to Wynndel and Wycliffe.

It takes chutzpah to set up a legal still in a remote environment. B.C., it seems, has no shortage of people with that “go get it” attitude, or of rugged surroundings.

Somehow, the two just seem to go hand in hand.

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There is in North America a long tradition of rural stills, most of which vanished with Prohibition. Now, with the advent of (slightly) saner liquor laws, they’re resurfacing with a vengeance.

Just what motivates someone to head for the hills with still in tow? Well, quality of life, for one thing. But rural distillers tend

to be even more passionate than their urban counterparts (if that’s possible), driven by local lore and with a marked independent streak.

One of the first out of the gate was Island Spirits (formerly Phrog) on picturesque Hornby Island. It takes two ferries to reach Hornby from Vancouver Island (or three from Vancouver), but plenty of people are willing to make the trip.

Island Spirits is part of the island’s appeal, ranking favourably on TripAdvisor with Hornby’s sandy beaches and idyllic parks.

A MUST-HAVE FOR A REMOTE DISTILLERY IS A FORK LIFT AND A ONE-TON TRUCK. Most of what distiller Pete Kimmerly makes is sold right out the door. As far as remote challenges go, he says, “Freight is a big issue.” In fact, his newest still (his third, a Holstein) was going to cost more to ship from Vancouver to Hornby than from Germany to Vancouver. So Kimmerly went and got it himself. He says: “A must-have for a remote distillery is a fork lift and a one-ton truck.”

Tim Pawsey photo

He produces gin and vodka as well as small-run items such as locally sourced elderflower liqueur and raspberry eau de vie. “When the cap comes off, you can smell it across the room,” he says. That rural streak is manifest in more esoteric tastes, such as the ever-popular Black Jelly Bean and Szechuan Pepper vodka.

Possibly coming soon: a schizandra berry spirit, crème de cassis and cinnamonpepper “fireball.” Making good spirits isn’t a problem, explains Kimmerly. “The biggest challenge is registering them.”

Josh and Jenn McLafferty moved to Revelstoke to establish Monashee Spirits following a serious motocross accident that ended Josh’s career as a commercial deep-sea diver. Both he and Jenn craved a return to their small-town roots

Because shipping to Hornby is so expensive, Island Spirits distiller Pete Kimmerly transported his shiny new still himself.

and picked Revelstoke as the perfect place for their dream. Two years on, “It’s turned out better than we could have ever imagined,” says Josh. “We’ve blown our five-year expectations out of the water. The community support is unbelievable.”

Such validation is vital for any business, but even more so in a rural setting.

The pair originally planned a purely commercial building. But they were drawn to downtown, where their combined distillery and tasting room has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. It’s already beyond capacity, so they will build that industrialzoned distillery (which will also offer much-needed whisky-barrel storage) while maintaining the downtown bar.

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WE’VE BLOWN OUR FIVE-YEAR EXPECTATIONS OUT OF THE WATER. THE COMMUNIT Y SUPPORT IS UNBELIEVABLE.

Monashee Spirits photo

In Revelstoke, Jenn and Josh McLafferty’s tasting room is both tourist draw and local hangout.

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“It’s become a huge tourist draw,” says Josh, adding, “Every bar and restaurant in town has our products and makes a cocktail to go along.” Another unexpected bonus: “In peak ski season there’s a lineup for every place in town, so, because we don’t compete, the restaurants send folks here and page them when the table’s ready. They can even look at the menu: We have them all,” he says.

reject cherries, plums, apples and grapes to make the brandy, aged in a Cabernet Franc wine barrel.

Monashee is heavily involved in the community, says Josh, with always “a few things on the go,” such as garlic vodka, made with Korean Blue cloves (it “tastes like liquid garlic bread”), to mark the annual Revelstoke Garlic Festival. For Bear Aware Brandy, also part of the Local Food Initiative, volunteers harvest ripe fruit for those unable to pick it, which deters the bears. Monashee takes the

Cases in point: Sheringham’s Seaside Gin, which uses winged kelp from nearby shores, or many of Pemberton Distillery’s organic spirits, which are based solely on local produce, such as Schramm Organic Potato Vodka, made from the Pemberton Valley’s most prized tuber.

While urban distillers tend to follow more established recipes—albeit with occasional variations—their rural counterparts often opt for the path less traveled. Sometimes it’s taken by necessity, but often driven just by the pure joy of local inspiration.

It’s all part of embracing that rugged, truly rural spirit.

Local rye and barley fields have just been harvested by BC farmers.

It’s now time to taste the difference.

This November, Odd Society launches their highly anticipated rye and single malt whiskies crafted from 100% local grain.

For a Great Espresso Martini...

TIA MARIA COFFEE LIQUEUR TIA ESPRESSO MARTINI 1 O Z . T I A MA RI A 1 O Z . V O DK A 1 O Z . E S P RE S S O ½ O Z . S I MP L E S Y RU P

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with coffee beans.

Please Enjoy Responsibly.

Represented by PMA Canada | pmacanada.com

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CLASSICS

Sizing up the Sazerac

Dan Toulgoet photo

Bartender Justin Taylor pours a Sazerac at The Cascade Room.

THE MYSTERIES OF NOL A’S SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

by Joanne Sasvari

W

hat is it with absinthe? Every time the herbal spirit gets involved, confusion and controversy seem to follow.

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Take the Sazerac, one of the world’s oldest and greatest cocktails and since 2008 the official state cocktail of Louisiana. For decades experts as revered as Dale de Groff, King Cocktail himself, traced the origins of the first cocktail to this anisescented variation on the Old Fashioned.

Sadly, it can’t be true, since the word

“cocktail” first appeared in print in 1806 and the apothecary who allegedly invented the Sazerac was only three years old at the time.

Still. It’s a good tale.

The way the story used to go, a man named Antoine Amedée Peychaud, descendant of wealthy Bordelaise physicians and Caribbean plantation owners, escaped the Haitian slave rebellions of the 1790s

FOR MOST OF ITS EXISTENCE, THE SAZERAC WAS MADE WITH NEITHER ITS ORIGINAL SPIRIT NOR ITS MAIN FL AVOURING AGENT.

“The record remains crooked.”

Dan Toulgoet photo

The Sazerac’s ingredients today call for rye, absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters.

to open an apothecary shop on New Orleans’ Royal Street. He created a brilliantly hued digestive bitter that he made palatable by mixing it with brandy, sugar and a splash of absinthe, using an egg-shaped vessel called a “coquetier,” pronounced “kok-tay,” to do so. Say that a few times after a few Sazeracs, and you can see why people think that’s where the word “cocktail” originated.

Except it didn’t. While there’s no consensus on its origins, the word “cocktail” most likely evolved from horse racing terminology.

In fact, the Sazerac was likely invented in the 1830s, assuming Peychaud actually invented it, which he might not have.

It’s said he concocted it at the Sazerac Coffee House, or that he used Sazerac-deForge-et-Fils Cognac, and that’s where the name came from. Or maybe not. Despite intensive research, legendary cocktail historian David Wondrich insists he has been unable to find a reference to a Sazerac cocktail until the 1890s. And that one was made with maraschino liqueur instead of absinthe. Still, the tall tales linger. As Wondrich has said, resignedly:

In any case, if there was a brandy drink made with Peychaud’s bitters in the 1830s, by the 1870s it had evolved into a whisky drink, most likely as the result of two historic events. During the American Civil War of 1861 to ’65, blockades prevented imported spirits from landing on U.S. shores; at the same time, phylloxera had begun methodically destroying European vines, leading to a shortage of brandy. A homegrown solution was needed, and the answer was sweetly spicy American rye.

And then there’s absinthe, the overproof mountain-herb-infused spirit that’s used to rinse the Sazerac glass. It, too, became popular in the wake of phylloxera, when wine became too expensive for many people to drink casually. Absinthe became associated with a “louche,” even criminal lifestyle. Social conservatives claimed the wormwood in the spirit’s botanical mix contained an ingredient, thujone, that drove people mad. (It didn’t.) By 1915, absinthe was banned nearly worldwide and not legalized again until 2011. In the meantime, barkeeps turned to pastis such as Pernod, Herbsaint or Ricard.

