The Alchemist • Issue 12 • Summer 2019

DIY G&T

Enjoy summer your own way

THEME BARS

Fun and games (and cocktails, too)

HAIL, CAESAR

Canada’s cocktail turns 50 in style

ABSINTHE

The green fairy fl ies back to B.C.

ROKU GIN

is an authentic Japanese premium craft gin, that is distilled with six unique Japanese botanicals and eight traditional gin botanicals, making it perfectly balanced.

HAKU VODKA

is made with 100% Japanese white rice and has three distinct steps in the distillation process that results in a taste profile that is clean, soft, and smooth with a sweet rice flavour.

595 Hornby St @royaldinette

08 – BAR BITES

News from the world of cocktails and spirits

14 – BEYOND JUNIPER

How B.C. gins are defining their own terroir by Tim Pawsey

20 – HEY, B A RTENDER

Romancing the cocktail at the season’s wedding parties by David Wolowidnyk

24 – TH EME SCENE

The bars where everyone knows your game by

Gail Johnson

28 – AB SINT HE

The green fairy makes a comeback in B.C. by Charlene Rooke

33 – HOME BAR

A step-by-step guide to making DIY gin by Justin Taylor

38 – C LASSICS: TH E C AESAR

Canada’s cocktail turns a glamorous 50 by Joanne Sasvari

42 – S TILL LIFE

Roll out the barrels—if you can find ’em by Charlene Rooke

30– The Green Beast 31–

Toulgoet photo

46 – T ASTING P ANEL

A blind sampling of international gins

52-61 – D ISTILLERY LISTINGS

Our guide to B.C. distilleries

62 – TH E L AST WORD

All the buzz on the Bees Knees

Hail Mary’s photo Dan

Contributors

Joanne Sasvari is the editor of The Alchemist and Vitis magazines. She is a WSET-certified writer-editor who covers food, drink and travel for a variety of publications, and is the author of the Wickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.

Gail Johnson is a Vancouverbased writer and broadcaster, fitness instructor, mom, and former longtime waiter and bartender.

Charlene Rooke is a Certified Specialist of Spirits and a Moonshine University-trained craft distiller who writes for EnRoute, Taste and Food & Drink.

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.

Tim Pawsey (a.k.a. The Hired Belly) writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for various print publications, including Where Vancouver, Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He’s an original judge for the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence.

ON THE COV ER

David Wolowidnyk is an awardwinning bartender, cocktail stylist, spirit educator, speaker and bar mentor. He is also a passionate supporter of Ocean Wise initiatives. Find him @drinkfixer.

Spanish-style G&Ts like the one on our cover are the coolest drinks of summer 2019. This one was photographed at Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, and created by head bartender Jeff Savage.

1.5 oz Star of Bombay gin

0.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur

2 dashes Bittered Sling Haskap Bitters

Fentiman’s tonic water

Combine gin, liqueur and bitters in a large wine glass, fill with ice and stir gently. Top with tonic water and garnish with a lemon wheel and edible flowers. Serves 1.

G ARDEN’S KEEPER G&T

Dan Toulgoet photo

Summer is short. Make the most of it while you can—we sure plan to. That means long, cool, refreshing cocktails. And gin. Lots of gin.

In this issue of The Alchemist, Justin Taylor explains how to DIY your own G&Ts in Home Bar, including a spirit-free version that means everyone will be able to join in the good times. Tim Pawsey delves into what makes a B.C. gin uniquely of this place and our tasting panel samples international gins.

Meanwhile, Gail Johnson visits Vancouver’s theme bars, where it’s always about the fun and games. Charlene Rooke hangs out with the Green Fairy and, in her Still Life column, pops the lid off the barrel. We raise a glass to the 50th anniversary of Canada’s cocktail, the Caesar. And in just in time for wedding season, award-winning bartender David Wolowidnyk offers his take on how to make a romantic cocktail that will keep any party hopping.

Plus we have a complete guide to B.C.’s distilleries, the latest spirited news and plenty of thirst-quenching recipes. For even more, visit 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

TheAlchemistMagazine.ca

@TheAlchemistBC

@TheAlchemistMag

Published by:

Glacier Media Group 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 604-742-8678

© The Alchemist 2019

This issue is complimentary.

Dan Toulgoet photo

The Born and Raised cocktail at Timber captures the flavours of summer with peach purée, bourbon and mint. Find the recipe at thealchemistmagazine.ca.

BAR BITES

NEWS A N D N OTES FROM BEHI N D THE BAR A N D AROU N D THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS A N D SPIRITS

I N T H E SPIRIT OF COC K TAILS

A sparkling goblet filled with golden elixir revolves lazily in mid-air, twirling a couple of inches above the vapours of dry ice billowing from a wooden platform. It looks like magic, and it is, sort of.

Certainly, the Botanist Bar team hopes it’ll weave a spell over the judges at the Bols Around the World competition in Amsterdam this June. They were selected to represent North America as one of six global teams competing in the 10th annual contest, each of whom will create a pop-up of their bar on trendy Reguliersdwarsstraat. (The others are Eastern/Central Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, South/Central America and Africa/Middle East.)

They were tasked with creating a cocktail with a unique concept and presentation,

using at least one of the products from the portfolio of Lucas Bols, which is believed to be the oldest distillery brand in the world.

The Botanist team of Max Curzon-Price, Jeff Savage and Grant Sceney used Bols genever (the juniper-flavoured liquor from which gin evolved) to create their high-concept drink, Into the Aether. It was inspired by the fifth element of spirit and features white tea, vermouth, forest herbs and seawater, including ingredients foraged around Vancouver, as well as a clever bit of sleight of hand. (Magnets, actually.)

The curious can sample it at the Botanist Bar, located on the mezzanine level of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, where it will remain on the cocktail list as the fifth “from the lab” creation.

0.75

0.25

1 barspoon peated Scotch whisky

1 barspoon salt water (5%)

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice until chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe and express a fresh grapefruit zest over the cocktail. Discard the zest, and serve. Levitation optional. Serves 1.

Designed by Botanist Bar team members Grant Sceney, Jeff Savage and Max Curzon-Price. Note that the team uses their own housemade vermouth, but any quality dry vermouth will also work.

P OOLS ID E RE AD I NG

Looking for a good beach read this summer?

These new books will quench your thirst for words and cocktails alike

Flask: 41 Portable Cocktails to Drink Anywhere by Sarah Baird (Chronicle Books)

Looking for a drink to go? This handsomely illustrated book has got you covered with 41 classic and contemporary recipes for cocktails to tuck in your purse, pocket or backpack. Available July 23.

Cocktails with a Twist: 21 Classic Recipes. 141 Great Cocktails by Kara Newman (Chronicle Books)

Kara Newman is the spirits editor at Wine Enthusiast and the author of four cocktail books, so we’re willing to sip whatever she’s serving. In this case, it’s more than 100 clever variations on 21 classic cocktails. Available August 27.

That’s the Spirit! 100 of the World’s Greatest Spirits and Liqueurs to Drink with Style by Jonathan Ray (Quadrille)

The drinks editor of the Spectator, who was previously the drinks editor of GQ and the anonymous Bar Spy for Imbibe magazine, is the perfect guide for this trip through the world of 100 spirits and liqueurs to enjoy at home and abroad. Available now.

Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion by Maggie Hoffman (Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale)

Make entertaining easy with this guide to batch cocktail-making. It includes 65 pitcher-perfect make-ahead recipes and loads of tips from the cocktail writer for the website Serious Eats Available now.

Let’s Get Tropical: More than 60 Cocktail Recipes from Caribbean Classics to Modern Tiki Drinks by Georgi Radev (DK)

If you prefer your cocktails fruity and rumlaced and perhaps garnished with a wee umbrella, this is the book for you. It features more than 50 tropical drinks from Mai Tais to Mojitos, many of them with zero-proof options. Available now.

Botany at the Bar: The Art and Science of Making Bitters by Selena Ahmed, Ashley Duval and Rachel Meyer (Shambhala)

An indispensable guide to making your own bitters—as well as syrups, shrubs and cocktails—at home. Available July 2.

Also look forward to Great Northern Cocktails by Victoria’s Shawn Soole (Mixellany UK), featuring recipes from 150 of Canada’s top bartenders, expected by early fall.

AT R AU DZ, GIN IS IN

At RauDZ Creative Concepts, it’s not just about farm to table, but farm to glass. That’s why the Kelowna-based restaurant company has just launched its own craft gin, The Whole Truth, made by Okanagan Spirits and flavoured with locally grown botanicals.

It was inspired by The Truth, a variation on the G&T featured at RauDZ Regional Table on opening day a decade ago, back in spring 2009. The gin has plenty of refreshing cucumber and floral aromas, as well as the citrusy notes of mock orange, a native B.C. shrub that was foraged by Tyler Dyck, the CEO of Okanagan Spirits, at nearby Poplar Point.

M AC AND C H EESE, REVISED

Tired of the same old, same old wine-andcheese pairing? The folks at The Macallan have got you covered.

They’ve recently partnered with Toronto cheese wiz Afrim Pristine (owner of Cheese

The gin is available exclusively at RauDZ Regional Table, micro bar & bites, Sunny’s Modern Diner, and Terrafina at Hester Creek by RauDZ. raudz.com

Boutique and author of the book For the Love of Cheese) and American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional Elizabeth Chubbuck to pair fine fromage with, yes, single malt.

Turns out, they go surprisingly well together.

For instance, they suggest pairing the honeyed spice and citrus notes of the Double Cask 12 Years Old with the equally mellow flavours of a young Manchego.