That means for most of its existence, the Sazerac was made with neither its original spirit nor its main flavouring agent, and the guy credited with its creation may not have done so when or where they say he did, or at all.

Seems that the only thing that is isn’t a mystery about the Sazerac is how delicious it is.

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Dan Toulgoet photo

SAZERAC

A g reat classic that belongs in ever y barkeep’s repertoire.

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1 tsp (approximately) absinthe or pastis 1 cube sugar or 1 tsp simple syrup 3 or 4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters 2 oz Cognac, rye whisky, or a mix of both Lemon peel for garnish

Rinse the inside of a chilled Old Fashioned glass with the absinthe and discard any excess. (Alternatively, you can spritz it with a small atomizer.)

In a separate mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube and bitters together; adding a drop or two of water helps dissolve the sugar.

(Or just use simple syrup.) Add the brandy or whisky and ice; stir until sugar is fully dissolved and you’ve reached your preferred level of dilution. Strain into the chilled glass. Twist the lemon peel over the drink and drop it in. Serves 1.

La Noche 1oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum 1oz Amaro Averna 0.5oz Licor 43 1.5oz Cold Espresso Chocolate Bitters Orange Oil

Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice and shake. Double strain into tumbler.

Zest orange over top.

Discard peel.

—Junior Alexander, bar manager

1014 Main Street • bodegaonmain.ca • Open Daily 11am-midnight Happy Hour Daily 3pm-6pm • Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11am-3pm Gran Reserva Lower Lounge • DJ • Private Bookings Open Thursday 7pm-1am • Friday & Saturday 6pm-2am @bodegaonmain @bodegaonmainVan #bodeganights

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HOME BAR

Dan Toulgoet photo

Perfectly preserved pears, from left, as purée, in syrup or dehydrated into chips

Perfect pears FALL’S FAVOURITE TREE FRUIT MAKES A GREAT ADDITION TO AUTUMNAL COCKTAILS

by Justin Taylor

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T

here is a sublime comfort in autumn, as the breezy aroma of fallen leaves wafts away the smoke of our sultry summer. One of my favourite things to do in the fall is to cruise out to the local farmers markets and fill my basket with delicious local fruits and vegetables. As a cocktail maker, I love

loading up on things that I can preserve and keep around through what is sure to be another cold, wet and dreary Vancouver winter.

This year, my focus is on pears. Often overlooked by cocktail makers, pears are a versatile ingredient when mixing

PRE-PEAR YOURSELF! Enjoy the sweet flavour of pears all winter.

CARAMELIZED PEAR PURÉE

¼ cup butter 4 Bosc pears, quartered and cored ½ cup brown sugar

1 oz VS Cognac Pinch each of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

In a saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add pears, flesh side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning halfway through, until both sides are golden. Add sugar and cook until sugar dissolves.

Add Cognac and continue to cook until the pears are caramelized to a dark brown colour, another 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add spices. Cool slightly, then place in a blender and process until smooth.

Pour any unused purée into ice cube trays and freeze. Store purée cubes in an airtight container in the freezer to use as needed. Makes about 2 cups.

JAL APEÑO PEARS IN SYRUP

fine drinks. Their juice provides delicate and sweet flavours; their flesh provides a rich texture to add depth to your cocktails. Pears also make a beautiful garnish and are a fantastic base for a sweet and savoury purée.

An abundance of pears grow throughout British Columbia, especially in the Okanagan Valley. Bartlett, Anjou, Bosc—each variety has its own unique characteristics that make wonderful additions to a cocktail recipe. The following recipes use some of my mum’s old preserving techniques and conjure up wonderful memories of years gone by. Follow the step-by-step instructions or come up with your own perfect pear cocktail.

15 pears, any variety 5 jalapeño peppers, seeded and slice crosswise 4 cups cold water

¼ cup lemon juice 2 cups sugar

Place three 1L mason jars and lids in a large pot with canning rack, cover with water and bring to a boil. While waiting for water to boil peel, halve and core the pears. (Use a melon baller to create a nice round shape.) To keep the pears from browning, place them in a bowl of lemon water (4 cups water to ¼ cup lemon juice).

In a medium saucepan, combine water, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar has completely dissolved.

Remove jars from boiling water. Remove pears from lemon water and place in the jars. Add the jalapeños. Cover with the syrup, leaving 1 inch of space at the top.

Remove any air bubbles with a non-metallic utensil and wipe the rim of the jar with a clean cloth. Centre the snap lids on the jars and screw 33 the rings down until finger tight. Place the jars back in the canning pot, making sure they are covered by at least 1 inch of water. cover. Bring water back up to a boil, then process for 15 minutes.

Remove the jars from the water and cool. If the snap lids “pop,” you know you’ve created a proper seal; if they don’t, refrigerate and eat the pears within a week.

Dan Toulgoet photo Cocktails created by Justin Taylor

CHUZZLEWIT’S PEAR

¼ Anjou pear 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 0.75 oz blended scotch whisky 0.75 oz amontillado sherry 0.5 oz Sons of Vancouver amaretto 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

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In a cocktail shaker add the pear and lemon juice and mash with a muddler. Add remaining ingredients and ice, then shake vigorously. Strain over crushed ice in a cobbler glass. (Bits of pear pulp add to the look and texture off the drink). Garnish with a pear fan and a re-usable straw.

Serves 1.

SPICY PEAR OLD FASHIONED

2 oz Canadian rye whisky 0.25 oz jalapeño and pear syrup (see note) 3 dashes Angostura bitters In a mixing glass, add the whisky, syrup and bitters with ice.

Stir for 15 seconds. Pour over a large ice cube in a double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a slice of dehydrated pear chip (see note). Serves 1.

NOTE: To make the dehydrated pear chips, slice pears (any variety) about a quarter-inch thick using a sharp knife or mandolin, and remove seeds. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heavily dust both sides with icing sugar. Place in an oven preheated to 250°F and dry for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Cool and store in an air-tight container.

MEZCAL MULE

2 oz mezcal 0.25 oz jalapeño and pear syrup (see note) 0.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice 4 oz ginger beer, preferably Dickie’s Build ingredients over crushed ice in a mason jar. If you like, garnish with a preserved pear in jalapeño syrup (see recipe on page 33) and a re-usable straw. Serves 1.

NOTE: To make the jalapeño and pear syrup, cube and core 3 pears, then place in a pot and mash lightly. Add: 1 jalapeño pepper sliced into coins, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool, strain, bottle and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

COGNAC & PEAR BRÛLÉE

1.5 oz. Remy Martin VS Cognac 0.5 oz Bénédictine liqueur 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 0.75 oz pasteurized liquid egg white 1 oz caramelized pear purée (see recipe on page 33) 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 tsp cinnamon sugar Place all the ingredients minus the cinnamon sugar in a cocktail shaker. Dry shake (without ice) for 10 to 15 seconds. Add ice and shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds. Double-strain cocktail into a chilled coupe glass.

Sprinkle the top of the cocktail with the cinnamon sugar.

Use a small hand-held torch to lightly brûlée the cocktail.

If you like, garnish with a dehydrated pear chip (see note).

Serves 1.

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Tourism Victoria photo

HAVE GLASS, WILL TRAVEL

Spirit of Victoria

12 GREAT PL ACES TO GET A DRINK IN THE VANCOUVER ISL AND CIT Y

by Joanne Sasvari

Y

ou could say that Matt Cooke has distilled the spirit of Victoria into his cocktails. The general manager at OLO Restaurant transforms Vancouver Island spirits and local produce into the kind of creatively food-friendly sippers that complement chef-owner Brad Holmes’ fresh comfort food so well. There’s often whisky or gin—Victorians love the smoky and botanical flavours of the British Isles—and a subtle nod to the classics. At the same time, Cooke conjures flavours that are completely new, and often made from scratch.

And he’s not alone. Despite its relatively small size, with a population about an eighth of Vancouver’s, Victoria has a vibrant cocktail scene that makes it truly a great place to get a drink, especially at these 12 watering holes.