Or try the Triple Cask Matured 15 Years Old, with its rich flavours of chocolate, orange and raisin, alongside the salty, buttery notes of a mellow blue cheese for a perfect example of opposites attracting.

And for a truly decadent flavour sensation, sip the complex Rare Cask, with its nutty spice and citrus notes, alongside a rich, funky, bloomed-rind Camembert or creamy brie.

themacallan.com

Love it or hate it, the cooler is the quintessential drink of summer. Typically a fruity, fizzy, vodka-based cocktail in a can, it’s the ultimate in convenience for all summer’s camping trips and backyard BBQs.

But sophisticated it ain’t. Until now.

BC Tree Fruits Cider Co has just come out with a line of dry sparkling coolers made from local ingredients that might just change your mind.

M.O Fruitsecco is basically a subtly flavoured apple cider brightened with soda water. It comes in three flavours: Sparkling Dry (with a hint of lavender); Sparkling Rosé (with cherries); and Sparkling Basil. They’re all 5% ABV or less and 118 calories or less, with no gluten or refined sugars.

Now, these aren’t big, bold flavours, but light and refreshing, more tart than sweet, eminently sippable on a hot summer’s day. We especially loved the basil with its lightly herbaceous savoury note. Truth is, though, we wouldn’t kick any of them out of our picnic basket.

M.O Fruitsecco is sold in four-packs of 355 mL cans, available at BC Liquor Stores, private retailers and some grocery stores. mofruitsecco.com

SUMMER IN A GLASS

For nine months of the year, we can enjoy our fancy drinks, our boozy drinks, our brown-bitter-stirred drinks all we like. But when summer rolls around, we just want something easy. Cool. Refreshing. Even better if it’s made with watermelon.

At least that’s what the team at Joey Restaurants, led by Director of Bar Jesse Sahlin, figured when they introduced The Watermelon Drink last year. Now it’s back to quench our thirsts this summer, too.

The idea was to create a drink that was not only refreshing and crushable, but lighter in alcohol and lower in calories than most cocktails. It’s only 130 calories, compared to, say, 185 in a Mint Julep, 190 in a Gin and Tonic or 219 in a Mai Tai.

Plus it’s got the quintessential summer flavour of watermelon. But remember: Summer is short, so enjoy it while you can.

8 (1-inch) cubes of fresh watermelon

8 to 10 fresh mint leaves

1.5 oz Absolut vodka

0.25 oz agave syrup

0.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the watermelon. Add mint, vodka, agave and lime juice and ice. Shake well, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a skewered watermelon cube and mint bouquet Serves 1.

JOEY WATERMELON DRINK

MARK YO UR CAL E NDARS

The Weather Network has forecast a hot, dry summer for B.C., so get out and make the most of it at these upcoming events.

D EIG H TON C UP

Don your fancy chapeaux and hoist your glasses! The ponies hit the track once again on July 20 for the 11th annual Deighton Cup at Hastings Racecourse. Some 5,000 people gather at the track to gamble on the ponies while enjoying swish fashion, buckets of bubbly, fine cigars, gourmet cuisine and, of course, cocktails. The event includes an annual mixology competition, plus sweet summer sippers to enjoy trackside. deightoncup.com

NI GH T ON T H E PIER

As the sun sinks to the west on August 8, some of Vancouver’s top bartenders will start shaking things up at this chill party on West Vancouver’s Ambleside Pier. This fundraiser for local arts programs is part of the Harmony Arts festival (August 2 to 11), and there will be food, fun, gorgeous views and plenty of great cocktails to enjoy. harmonyarts.ca

TORONTO C OC K TAIL WEE K

Get your kicks in the Six this fall: The six-day festival of all things boozy returns Oct. 15 to 20, bringing together bars, brands and bartenders—as well as consumers, of course—to celebrate the city’s evolving cocktail scene. TCW will be shaking things up with a neighbourhood-focused bar guide, themed gala events, seminars and popup bars featuring familiar faces from Vancouver. torontococktailweek.ca

A PRONS FOR G LOVES

F IG H T N IG HT

It’s a knockout! In 2012, a group of Vancouver hospitality professionals founded Aprons for Gloves, a non-profit boxing program for at-risk women and youth. The program offers free mentorship and training, and once a year, some of the city’s best-known bartenders, servers and other industry pros compete in a fundraising fight night. This year, the event will be held August 20 at the Commodore Ballroom. Tickets range from $40 to $100 and go on sale in late July through Ticketmaster. apronsforgloves.com

A RT OF T H E C OC K TAIL

The Alchemist is pleased to sponsor Western Canada’s most important cocktail festival, Art of the Cocktail, Oct. 19 in beautiful downtown Victoria. Some 900 attendees will gather at the Grand Tasting to sip and sample cocktails and products from 40 exhibitors pouring more than 60 spirits. Plus there will be masterclasses, guided tastings and more fun than you can shake a cobbler at during this fundraiser for the Victoria Film Festival. artofthecocktail.ca

Harmony Arts Festival photo

Art of the Cocktail photo

Whisky Tasting

The Blackbird Public House hosts monthly whisky tasting events featuring multi-course dinners, canapes and tastings with brand ambassadors .

Ginned up

T HE EVOLUTIO N OF TERROIR-DRIVE N MADE-I N-B.C . GI N

by Tim Pawsey

Whennews arrived that Sooke’s Sheringham Distillery had scooped Best Contemporary Gin in the World at the prestigious World Gin Awards, I, like so many others, was truly thrilled. After all, what an achievement for the relatively neophyte distillery perched on Canada’s wild and westernmost edge.

But there was also a personal connection, as the awards were judged at London’s Honourable Artillery Company, right across from where I used to stay at my Uncle Ricky’s apartment.

Ricky was a true Londoner of his era. In the City, he always wore a bowler hat. He liked his daily gin in civilized pours and his martinis dry, with mere vapours of vermouth, exhorting: “Just wave the cap at it, old chap!”

It was his generation, and the few before (all now sipping in eternity), who for years shaped our perception of precisely how “good” gin should taste.

That was a citrusy, juniper-forward style of gin known as London Dry, a flavour profile that came about as the result of two things: the introduction of the Coffey still in 1832 and the purity standards established by Parliament in the wake of the Gin Craze of the 18th century. Those standards were enshrined in response to the ravages wreaked on the city when some 7,000 gin shops catered to the population’s insatiable demands, most of them selling crudely made spirits that were flavoured with botanicals to hide their rough edges.

But although the presence of juniper is what defines a gin (the name evolved from genever, the Dutch word for juniper), in recent years, London Dry gin has yielded ground to more international styles made with a huge array of botanicals ranging from saffron to olives to berries, flowers and seaweed. That in turn has spawned a renewed interest in the spirit, especially in the UK, where gin is regaining significant market share.

Freed from the shackles of conformity, gin is being respectfully (in most cases) transformed by distillers who, very much

LEFT: Some of the botanicals used to make gin; juniper, in the centre, is the only one that is absolutely essential.

like winemakers, are seeking a sense of terroir. But they are defining terroir not just in terms of the flavours the land yields, but in the culture and customs of the people who inhabit it. Often as not, these gins celebrate local ingredients.

In Sheringham’s case, Seaside Gin incorporates kelp into its recipe. Owners Alayne and Jason McIsaac were so taken with the freshness of the sea air around Sooke that they decided to somehow find a way to work it into the bottle. Winged kelp sports “bright and clear flavours,” says Jason, as well as umami “and a lovely salty brininess.”

In a sense it was, very much, their own terroir moment.

Further north on Vancouver Island, Shelter Point Distillery, which is already making a name for its artisan single malts, recently launched Hand Foraged Botanical Gin, which is made from barley grown right on the farm near Campbell River. Shelter Point’s Leon Webb says: “It is very satisfying as a distiller to create a gin from local barley, rather than using neutral grain spirit purchased from elsewhere.” Botanicals include coriander, lemon and orange peel to produce rounded citrus and juniper with lingering subtle spice notes. Shelter Point suggests the gin is a natural complement to its mantra: to use as many local ingredients as possible.

Across the Salish Sea, on the Sunshine Coast, One Foot Crow Distillery’s 100

proof Gunpowder Gin offers a somewhat piquant “blast to the past”: It is infused with black pepper that delivers a serious kick. Owner Bob Bottieri says his gin has a seafaring inspiration. “In the days of the sailing ships, British sailors were given a daily ration of rum. To ensure that some unscrupulous captain had not watered it down they would perform a simple test by pouring some rum on gunpowder,” Bottieri says. “If the powder ignited, they took it as ‘proof’ that the rum was unadulterated.” A natural choice for spicy Caesars or Bloody Marys, he says, the gin already has a loyal following who just like to sip it plain or in a livelier version of a classic Martini.

Pure craft advocates opt to stay as close to home as possible. Witness Forest Dweller Coniferous Aged Gin from Arbutus Distillery in Nanaimo, which is aged with a variety of conifer species that impart a distinctive woodsy character to its otherwise citrusy grapefruit and orange notes. Nothing says West Coast more than the hints of cedar in this gin, which while surprising at first, ultimately presents a harmonious and intriguing finish.

You don’t have to look far to find still more variations on uniquely local gins, as well as often unlikely but truly satisfying local flavour combinations. After all, who would have thought honey-based Unruly Gin (which also echoes a sprig of cedar, as well as citrus) would be such a shoo-in for Fanny Bay oysters on the half shell?

While entire cemeteries filled with the ghosts of bowler-hatted purists could well be stirring at the thought, there’s no question that such regional inspiration is here to stay.

I T IS VERY SATISFYI N G AS A DISTILLER TO CREATE A GI N FROM LOCAL BARLEY, RATHER THA N USI N G GRAI N N EUTRAL SPIRIT PURCHASED FROM ELSEWHERE.