THE LATEST...

Veneto Tapa Lounge in the Rialto Hotel has undergone a luxe reno and been

The B.C. Parliament Buildings are the centrepiece of Victoria’s vibrant Inner Harbour.

reborn as the upscale urban steakhouse Veneto Kitchen + Bar, where bar manager Brant Porter produces elegantly elevated (and rather sexy) drinks such as the Lava Lamp Negroni. venetodining.com Coffee? Cocktail? Can’t decide? Have both! At Sherwood Café & Bar, the founder of Habit Coffee, Shane Devereaux, has launched what might be the coolest new joint in town. Open morning to midnight, the Sherwood is a European-style coffeehouse/full service restaurant/cocktail bar/hangout. sherwoodvictoria.com If sake’s your thing (and it really should be), then head to E:Ne Raw Food and Sake Bar, which, aside from its excellent Japanese fare, offers one of the largest sake selections in Canada, as well as several creative cocktails. Their team of sake sommeliers can guide you through an extraordinary sipping experience. nuboene.com

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VICTORIANS LOVE THE SMOKY AND BOTANICAL FL AVOURS OF THE BRITISH ISLES

Tourism Victoria photo

Victoria Distillers was the first to open a tasting room with cocktail lounge; now it’s becoming a trend.

The tasting room trend has taken off in Victoria, too. Following the launch of Victoria Distillers’ tasting room on the Saanich Peninsula in 2016, Phillips Brewery has opened its own tasting room downtown, where guests can sample beer, spirits, tonics and a smart selection of cocktails. victoriadistillers.com, phillipsbeer.com Meanwhile, over in Dockside Green, Merridale is building a new LEEDcertified distillery, brewhouse and tasting room, with guidance from local bar legend Shawn Soole. They are planning to open next fall. merridale.ca

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Byron Smith photo

At Clive’s Classic Lounge bartender Julien Normand serves cocktails both new and traditional.

...AND GREATEST

Classics are classic for a reason, and so is Clive’s Classic Lounge at the Chateau Victoria. Bar manager Jayce Kadyschuk leads a team crafting wellmade and inventive cocktails in an elegant room that is one of very few Canadian establishments recognized by Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards. clivesclassiclounge.com When the Fairmont Hotel Empress announced it was closing the Bengal Lounge, many grieved—until they checked out the sleek, chic new Q Bar and its terrific selection of cocktails. fairmont.com/empress-victoria/dining/q-bar/ Guests can sample beer, spirits, tonics and cocktails at the Phillips Tasting Room.

Tourism Victoria photo

Byron Smith photo

ABOVE LEFT: The stylish new Q Bar has replaced the kitschy Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Hotel Empress.

LEFT: Little Jumbo pays homage to a historic saloon in 19th century New York.

Tourism Victoria photo

Named for the original Little Jumbo Saloon founded in 1866 by New York cocktail legend Jerry Thomas, Victoria’s Little Jumbo was recently ranked No. 29

by Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. littlejumbo.ca At Clarke & Co., owner Shane Clarke has created a casual little venue for tasty tapas and exceptional creative cocktails. clarke-co.ca At Argyle Attic, enjoy classic cocktails— and one of the best whisky lists in a town that’s known for its love of single malt— in a cosy Canadian chalet located right downtown. argyleattic.com

ABOVE RIGHT: Bartender West Bourget shakes up inventive new cocktails from local ingredients at OLO Restaurant.

Chic Cenote sits in the heart of the city, yet manages to stay under the radar, making it a perfect refuge for those who love inventive, handcrafted, witty cocktails like The Devil’s Workshop (Hendrick’s gin, Campari, Pimm’s No. 1, black walnut bitters, mint, lemon). cenoteloungevictoria.ca At OLO Restaurant, bartenders are known for their passion for local ingredients, which they shake up in cocktails like the tiki-inspired mix of spiced rum, Curaçao, pineapple weed and lime, or the spirit-forward combination of rye and amaro with candy cap mushroom. olorestaurant.com

Find cocktail recipes online at thealchemistmagazine.ca

39

STILL LIFE

It all comes out in the wash BREWER-DISTILLERS HAVE UNIQUE ADVANTAGES OVER THEIR STILL-ONLY COLLEAGUES

by Charlene Rooke

E

arly visitors to Yaletown Distillery on Vancouver’s Hamilton Street may have tripped to—or rather, over—its connection to Yaletown Brewing, a block away. Originally, the fermented base for the spirits came through a hose in the sidewalk. “The wash comes through this pipe now,” says brewer-distiller Tariq Khan, pointing toward the ceiling.

That supply chain of fermentedgrain wash is a key advantage of local businesses that make both beer and spirits, including relative newbies The 101 Brewhouse + Distillery in Gibsons and Moon Under Water in Victoria, as well as veterans like Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers in North Vancouver. Brewing on site guarantees a pipeline to so-called distiller’s beer, the essential raw material for making spirits.

“Making beer and whisky—and antibiotics or human growth hormone—is

fundamentally the same process,” says chemical engineer and fermentation scientist Graeme Macaloney. He’s the founder of Victoria Caledonian Spirits and Twa Dogs Brewery, where highly popular tours give a taste of how beer and spirits production intertwine. Macaloney is deeply invested in making fine whisky.

“That’s why we went to craft beer,” he says: It not only feeds the distillery, but goes to market in weeks or months instead of whisky’s long barrel-aging years.

It’s not just access to wash, but what goes into it, such as different yeasts, that sets brewer-distillers apart. “There’s lots of complication for brewers in the mash bill,” says Macaloney.

In Whitehorse, Two Brewers Whisky’s Bob Baxter proudly named his distillery for his and co-founder Alan Hansen’s Yukon Brewing expertise. Baxter explains that many large distilleries start with highly

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WE’RE PL AYING AROUND WITH DIFFERENT T YPES AND COLOURS OF BARLEY, DIFFERENT TOASTING LEVELS, DIFFERENT BARRELS. refined cereal alcohol. “It is not at all a nuanced approach to mash bills…this is not to be critical, but rather to point out the huge gap between [large Canadian whisky makers] and what we and other small producers are doing.”

At Central City Brewers & Distillers in Surrey, Gary Lohin is a brewer in a candy store, working with distiller Stuart McKinnon using “the same passion and experimentation that we do with our beer, and applying it to our distillation.”

Gesturing to a brewery lined with grain sacks and casks from around the globe, he says, “We’re playing around with different types and colours of barley, different toasting levels, different barrels.”

Smaller distillers tend to work with the same few malts from a couple of local suppliers. “It’s like saying to a baker, you can only use white flour,” says Lohin.

Local businesses like Phillips Brewing & Malting in Victoria are busting that limitation with an in-house malting plant that supplies its in-house distillery, plus a few lucky others.

A natural fluency with barrel-aging helps G&W head distiller Alastair Lindsay, who, like many distillers, is a former brewer— he pioneered the cask-aging program at Stanley Park. Companies like Scotland’s Innis & Gunn have built entire brands around aging beer in spirits barrels, a collaboration that could come naturally to B.C.’s brewer-distillers.

Lindsay believes craft spirits need to do “the same thing craft beer did,” converting existing beer drinkers to something local and small-batch. “They’ll pay a little bit more for quality. They’ll pay a little bit more for reduced yields.”

The case for B.C.’s growing brewerdistiller sector depends on it.

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TASTING PANEL

Amour for amaro

Dan Toulgoet photo

The Alchemist tasting panel savoured the bold flavours of local digestive bitters ranging from a delicate dry vermouth to a powerfully herbal amaro.

THE ALCHEMIST’S TASTING PANEL REVELS IN THE COMPLEXITIES OF MADE-IN-B.C. AMAROS, VERMOUTHS AND APERITIFS

by Joanne Sasvari

C

onsider them the supporting actors of the cocktail world: complex, helpful and a little bitter. Vermouths, aperitifs and amaros are typically fortified wines—though some are sweet enough to be considered liqueurs— flavoured with botanicals such as citrus peel, spices, roots and herbs. They typically have a somewhat bitter profile, hence the name “amaro,” which means bitter in Italian.