SH ERING H AM C H ERU B

With elderflowers as early harbingers of summer, Sooke meets St-Germain in this house recipe from Sheringham Distillery.

1.5 oz Sheringham

Seaside Gin

0.5 oz St-Germain

elderflower liqueur

0.25 oz maple syrup

0.25 oz lemon juice

0.5 oz loganberry or strawberry purée

0.75 oz sparkling

elderflower juice such as Bottle Green

Garnish: Lemon peel

Stir all the ingredients together in a rocks glass, then fill with ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon peel. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Sheringham Distillery

Jeff Savage Crowned World Class Canada Bartender of 2019

Jeff Savage is standing on top of the world. Literally.

On June 4, after three days of competition that took the finalists on a cocktail-themed scavenger hunt, through world history and deep into the spirit of the mountains, the head bartender of Vancouver’s Botanist Bar won the Diageo World Class Canada final in Whistler, B.C.

“It means everything to me,” said Savage, surrounded by mountain peaks and his cheering colleagues. “It means everything I’ve been working for the last seven years. It means everything.”

Savage goes on to compete for the title of the world’s Bartender of the Year this September in Glasgow, Scotland.

Placing second was Shane Beehan of Halifax. And rounding out the top four in the closely fought race were Vancouver’s Katie Ingram and Montreal’s Thomas Yeo.

Diageo World Class is the biggest, most prestigious cocktail competition on the planet. It was first held in the UK in 2009 as a way to showcase the spirits company’s reserve brands—Ketel One vodka, Cîroc vodka, Tanqueray No. 10 gin, Don Julio tequila,

Jeff Savage, Canada’s Bartender of the Year 2019, hoists his trophy atop Whistler Mountain. Colin Fox photo

Johnnie Walker scotch whisky, Bulleit bourbon and Zacapa rum—but has grown dramatically since. Last year, nearly 10,000 bartenders from 58 countries competed.

Since Canada entered the Diageo World Class competition in 2013, our bartenders have consistently placed in the top 12 worldwide, making this country seriously one to watch.

This year’s national final was the biggest and most challenging yet. Instead of the usual four challenges, there were eight; and instead of a single venue, there were 14. Judging were previous World Class Canada winners Grant Sceney (2014), Global Cocktailian Lauren Mote (2015), Shane Mulvany (2016), global winner Kaitlyn Stewart (2017) and Chris Enns (2018), as well as guest judges Nolet Distillery Ambassador Dennis Tamse and Chicago bartender Charles Joly, the 2014 global winner.

“This is my attempt at showing the global team that Canada would be a viable destination to host the global finals,” says Michael Armistead, who oversees the Diageo World Class Canada Bartending Competition as National Onpremise, Reserve and Sponsorship Manager. “The whole theme of the event is Destinations, and each challenge had a destination component.”

Those challenges included an interview aboard the Peak 2 Peak Gondola and an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt in which the finalists followed clues to venues in Whistler Village, where they undertook challenges such as rolling sushi then picked up ingredients to use in a cocktail back at the Four Seasons Resort. There were also dinners and social gettogethers, including a lively after-party at the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill.

Previous and current World Class Canada winners, from left: Grant Sceney, Lauren Mote, Shane Mulvany, Kaitlyn Stewart, Chris Enns and Jeff Savage. Colin Fox photo

And then there was the final day, which included a blind tasting, a challenge that had the bartenders telling—and in the case of Ingram, singing and rapping—a history through cocktails, and a final speed round that took everyone by surprise. In a break from tradition, the top four were not the bartenders but the brands Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray 10 and Bulleit bourbon. These brands were featured in the drinks that all 10 bartenders had to make in a highpressure final speed round.

“It’s a pretty intense three days,” Armistead says. “This will prepare the winner for the global challenge like never before. There’s a big support network who will get Jeff ready for the global competition.

“This has been an incredible year for the competition and we can’t wait to see Jeff represent Canada in Scotland in September. I know the entire bartending community in Canada will be behind him.”

Three parties, one marriage

I T’S WEDDI N G SEASO N . H ERE’S SOME ADVICE FOR KEEPI N G THE PARTY GOI N G FROM A BARTE N DER WHO’S SEE N IT ALL

by David Wolowidnyk

The notion of having three different parties to celebrate a marriage sounds like a great idea to many brides-to-be, but for some, the stress can be overwhelming. And as the bartender tasked with making the party happen, I’ve seen it all, the good, the bad and the really messy.

If you’re the one planning the party, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of: “OMG, what am I going to serve? Maybe I can get that hot bartender to create custom recipes, buy the ingredients, prepare everything, and bartend each of the parties.” Anything is possible— for a price, of course.

But before you get started, here’s what I’ve learned from the parties I’ve either tended or attended.