It takes a sophisticated palate to appreciate a good bitter drink, so not

too surprisingly, Vancouver bartenders were eager to sample the best of B.C. amaros. We sat down with Alex Black of Tableau Bar Bistro, Amber Bruce of The Keefer Bar, cocktail consultant Sabrine Dhaliwal, Robyn Gray of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia and The Botanist’s Jeff Savage to get at the bitter truth.

On their wish list? More of these products. As Gray said, “Being able to make a dry Martini with a really dry vermouth out of the Okanagan would be the very best thing that could happen.”

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Dan Toulgoet photos

ODD SOCIETY BITTERSWEET VERMOUTH Halfway between a sweet vermouth and a dry one, this vermouth features 25 botanicals and is fortified with malted barley spirit, which gives it an unusual depth of flavour. “I’d compare it to an Americano, not a vermouth,” Black said.

Added Savage, “Is their aim to be Punt e Mes?” Bruce detected lots of clove and savoury spices, while Dhaliwal got a candied fruit flavour. “It toes the line for me of an amontillado sherry,” she said, “the viscosity, the honeyed notes, that musty flavour. I think it’s good, but it’s confused in identity.”

Cocktail: Savage has used the Odd Society vermouth in a Vancouver cocktail, but suggests making a Cobbler with it. Black agreed: “A fall cobbler, with spice.”

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DE VINE MODERNA VERMOUTH This dry vermouth was adapted from a 1786 recipe; to make it, de Vine uses their own wine and spirit, infused with 30 botanicals. But there was one surprising note that dominated the rest.

“It’s super olive-y,” said Savage. Gray

The tasting panel, from left: Jeff Savage, Amber Bruce, Alex Black, Sabrine Dhaliwal and Robyn Gray.

agreed: “Huge olive.” The bartenders found that the Moderna’s savoury flavour and bright, mouth-watering acidity compared nicely with some Spanish vermouths. “It’s growing on me,” Dhaliwal said after a few sips.

Cocktail: While several options were suggested, including a spritz or Hanky Panky, in the end they agreed with Black, who said: “This is something I’d pull out of the fridge at night and enjoy it on its own.”

BITTERHOUSE DAMAN APERITIF The first of three aperitifs produced by Delta’s Goodridge & Williams Distilling, this grapefruit- and pomelo-flavoured libation is similar to the citrusy aperitifs enjoyed in Italy, and designed especially for cocktails.

Right away, the bartenders detected notes of Jolly Ranchers and Fresca.

There was loads of grapefruit here, but the bartenders also noted that DaMan is quite sweet, which can be effective in a cocktail provided the other ingredients are balanced.

Cocktail: Savage wanted to use it in a G&T along with a splash of rosewater.

Dhaliwal thought Paloma. And Bruce

RIGHT: Jeff Savage, left, and Alex Black detect subtle aromas in the glass.

BELOW: There were no colourless spirits at this tasting, but bold flavours and powerful aromas.

suggested: “Throw this in in a Bellini machine and see what comes out at the other end. Fro-maro.”

Dan Toulgoet photo

BITTERHOUSE LADAME With its sweet candied orange notes and vivid sunset hue, this is G&W Distlling’s made-in-B.C. take on Aperol. It’s lighter in texture, though, and not as sweet, with subtle woodsy notes from roots and herbs. As Savage said, “It’s definitely more bitter than Aperol.”

“It tastes like when you finish a popsicle, that dry tinge,” Bruce said. Gray agreed: “Like licking an orange popsicle stick.”

Cocktail: “I think the wood notes would be good to do a straight sub for the Aperol in a Paper Plane,” Black suggested. “A Creamsicle—with cream and bubble,” Gray said. Added Dhaliwal: “It would be good Grasshopper style, with all that cream.”

BITTERHOUSE RUBATA The bright red hue is the clue here: This slightly bitter, rhubarb-flavoured aperitif has a similar profile to the Italian aperitif Campari. Indeed, G&W recommends using it in that classic Campari cocktail, the Negroni.

“I’m not getting that Campari bitter orange kick at all,” said Gray, adding, “It’s smooth. It’s good.” “For me, if I’m going to compare it to Campari, I’m not going to like it,” Savage said. “But on its own, it’s got some nice fruit and spice.”

Cocktail: The bartenders agreed this would work well in cocktails like the Americano, Old Pal or Negroni, especially an all-B.C. Negroni.

LEGEND DISTILLING NARAMARO “This is the best local product I’ve tried in a long time,” Black said of the amaro from Naramata. Bruce agreed: “As far as products coming out of B.C., this is really good.” She admired its balance; Dhaliwal liked the acidity; Savage its perceived sweetness.

Each bartender also picked up different flavours in what was perhaps the most complex of all the products tasted: sticky toffee pudding; Toblerone orange;

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LONG TABLE LINNAEUS AMARO NO. 1 Made in collaboration with Cole Benoit of The Apothecary Bitters Company, what’s billed as Western Canada’s first amaro is made with 29 different botanicals and a Merlot pomace base.

Dan Toulgoet photo

Amber Bruce, left, and Sabrine Dhaliwal exchange tasting notes.

candied orange; marzipan. “It could be a bitter version of Bénédictine,” Savage said.

“It’s super Christmassy,” Black added, “like opening a box of Pot of Gold.”

Cocktail: Whisky cocktails like Manhattans were the go-to here, whether Scotch, bourbon or rye. Or, as Savage said, “Honestly, a rock and an orange twist would be good with it.”

ODD SOCIETY MIA AMATA Named in part for master distiller Gordon Glanz’s daughter Mia, who co-produced it, this complex digestive liqueur is flavoured with exotic botanicals, many with aphrodisiacal properties, including myrrh gum, kola nut, candied plum, vanilla and cacao.

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Even though Long Table describes it as a liqueur, the bartenders felt this amaro was very dry, perhaps because of its relatively high alcohol content (40 per cent ABV). They also detected plenty of spice, especially cinnamon and green cardamom. And it was strong. “You could dash it in as a bitter,” Gray said. “Maybe that’s what Cole was going for.”

Cocktail: “If I’m making a Canadian Old Fashioned, this is what I want to reach for,” Black said. “A Canadian rye like Albert Premium Dark Horse, maple syrup and this as the bitter.”

THE WOODS AMARO In addition to traditional ingredients such as citrus, The Woods uses rhubarb, gentian root, wormwood and B.C. botanicals including grand fir needles and blackberry honey.

“It’s very floral,” Black said. “I’m getting a little grapefruit pith, too.” Savage, on the other hand, detected “almost a creamy white chocolate element.”

“I just get a ton of plum on the nose,” Savage said. Added Dhaliwal: “And so much cinnamon on the palate.” “I get bitter chocolate and cardamom. It’s kind of floral, too,” said Bruce.

The bartenders noted that, like the Odd Society Bittersweet vermouth, The Woods Amaro varies a bit from batch to batch and that this one seemed sweeter than most. “But that’s the beauty of craft spirits,” Gray said. “They’re rough, they’re not defined.”

Cocktail: “I would toss it in an Espresso Martini,” Savage said. “Just sub that out for the coffee liqueur.” “An Amaro-cino,” Black said.

Cocktail: “We’re making a bourbon Old Pal with this,” Bruce said. Savage agreed: “I think the Old Pal idea is good.

Anything bourbon, stirred.”

SMALL BATCH, MADE FRESH WEEKLY

only whole, all natural ingredients dickiesginger.com

@dickiesginger

CHILLY OUTSIDE?

WARM UP WITH OUR SELECTION OF LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS open daily 10am-11pm • delivery available 1218 west pender, vancouver • 604.685.1212 coalharbourliquorstore.com

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B.C. DISTILLERY LISTINGS

DISTILLERY LEGEND

(on-site services offered)

YOUR GUIDE TO THE SPIRIT MAKERS This province’s 60 artisan distilleries are producing everything from vodka to vermouth. Discover B.C.’s best spirits with our updated guide to the producers, tasting rooms and so much more.

VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS Ampersand Distilling Father and son Stephen and Jeremy Schacht hand-craft their spirits on five acres of organic farmland in the Cowichan Valley, distilling gin and vodka from B.C. wheat.

Products: Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka, Imperative Dry Vermouth, Nocino 4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan, 250-737-1880 AmpersandDistilling.com @AmpDistillingCo

Arbutus Distillery 50 Head distiller Michael Pizzitelli brings both a background in science and his experience in brewing to Arbutus Distillery’s ever-growing range of botanicalforward spirits.

Tasting room

Cocktail lounge

On-site sales

Food

Tours Many distilleries are small operations. We always recommend calling before your visit to confirm opening hours and product availability.

Products: Coven Vodka, Empiric Gin, Baba Yaga Absinthe, Grand Visco Brandy, Amaro, Owl’s Screech Vodka, Blue Gin, Birch Liqueur, Elderflower Liqueur, Canadian Single Malt Whisky 1890 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo 250-714-0027 Arbutus-Distillery.com @ArbutusDistillery @ArbutusDistill

De Vine Spirits This Saanich-based distillery is proud to use local fruits, honey and grains in their spirits. Also a winery, they use their own grapes as the base for their Vin Gin. Named B.C. Distillery of the Year at the International Spirit Awards in New York.

Products: Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky, Ancient Grains Spirit, Genever Gin, Vin Gin, New Tom Barrel-Aged Gin, Honey Shine Silver, Honey Shine Amber, Black Bear Spiced Honey Rum, Bianca Vermouth, Moderna Vermouth, De Vine Kiss Strawberry Vodka, Sloe Gin

6181B Old West Saanich Rd., Saanichton, 250-665-6983 DeVineVineyards.ca @DeVineVineyards

Fermentorium Distilling Co. Fermentorium, created by Phillips Brewing Company, uses a 1920s British still named Old George to help make its West Coast gin. Its collection of tonic waters elevates even the most basic of highballs.

Products: Stump Coastal Forest Gin, Hop Drop Elixir, Handcrafted Tonics 2010 Government St., Victoria 250-380-1912 Fermentorium.ca @PhillipsBreweryCo @PhillipsBeer

Island Spirits Distillery At this Hornby Island distillery, icebreaker Capt. Peter Kimmerly

has joined forces with organic chemist Dr. Naz Abdurahman to craft quality spirits, notably gin, using classic and creative botanicals.

Products: Phrog Gin, Phrog Vodka, Aquavit, Vanilla Vodka, Wicked Orange, Raspberry Eau de Vie, fruit brandies (seasonal), Holunderbluten (Elderflower Liqueur) 4605 Roburn Rd., Hornby Island, 250-335-0630 IslandSpirits.ca

Merridale Craft Spirits This Vancouver Island cider business applied their traditional fruit focus to distilling, creating a range that includes gin, fruit brandies, a rested whisky and even a carbonated vodka.

Products: Cowichan Gin, Cowichan Copper Gin, Cowichan Vodka, Cowichan XXO Brandy, Whisky Jack’s, Cowichan Pear Brandy, Cowichan Cider Brandy, Oaked Harvest Cider, Apple Dessert Cider, Cowichan Rhumb, Spiced Rhumb

plans to open its new lounge by this fall.

Products: The Shaft, Vodka, Orange Vodka, Citrus Gin, Espresso Vodka, Lime Vodka, Fruit Liqueurs 350 A Bay St., Victoria 250-380-0706 MoonDistillery.ca @MoonBrewery

Pacific Rim Distillery The owner of this Ucluelet distillery is a fourth-generation distiller who uses old family recipes refined for a modern palate. He uses 100 per cent malted barley as his base with a wild yeast culture propagated in Barkley Sound.

Products: Humpback Vodka, Lighthouse Gin 2-317 Forbes Rd., Ucluelet @PacificRimDistilling

Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery

PO Box 358, 1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill 250-743-4293 MerridaleCider.ca @MerridaleCider

In January 2017, after managing the Garry Oaks Winery, Cordon Bleu-trained chefs Michael and Rie Papp opened the Gulf Island’s first distillery, where they produce white spirits.

Moon Distillery Ltd.

Products: Hive Vodka, Sting Gin, Honeycomb Moonshine, Apple Pie Moonshine

The new distillery from Victoria’s Moon Under Water Brewery has released its first products and

194 Kitchen Rd., Salt Spring Island 250-221-0728 @SaltSpringShine

Shelter Point Distillery Self-described “farmpreneur” Patrick Evans and family established a distillery on their 380-acre farm near Campbell River, growing their own barley for single-malt whisky and vodka.

Products: Shelter Point Single Malt Artisanal Whisky, Shelter Point Cask Strength Whisky, Montfort District Lot 141 Single Grain Whisky, French Oak Double Barreled Whisky, Canada One Artisanal Vodka, Sunshine Liqueur 4650 Regent Rd., Campbell River 778-420-2200, ShelterPoint.ca @ShelterPointDistillery @ShelterPoint_Distillery @ShelterPoint

Sheringham Distillery Jason MacIsaac was a successful chef before he turned distiller, and he brings his local, sustainable attitude toward food to his small-batch spirits. The distillery’s akvavit won Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year in 2018.

Products: Akvavit, Seaside Gin, Vodka, Red Fife Whisky (February 2019) 252-6731 West Coast Road, Sooke 778-528-1313 SheringhamDistillery.com @SheringhamDistillery @SheringhamBC

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Stillhead Distillery Owned by the Colebank family— Brennan and Erica, and his parents Ron and Christal—this craft distillery in the Cowichan Valley ferments and distills all their spirits from B.C.-grown fruits and grains.

Products: Vodka, Gin, Wild Blackberry Vodka, Barrel Aged Gin, Kirsch, Apple Brandy 105-5301 Chaster Rd., Duncan, 250-748-6874 Stillhead.ca @StillheadDistillery

Launched in 2008, Victoria Gin graces bars across the country.

The distillery has since released two more expressions of gin, as well as the Twisted & Bitter range of cocktail bitters.

Products: Victoria Gin, Oaken Gin, Empress 1908 Gin, Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Sidney Spiced, Chocolate Liqueur, Craigdarroch Whisky, Twisted & Bitter bitters 9891 Seaport Pl., Sidney 250-544-8217 VictoriaDistillers.com @DrinkVicGin @VicDistillers @EmpressGin1908

Victoria Caledonian Brewery and Distillery

Wayward Distillation House

Back in his native Scotland, Graeme Macaloney fell in love with whisky, but it was here in Canada that he realized his dream to make it. While it ages, guests can also enjoy his gin and vodka.

Harking bark to the earliest recorded alcohols, Comox-based Wayward starts all its products by first creating mead to form the base and add a touch of sweetness on the nose.

Products: Mac Na Braiche Single Malt Spirit, Macaloney’s Twa Cask Speyside, Macaloney’s Twa Cask Highland, Macaloney’s Twa Cask Islay, whisky casks 761 Enterprise Crescent, Victoria, 778-401-0410 VCaledonian.com @VictoriaCaledonian 52 @VCaledonian

Victoria Distillers

Products: Drunken Hive Rum, Raspberry & Ginger Vodka Infusion, Garstin’s Pluder Raw Garlic Vodka, Caesar’s Ghost Pepper Vodka, Unruly Vodka, Unruly Gin, Wayward Order – Depth Charge Espresso & Cacao Bean Liqueur, Wayward Order – Krupnik, Wayward Order – Elixir 151, Wayward Order – Char #3 Bourbon Barrelled Gin 2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay 250-871-0424 WaywardDistillationHouse.com @WaywardDistillation @WaywardDH

LOWER MAINLAND, FRASER VALLEY & B.C. WEST COAST Anderson Distilleries Ian Anderson had planned to pursue a PhD in physics. Instead, he makes craft vodka, gin, liqueurs and intriguing products such as soju at his Burnaby distillery.