THE SHOWER

The bridal shower, an afternoon sprinkled with feigned innocence knowing that your grandma, mom and nieces will be

there, runs a risk that one friend may drink a little too much and confess some indiscretions or possibly gift you a Kama Sutra book, detailing all the fun you will have, noting some of the pages not to miss. This is not that type of party. It is meant to be a sea of pastel-clad women, eating cute little cucumber sandwiches and tiny flaky pastries, sipping on bubbly rosé and perhaps a Pimm’s Cup or an Aperol Spritz. Floral cocktails also tend to be a hit with this crowd. They’re fresh and lively, delicate yet complex and low in alcohol. Shots are not OK here, unless it is grandma who instigates.

THE BACHELORETTE PARTY

The bachelorette party, now this is when a bride can let loose with the girls. Debauchery is common. Do not invite anyone you can’t be your true self around because skeletons will likely come out to play even if you don’t want them to. This is not a drinking marathon; walk instead of run your way through the vodka sodas.

M Y FAVOURITE WEDDI N G RECEPTIO N S HAVE A MODEST YET THOUGHTFUL

DRI N K SELECTIO N , CATERI N G TO A WIDE

RA N GE OF PREFERE N CES.

It’s going to be a long night. Drink water before, between and after the shots or, better yet, show some restraint and limit the shots. The last thing you want is to be the one spilled into the taxi while the night is still young.

THE WEDDING

My favourite wedding receptions have a modest yet thoughtful drink selection, catering to a wide range of preferences. A couple of craft beers, one crisp and clean, the other with a hoppy bite. A few decent wines—one white, one red and possibly a rosé—that aren’t begging to be paired with food. (Pro tip: Sticking to white wine eliminates the inevitable stains on clothing and teeth.) The cocktail selection should be simple, with a maximum of five choices, including the reception cocktail served upon arrival. At least one cocktail should be light and low in alcohol. Also offer one that is a little fruity, another that is spirit forward and one that is tart and dry. There are a lot of positives to batching cocktails for large parties, notably keeping things consistent and expediting service. But having cocktails prepared to order adds a level of personalized service that may be more important to you.

Whatever the occasion, leave the stress behind, leave the bartending to us, and have some fun!

SC HW ING

1 oz gin or vodka

1 oz Aperol

0.5 oz lemon juice

Dash orange flower water

2 oz sparkling wine

Combine spirit, Aperol, lemon juice and orange flower water in a mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill and strain into a flute or aromatic wineglass, then top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a piece of orange zest. Serves 1.

This floral bubbly drink created by David Wolowidnyk is ideal as a reception cocktail for any of your spring flings.

Supplied photo

Cool Canadiana

As an all-Canadian pub-style restaurant, it’s no surprise that Timber has a pretty great beer selection. “But with the Canadiana theme, you can do so much more,” says restaurant manager Jonathan Dennis, who also oversees the bar program. “There’s a lot of people who want to have a killer Canadian cocktail as well.”

And that’s just what he is serving up at this friendly neighbourhood hangout on Robson at the gateway to Vancouver’s West End.

“One of the things with the cocktail program is having it be really fun and approachable, but really good, quality drinks,” Dennis says. “Not refined martinis, but easygoing drinks modelled around classic Canadian food.”

Dennis grew up in Burnaby and North Vancouver, cooking with his mom, and brings the love of food he learned from her to the bar program at Timber. “It’s combining the fact that you work with the ingredients, but you have that customer service experience as well,” he says.

“Designing cocktails that are an analog of food is super enjoyable.”

Where the food menu features classic Canadian comfort fare like bison burgers and poutine, Timber’s cocktail menu offers concoctions like the Bourbon Butter Tart, made with a brown butter fat-washed bourbon. And then, of course, there is the Caesar. Timber offers five variations on Canada’s favourite cocktail: Classic, Spicehouse, Pickleback, gin-based Union Jack and the Timber Caesar with its ketchup chip rim.

Creating cocktails is a team effort at Timber, with all the bartenders and servers contributing their ideas. Most recently, they’ve been working on summer cocktails including what Dennis calls “a mix between a mojito and a bourbon peach lemonade.” (See Born and Raised recipe at thealchemistmagazine.ca.)

“We’re just trying to do really cool things with the drinks, using local ingredients and themes that tie into our Canadiana comfort menu,” Dennis says. “It’s a really cool framework to play on.”

A T T IMBER, JO N ATHA N DE NNIS PLAYS WITH FLAVOURS T HAT HAIL FROM COAST TO COAST TO COAST

Timber, 1300 Robson St., 604-661-2166, timbervancouver.com, @timbervancouver

Variations on a theme

F IVE VAN COUVER BARS THAT OFFER IMMERSIVE FU N ALO N G WITH YOUR COCKTAIL

by Gail Johnson

Step into ABQ London bar and you’re no longer in the city’s Hackney district but an RV where people in goggles and yellow hazmat suits “cook” their own molecular cocktails. Taking its name from an episode of Breaking Bad, ABQ is a

trip inside lead character Walter White’s mobile meth lab.

With its dry ice and gas masks, the spot is just one example of the kinds of immersive experiences that are making

At Key Party, the 1970s are in full swing with retro-inspired cocktails like the B52 and a vegan Grasshopper.

Key Party photo

theme bars so popular around the globe. In Paris, for instance, there’s L’Urgence, a medical-themed bar that uses test tubes as tumblers. And New York’s Oscar Wilde pays homage to the playwright through marble statues, Victorian-era furniture and drinks that go by names like the Selfish Giant and Ugly Peacock, nods to his life and work.

In fiercely competitive markets and uncertain times, places that serve their slings and sours with a chaser of escapism have an edge, a draw that sets them apart and helps keeps them afloat.

Vancouver, too, is home to several bars that do more than pour masterfully mixed drinks by creating otherworldly settings. The Shameful Tiki Room was one of the first, its kitsch décor and Mai Tais having rekindled the city’s passion for tiki culture.

The city’s growing collection of theme bars extends far beyond Polynesian beaches, however. Here are a few to consider next time you’re looking for a delicious liquid getaway.

HAIL M ARY’S

670 East Broadway, hailmarys.net

If you’re unable to confess your sins without a potent cocktail in hand, Hail Mary’s is the answer to your prayers. Catholic iconography adorns the religion-themed late-night hole in the wall, from paintings of the Last Supper in gilded frames to wall plates depicting glowing Virgin Marys. There’s even a sombrero-wearing Christ and other kitschy figurines. To sip, consider a selection from the menu’s Seven Deadly Sins section. Lust is a peachy bourbon sour, while Gluttony is appropriately indulgent, with espresso, Baileys, vodka, crème de cacao and whipped cream. Check out the heavenly Saints washroom or visit the Sinners’ stall and go straight to hell.

A divine take on one of the seven deadly sins at Hail Mary’s.

2 oz bourbon

0.75 oz simple syrup

Splash of peach schnapps

2 oz fresh lime juice

1 egg white Dash of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in shaker. Dry shake vigorously, then add ice and shake again. Strain into glass and add bitters. Garnish with a Fuzzy Peach candy. Serves 1.

Hail Mary’s photo

KEY PARTY

2303 Main Street, keyparty.ca

You know what to do: drop your keys into the bowl by the front door and see where the evening takes you. Developed by Rachel Zotenburg and David Duprey (Uncle Abe’s, Emerald Supper Club and others), the ’70s-inspired bar adjacent to the Rumpus Room has an accountant’s office as its speakeasy-style front. Inside, it’s dimly lit and sultry with red velvet curtains and a fantastical hand-painted mural. Retro cocktails are poured here alongside snacks like party mix and ants on a log—think Cherry Paralyzers, B52s and a vegan version of the Grasshopper.

DAR K M ANOR INN

4298 Fraser Street, darkmanorinn.com

Cobwebs, gargoyles and candleholder skulls: an old haunted house is the theme behind this windowless bar created by Shameful Tiki founder Rod Moore. Inspired by a Disneyland “doom-buggy” ride called Haunted Mansion, the creepily cool bar has a fabricated backstory from 1886 about a deceased baron and his young wife. Their portraits are on the golddamask-papered walls, along with many other haunting black-and-white photos. Playfully tasty whisky-forward cocktails include Pills, Potions and Quack Nostrum, made with whisky, cinnamon, ginger and lime. Served in a footed goblet with a glow-in-the-dark ice cube, it’s topped with a peated malt air or foam, resembling a witch’s cauldron. Arsenic and Ash, consisting of a house malt-whisky blend, red wine, Aperol, egg white and lemon ash, is garnished with long strands of lime peel and a dried rose, evoking the ground you might see surrounding a tombstone.

S PICED A PRICOT S OUR

This cocktail from Key Party is sweetly spicy and just sophisticated enough.

1.5 oz chai-spiced rye (see note)

0.5 oz apricot brandy

1 oz egg white

2 oz lemon juice

Generous bar spoon of apricot preserve

0.5 oz simple syrup (see note)

2 dashes orange bitters (available at Gourmet Warehouse, Welks or Modern Bartender)

Add all ingredients into a shaker without ice and dry shake. Add ice and shake again. Double/ fine strain into a large coupe. Garnish with cinnamon bark and a brandied apricot. Serves 1.

Notes: To make the chai-spiced rye, purchase your favourite chai tea and put a bag or two directly into a bottle of Canadian rye. Let it steep for at least 24 hours.

To make simple syrup, bring 1 cup each sugar and water just to a boil, stirring frequently, until fully dissolved.

To make the brandied apricot garnish, drop dried apricots into brandy and let them soak at least overnight.

Key Party photo

TH E F IRE AT T H E M ILL

This cocktail was created by Edmonton’s James Grant, and is featured on the list at The Black Lodge.