Products: Montague Sunrise, Montague Sunshine, Montague Sunset, Montague Mint, Montague Cinnamon, Crème D’Cassis, Crème D’Menthe, Crème D’Cafe, Limoncello, Lime’cello, Orangecello, Cinnamon Liqueur, London Dry Gin, Golden Gin, Tequila, Soju 106-3011 Underhill Ave., Burnaby, 604-961-0326 AndersonDistilleries.ca @AndersonDistilleries @AndersonDistill

Bruinwood Estate Distillery Located on the Sunshine Coast, the family-run Bruinwood produces handcrafted, smallbatch spirits from 100-per-cent B.C. grains, fruits and honey, as well as botanicals from around the world.

Products: Vodka, Gin

2040 Porter Road, Roberts Creek, 604-886-1371 Bruinwood.com @Bruinwood.Distillery @BruinwoodDistillery

Central City Brewers & Distillers The successful B.C. brewer of the popular Red Racer beers, Central City began distilling after it moved into a giant new facility in North Surrey in 2013.

Products: Lohin McKinnon Tequila Barrel Finished, Lohin McKinnon Single Malt, Lohin McKinnon Peated, Lohin McKinnon Lightly Peated, Lohin McKinnon Chocolate Malt, Lohin McKinnon VQA Wine Barrel Finished, Queensborough Gin, Queensborough Omakase Japanese Style Gin, Sparrow Rum, Peeled Orange Liqueur, Bitters by Christos 11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey 604-588-2337 CentralCityBrewing.com @CentralCityBrewing @CentralCityBrew

Crow’s Nest Distillery Rekindling the tradition of his Italian ancestors, Daniel Paolone, along with friend Ian Jarvis, is distilling spirits with local ingredients, starting with vodka and rum.

Products: Crow’s Nest Vodka, Crow’s Nest White Rum, Crow’s

Nest Spiced Rum 117-667 Sumas Way, Abbotsford 778-251-6002 CrowsNestDistillery.com @CrowsNestDistillery @Crows.Nest.Distillery @AHigherSpirit

Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers This North Shore distillery augments its rosemary-and-oliveinfused gin and award-winning vodka with a variety of smallbatch seasonal releases.

Products: Rosemary and Olive Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Barrel Aged Mediterranean Gin (limited), Barrel Aged Akvavit (limited) 2270 Dollarton Hwy., North Vancouver, 604-770-1136 DeepCoveCraft.com @DeepCoveBrewers @DeepCoveCraft

Dragon Mist Distillery Using wheat from Dawson Creek, Surrey-based Sherry Jiang is producing Canada’s only expressions of the traditional Chinese spirit, baijiu.

Products: Dragon Mist Vodka, Dragon Mist Baijiu, Dragon Mist Gin, Cranberry Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Limoncello 213-19138 26th Ave., Surrey 604-803-2226

DragonMistDistillery.com @DragonMistDistillery @DragonMistVodka

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits Friendship, a fun attitude, and a shared love of booze inspired Kelly Woods and John McLellan to start their Squamish-based distillery. Their spirits are designed to be cocktail friendly.

Products: Sin Gin, Raspberry Gin, VTwin Rye Vodka, Gastown Shine Vodka, Lemoncello, Aphro 8-38918 Progress Way, Squamish 604-390-1122 GillespiesFineSpirits.com @GillespiesFineSpirits @Gillespies

Goodridge & Williams Craft Distillers Goodridge & Williams is quickly becoming a national player in craft distilling, led by the bestselling Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka and award-winning Nütrl Vodka.

Products: Western Grains Whisky, Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka, Nütrl Vodka, Tempo Renovo Dry Gin, Bitterhouse Aperitifs, Sid’s Something Else!, Nütrl Vodka Soda, Tempo Gin Smash 7167 Vantage Way #8, Delta 604-376-0630 gwdistilling.com

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The Liberty Distillery With prime real estate on Granville Island, Liberty is open for tours, tastings and daily cocktails showcasing their vodka, different expressions of gin, and various whiskies.

Products: Truth Vodka, Truth Oat Vodka (Distiller’s Reserve), Endeavour Gin, Endeavour Old Tom Gin, Endeavour Gin Origins, Endeavour Pink, Railspur No. 1 – White, Railspur No. 2 – Wildflower Honey, Railspur No. 3 – Switch, Trust Whiskey – Single Grain, Trust Whiskey – Single Cask – Madeira, Trust Whiskey – Single Cask – Burgundy, Trust Whiskey – Canadian Rye 1494 Old Bridge St., Vancouver 604-558-1998 TheLibertyDistillery.com @TLDistillery

Long Table Distillery Gin is at the heart of Long Table, with London dry, cucumber and barrel-aged varieties fuelling its many awards. This downtown Vancouver distillery also produces vodka, as well as seasonal liqueurs.

Products: London Dry Gin, Cucumber Gin, Bourbon Barrel 54 Aged Gin, Texada Vodka, Långbord Akvavit, Barrel Aged Akvavit, VSOP Reserve ‘Pairs Of Pears’ Brandy, Amaro No. 1 – Linnaeus, Tradizionale Limoncello

1451 Hornby St., Vancouver 604-266-0177 LongTableDistillery.com @LongTableDistillery @LT_Distillery

Lucid Spirits This Delta-based distillery uses only local agricultural products in its spirits, which include a wheat-based whisky.

Products: Northern Vodka, Northern Gin, Apple Spirit, B.C. Rye Whisky 105B 8257 92nd St, Delta, 604-349-3316 LucidSpirits.ca @Lucid-Spirits @LucidSpiritHouse

Mad Laboratory Distillery Truly handmade using a small homebrew mill and a pump, Mad Laboratory’s vodka is triple distilled and carbon filtered from Armstrong barley and Champagne yeast.

Products: Mad Lab Vodka, Mad Lab Gin, Mad Dog Single Malt White Spirit, Blueberry Kombucha Cordial 119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver @MadLabDistilling @MadLabSpirits

North West Distilling Co. Using winter wheat, Maple Ridge-based North West creates its signature vodka by distilling it 10 times and cold-filtering eight times through charcoal.

Products: North West Vodka 104-20120 Stewart Cres., Maple Ridge 604-818-6972 NorthWestDistillingCo.ca @NWDistilling @NW_Distilling

Odd Society Spirits This East Vancouver distillery’s three founding self-described “odd” owners are busy producing different expressions of gin, vodka and both white (unaged) and single malt whiskies.

Products: East Van Vodka, Wallflower Gin, Salal Gin, Oaken Wallflower Gin, Mongrel Unaged Spirit, Crème de Cassis, Bittersweet Vermouth, Barrel Aged Vermouth, Mia Amata Amaro, Single Malt Whisky, Barrel Aged Rye 1725 Powell St., Vancouver 604-559-6745 OddSocietySpirits.com @OddSocietySpirits @OddSpirits

One Foot Crow A small-batch craft distillery

Asian inspired cuisine and cocktails created with fresh ingredients and surprising, light hearted twists.

HAPPY HOUR Daily 5-6:30 ½ price house-made dumplings & spring rolls $5 Strathcona draft, $6 house wine 158 East Pender Street • 604-568-1117 saiwoo.ca • @doyousaiwoo

The Canadian Professional Bartenders Association is a member-run non for profit society committed to establishing and upholding the highest standards in the proud trade of the career bartender. We consider continuous education, pride in service and principled responsibility to be the cornerstones of our profession, ideals we foster by building and maintaining community. The CPBA regularly organizes and executes educational seminars, competitions, product salons and meet-ups, and acts as a liaison between corporate brands and member businesses.

Hospitality is our business, and we love it.

canadianbartenders.com @BCBartender

BartenderBC@gmail.com

@BCBartender

/BCCPBA

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located on the Sunshine Coast (and named for an actual one-footed crow), this distillery produces artistic spins on traditional spirits, including a mineral-infused vodka.

Products: Vodka, Gunpowder Gin 1050 Venture Way, Gibsons OneFootCrow.com @OneFootCrow

Pemberton Distillery Master distiller Tyler Schramm uses local organic Pemberton potatoes as the base for his extensive range of spirits and liqueurs. The distillery anticipates its first release of eight-year-old organic single malt whisky this fall.

Products: Schramm Organic Gin, Schramm Organic Potato Vodka, Pemberton Valley Organic Single Malt Whisky, The Devil’s Club – Organic Absinthe, Organic Hemp Vodka, Organic Kartoffelschnaps, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy, Elderflower Liqueur (seasonal), Ginger Liqueur (seasonal)

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bartender-turned-distiller Brian Grant crafts rye-based spirits and other cocktail-friendly products.

Products: White Rye, Gin 1672 Franklin St., Vancouver 604-253-0059 ResurrectionSpirits.ca @ResurrectionSpiritsInc @ResurrectionSpirits

Roots and Wings Distillery Rebekah Crowley and Rob Rindt built a distillery and tasting room on their Fraser Valley farm where they crop 30 acres of potatoes and corn.

Products: Vital Vodka, Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka, Rebel, Jackknife Gin 7897 240th St., Langley 778-246-5247 RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca @RawStillHouse

Sons of Vancouver

1954 Venture Pl., Pemberton 604-894-0222 PembertonDistillery.ca @Pemberton.Distillery @PembyDistillery

James Lester and Richard Klaus are basking in the glow of global attention, following Kaitlyn Stewart’s use of their amaretto during the 2017 Diageo Reserve World Class Final.

Resurrection Spirits

Products: No. 82 Amaretto, Barrel Aged Amaretto, Vodka Vodka Vodka, Chili Vodka

Created by bartenders for bartenders. At this stylish East Van distillery, a team led by

1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388 SonsOfVancouver.ca @SonsOfVancouver

Stealth Distilleries Master distiller Randy Poulin and Stealth president John Pocekovic specialize in vodka made from field-dried Okanagan corn.

Products: Stealth Corn Vodka, Stealth Wheat Vodka #3-20 Orwell St. North Vancouver 604-916-4103 StealthVodka.com @StealthDistilleries

Tailored Spirits The team of Christopher Konarski, Max Smith and Taylor Dewar left careers in food, drink and hospitality to open this Vancouver distillery where they produce handcrafted spirits.

Products: Gin, Vodka Vancouver 604-619-9615 TailoredSpirits.com @TailoredSpirits

The 101 Brewhouse & Distillery Shawn Milsted is the master distiller at this young spirits house and brewhouse in Gibsons.

He’s making premium white spirits that play beautifully in the pub’s classic-inspired cocktails.

Products: 101 Gin, 101 Vodka 1009 Gibsons Way, Gibsons 778-462-2011

The101.ca @The101Gibsons

TheWoodsSpiritCo.com @WoodsSpiritCo

Von Albrecht & Associates

Yaletown Distilling Company

The award-winning XFour vodka range is distilled from rye and corn in Vernon; the lemonade base for their coolers is made from founder Marcus Von Albrecht’s great-grandfather’s recipe.

A successful brewpub in the heart of the city, Yaletown moved into spirits in 2013, distilling gin and vodka from B.C. barley.

Tours and tastings are available.

Products: XFour Handcrafted Vodka, XFour Bremner’s Blueberry Infused Vodka, XFour Xoxolat Chocolate Martini, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Infused Vodka, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Vodka Cooler, Percy’s Punch Vodka Cooler 2220 Vauxhall Pl., Richmond 604-249-0003 VonAlbrecht.com @XFourVodka @XFour_ @XFour_Vodka

The Woods Spirit Co. At last, Joel Myers and Fabio Martini have begun distilling at their own space. The tasting room is now open and a lounge is soon to follow. Their new gin takes a similar West Coast spin on a classic as their amaro does.

Products: Amaro, Cascadian Dry Gin 1450 Rupert Street, North Vancouver 778-996-7637

Products: Yaletown Small Batch Craft Vodka, Cranberry Vodka, Mandarin Vodka, Tequila Barrel Aged Vodka, Espresso Vodka, Artisan Honey Spirit, Yaletown Small Batch BC Gin, Cucumber Gin, Hopped Gin, Tequila Barrel Aged Hopped Gin, Yaletown Single Malt Canadian Whisky 1132 Hamilton St., Vancouver 604-669-2266 YTDistilling.com @Yaletown-Distilling-Company @YTDistilling

OKANAGAN, KOOTENAYS & INTERIOR After Dark Distillery Dean and Louise Perry moved from Alberta to the Shuswap to begin their distilling adventure.

They focus on flavoured moonshine, vodkas and whisky, but gin is also in the works.

Products: Copper Mountain Gin, Monashee Mountain Vodka, After Dark Burner Vodka, Monoshee Mountain Whiskey, Loud Mouth Soup, Monashee Mountain Espresso Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Mango Peach Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Maple Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Peach Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Mountain Dew Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Ginger & Honey Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Lemonade Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Iced Tea Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine 1201 Shuswap Ave., Sicamous 250-836-5187 AfterDarkDistillery.com @AfterDarkDistilleryLtd @After_Dark_Distillery @After_Dark_Dist

Bohemian Spirits Using botanicals foraged in the mountains around Kimberley, Bohemian produces small-batch hand-crafted vodka and gin.

Products: Vagabond Vodka, Limited Gin, Colossal Gin, Eclipse Coffee Liqueur, Forester Single Malt Oak Aged Gin 417A 304 St., Kimberley BohemianSpirits.com @GoodCheerHere

Dubh Glas Distillery Though whisky is owner Grant

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Stevely’s true passion, the first signature release from this Oliverbased operation was the smallbatch Noteworthy Gin, distilled from B.C. barley.

Products: Noteworthy Gin, Virgin Spirits Barley 8486 Gallagher Lake Frontage Rd., Oliver, 778-439-3580 TheDubhGlasDistillery.com @TheDubhGlasD

Endless Summer Distillery Located in sunny Kelowna, this distillery triple-distills its small-batch vodka, which is then filtered six times for a pure, clean spirit.

Products: Skaha Vodka, Okanagan Apple Pie Moonshine, Okanagan Peach Pie Moonshine Kelowna EndlessSummerDistillery.com

Estate Thurn Distillery A farm winery, vinegary and craft distillery producing fruit brandies and other handmade spirits, located on Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive.

Fernie Distillers Co-owner with her husband Andrew Hayden, Jillian Rutherford is one of the few female distillers in B.C. They established Fernie Distillers in 2016 in a historic building in downtown Fernie, where they produce small-batch spirits inspired by their vibrant community.

Products: No. 9 Mine Vodka, Fernie Fog (Earl Grey Liqueur), Prospector Gin 531 1st Ave, Fernie FernieDistillers.com

Jones Distilling Located in Revelstoke’s historic Mountain View School, this new distillery uses high-quality local products in its handcrafted spirits.

Products: Mr. Jones Vodka, Gin 616 Third St. West, Revelstoke JonesDistilling.com @JonesDistilling

7263 Gustafson Rd., Slocan 250-355-2702 kootenaycountry.ca @Kootenay-Country-CraftDistillery-Ltd

Legend Distilling In a former doctor’s office on the Naramata Bench, Dawn and Doug Lennie created Legend together, drawing on the local bounty of the Okanagan for the base and flavours of their gin and vodkas.

Products: Doctor’s Orders Gin, Shadow in the Lake Vodka, Black Moon Gin, Silver Moon Gin, Harvest Moon Gin, Slowpoke Farmberry Vodka, Slowpoke Sour Cherry Vodka, Blasted Brew Spiked Coffee, Manitou Orange and Sumac Liqueur, Naramaro, Wyatt Whisky 3005 Naramata Rd., Naramata 778-514-1010 LegendDistilling.com @LegendNaramata

Maple Leaf Spirits Kootenay Country Craft Distillery

Products: Gin, fruit eaux de vie 58 5214 Monro Ave. Summerland 250-809-2077 Bodega1117.com

Products: Valhalla Vodka, Kootenay Country Gin, Kootenay Country Honey Vodka

Lora and Kevin Goodwin strive to keep to the100-mile philosophy in their spirit production, using organic heirloom wheat, seasonal flowers and fruits, and spring water from the Selkirk Mountains.

Originally from Germany and now based in the Okanagan, Jorg Engel has created a range of fruit-based liqueurs, brandies and grappas, produced from distilling 100-per-cent B.C. fruit.

Products: Maple Liqueur, Pear Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur, Canadian Kirsch, Pear Williams,

Italian Prune, Aged Italian Prune, Skinny Gewürztraminer, Aged Skinny Syrah, Lady of the Cask Brandy 948 Naramata Rd., Penticton 250-493-0180 MapleLeafSpirits.ca @MapleLeafSpirits @Maple_Leaf_Spirits_Inc @MapleLeafSpirit

Monashee Spirits After Josh McLafferty shattered two legs, he had to give up his career as an underwater welder.

Naturally, he turned to distilling instead, making craft vodka and liqueurs on Revelstoke’s main strip.

Products: Vodka, Ethos Gin, Vulcan’s Fire Cinnamon Liqueur, Big Mountain Creamer, Garlic & Chili Vodka 307 Mackenzie Ave., Revelstoke 250-463-5678 MonasheeSpirits.com @MonasheeSpirits @Monashee_Spirit

Okanagan Crush Pad The Summerland winery makes two expressions of gin (one of them for Vij’s Restaurant), and a grappa-style spirit.

Products: Narrative 12 Botanical Gin, Narrative Spirit of the Vineyard, Narrative Fortified 16576 Fosbery Rd., Summerland 250-494-4445

okanagancrushpad.com @OKCrushPad

Okanagan Spirits A family-owned, award-winning distillery with a wide range of products to its name, including an absinthe and both rye and single malt whiskies. Tours and tastings are available in both its locations.

Products: Essential Vodka, Family Reserve Vodka, Essential Gin, Family Reserve Gin, BRBN Bourbon-Style Corn Whisky, Laird of Fintry Single Malk Whisky, BC Rye Whisky, BC Shine Unaged BRBN Whisky Taboo Genuine Absinthe, Aquavitus, Bartlett Pear (Poire Williams), Canados, Kirsch Danube, Bradshaw Plum (Old Italian Prune), Raspberry Framboise, Blackcurrant Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur, Cranberry Liqueur, Haskap Liqueur, Huckleberry Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Rhubarb Liqueur 5204 24th St., Vernon 267 Bernard Ave., Kelowna 250-549-3120 | 778-484-5174 OkanaganSpirits.com @OkanaganSpirits

Old Order Distilling Company At their Penticton distillery, Graham Martens and Naomi Gabriel take barley from Vanderhoof, malt it in Armstrong,

then distill it with spring water from Anarchist Mountain.

Products: Heritage Vodka, Legacy Gin, Black Goat Vodka, Blessed Bean Coffee Vanilla Liqueur, Wicked Brew Chocolate Coffee Liqueur, Harvest Raspberry Liqueur, Single Cask/ Single Malt Limited Release Canadian Whisky 270 Martin St., Penticton 778-476-2210 OldOrderDistilling.ca @OldOrderDistilling @Old_Order_Distilling @OldOrder_Spirit

Taynton Bay Distillers Using grains from Peace River country and Armstrong barley, this distillery based in Invermere creates clean, well-made spirits including a cheeky Canadian take on tequila.

Products: Vodka, Gin, Pickled Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Gringo’s Revenge, Sinferno Cinnamon Honey Liqueur, Ginger Matcha Tea Infused Cocktail, Strawberry Herbal Tea Infused Cocktail 1701B 6th Avenue, Invermere 250-342-5271 TayntonBaySpirits.com @TayntonBaySpirits @TayntonBay 59

True North Distilleries This carbon-neutral distillery based in Grand Forks produces

vodka, gin and other products, much of it flavoured with local organic fruit. This is the only distillery in Canada that grows sugar cane for making rum.

Products: Djinnnneh Elderberry Gin, Plum Brandy, Hulda Rum, Cherry Muscat, Hecate Spice Rum, Area D 54-40 Irish, After Dark White Rye, Traditional Rye Whisky, Scots Choice Whisky, Green Hit Irish Whisky-style Spirit 1460 Central Ave., Grand Forks 778-879-4420 TrueNorthDistilleries.com @TNDistillery

Products: Paul’s Tomb Gin, Spirit Bear Espresso Vodka, Spirit Bear Gin, Spirit Bear Naturally Infused Vodkas, Spirit Bear Vodka, Urban Single Malt Whisky, White Bear Spirit, Apricot Schnapps, Blackberry Liqueur, Blackcurrant Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Calvados, Cherry Liqueur, Peach Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Kirsch, Okanagan Muscat Grappa, Sweet Mead Honey Wine, Oaked Mead Honey Wine

from Creston Valley fruit in their hillbilly stills.

Products: Cape Brandy, Apple Brandy, Saskatoon Schnapps, Cherry Liqueur, Cherry Schnapps, Apricot Liqueur, Saskatoon Liqueur, Old Tom Apple Gin, Floral Gin 1331 Channel Road, Wynndel, WynndelCraftDistilleries.com

COMING SOON

VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS

Tumbleweed Spirits

325 Bay Ave., #6, Kelowna 778-478-0939 UrbanDistilleries.ca @UrbanDistilleries @SpiritBearVodka

Based in Osoyoos, this craft distillery makes a wide range of products including whisky, brandy, vodka and fruit-based moonshine.

Copper Kettle Spirits (Ladysmith) James Bay Distillers (Victoria) Western Red Distilling Company (Victoria)

Vernon Craft Distillery

LOWER MAINLAND, FRASER VALLEY & B.C. WEST COAST

Products: Apricot Moonshine, Buckie’s Apple Pie Moonshine, Cherry Moonshine, Fireweed Whiskey, Gin, Maple Moonshine, Midnite Brandy, Nine Mile Creek “Shine,” Rock Creek Rye, Sophia Esprit-de-Vin, Vodka #7-6001 Lakeshore Dr., Osoyoos, 778-437-2221 TumbleweedSpirits.com @TWCraftSpirits @TumbleweedSpirits 60

path to making his own liquor.

He now owns the largest craft whisky distillery in the province.

Under the direction of master distiller Kyle Watts, this new distillery in the north Okanagan is producing three different vodkas and is working on an apple pie moonshine.

Products: Vodka Vernon 250-306-4455 VernonCraftDistilleries.com @VernonCraft Distillery

Urban Distilleries

Wynndel Craft Distilleries

A trip to France and an unplanned tour of a Cognac distillery put Mike Urban on the

Master Distiller Pat Meerholz and his wife Jeanette produce schnapps and other spirits made

Copper Spirit Distillery (Snug Cove) New Wave Distilling (Abbotsford) Tallant Distillery (Vancouver)

OKANAGAN, KOOTENAYS & INTERIOR

Alchemist Distiller (Summerland) Distillery 95 (Radium Hot Springs) Elder Bros Farms Distillery (Wycliffe) Forbidden Spirits (Kelowna) Lost Boys Distillery (Fernie) Trench Brewing & Distilling (Prince George) Wiseacre Farm Distillery (Kelowna)

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THE LAST WORD COFFEE + BOOZE + CREAM = COLD-WEATHER BLISS. We say it’s time to bring the special coffee off the ski hill and back into our after-dinner repertoire, just in time for the chilly days ahead.

HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM COFFEE This recipe by Justin Taylor of The Cascade Room elevates the oft-maligned special coffee with high-quality ingredients.

2 oz homemade Irish cream (see recipe below) 5 oz strong, fresh-brewed coffee Chantilly or whipped cream (see note) Optional: Fresh grated hazelnut to taste Place Irish cream and coffee in a preheated coffee mug. Spoon cream on top, or use an iSi canister to apply. If you like, garnish with a bit of freshly grated hazelnut. Serves 1.

Note: To make Chantilly cream, whip 1 cup heavy cream, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp granulated sugar together until soft peaks form. + + +

HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM 1 can (390 g) condensed milk 1 tsp cocoa powder 1 tsp instant coffee 1 cup 10% cream (half-and-half) 1 cup Wiser’s or Irish whisky 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

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Dan Toulgoet photo

Place all ingredients in a 1L glass jar or other container and whisk together until blended.

Seal, label and refrigerate. Consume within a week or so. Makes about 3 cups.

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