Mist/rinse of peaty whisky

1 oz rosemary-infused gin (see note)

1 oz Scotch whisky

0.5 oz medium dry sherry

0.5 oz ginger syrup

0.5 oz lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Rinse the glass with a smoky whisky such as Laphraoig Quarter Cask (alternatively, you can use an atomizer and spray the whisky over the surface of the drink when it is finished). Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Serves 1.

Note: To make a rosemary-infused gin, add 3 to 5 rosemary sprigs to a bottle of London Dry style gin, such as Beefeater. Steep for 3 to 7 days, then remove the rosemary.

TH E BLAC K LODGE

317 East Broadway, blacklodgerestaurant.com

This vegetarian restaurant and bar is a re-creation of David Lynch’s surreal drama Twin Peaks. Four small log “cabins” make for cozy tables; the hallway to the washroom evokes the mind-bending Red Room; and firewood and a framed photo of the murdered Laura Palmer are among the many details that bring the warped and confounding show to life. Die-hard fans will appreciate cocktails that go by names like Fire at the Mill, with rosemaryinfused gin, and the vodka-centred Audrey’s Curiosity. Of course, these should be accompanied by a slice of Damn Fine Cherry Pie.

S TORM C ROW TAVERN AND A LE H OUSE

1305 Commercial Drive, 1619 West Broadway, stormcrow.com

With two locations (the Tavern and the Alehouse), this so-called “nerd bar” has every board game you can imagine: Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Catan, Trivial Pursuit, Blokus… It’s also the only place in town that offers a Dungeons & Dragons dining experience with your own personal DM, or Dungeon Master. Various games, comics, TV shows and movies inspire menu items; cocktails include Romulan Ale, a twoounce concoction of vodka, peach schnapps, Blue Curaçao, lemon juice, soda and Star Trek dilithium crystals (a type of mint); Solar Beam is a nod to Pokémon, with white and Malibu rum, Bols Blue, pineapple juice and fresh basil. Let your geek flag fly.

Black Lodge photo

Return of the greenfairy

T HE SPIRIT THAT SUPPOSEDLY DROVE A GE N ERATIO N OF F RE N CH ARTISTS MAD IS BACK IN B.C ., WHERE DISTILLERS ARE REI N VE N TI N G ABSI N THE

by Charlene Rooke

It’s all fun and games until someone loses an ear. Vincent Van Gogh’s escapades might have delivered the final cut to the fashionable, anise-flavoured spirit absinthe, invented in Switzerland in the late 18th century and favoured by Belle Époque bohemians. Seen as highly addictive and dangerous, it was banned in the U.S. and much of Europe for nearly a century, until 2007.

Likely the poor quality or high-proof base spirit—not the relatively small amount

The traditional way to serve absinthe is by filling a fountain like this one at Botanist with ice water, then dripping it through a sugar cube on a spoon into the spirit, where it creates the cloudy effect known as the louche.

Dan Toulgoet

of hallucogenic thujone, naturally found in absinthe’s bittering agent, wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)—was responsible for absinthe-attributed naughtiness. But its reputation as the bad boy of the spirits world persists, as does its role in cocktails, particularly of the French-influenced New Orleans school, such as the Sazerac, Corpse Reviver No. 2 and La Louisiane.

Here are five local absinthes to try, from newcomers to B.C.’s standardbearers.

photo

G REEN F ROG ABSINT HE

The Alchemist Distiller (65% ABV) Being from the mountainous regions of France where absinthe is a cultural tradition, Simon Buttet and Sandrine Jacques made it one of the inaugural spirits at their new Summerland distillery. It’s called Green Frog, for its chlorophyllenhanced shade and “because we’re French,” Buttet jokes.

He uses wormwood and lemon balm, plus licorice, star anise and fennel seeds to obtain both fresh and earthy anise notes, distilling some botanicals into his high-proof apple spirit and infusing others using a gin-basket method. Adding ice water creates a glorious cloud that one taster said “looks like an opal,” the coveted louching effect created when essential oils are chilled out of solution. Buttet says, “The more alcohol, the more flavour it can carry. That’s the reason for the 65 per cent.”

Use it in: A Sazerac

P SYC H EDELIC J ELLYFIS H ABSINT HE

Tofino Distilling (73% ABV) Embracing absinthe’s rogue reputation with an overproof spirit flavoured by anise, fennel, hyssop, lemon balm and “as much wormwood as we can,” distillery cofounder Neil Campbell used a traditional 1858 recipe and had his product labtested to ensure safe thujone levels.

“We’re trying to revive the fun element,” says Campbell, who says tasting-room visitors can be a little scared of tasting the product initially. Whimsical, fluorescentbright labels and absinthe cocktails like a lavender-tinged lemonade (see recipe) convert them. “At the end of the day it’s a high-proof spirit with a cool lore. Is it going to make you hallucinate? No. But we can keep up the cryptic element of it.”

Use it in: Tip-toes in the Tulips (a lavender-scented lemonade)

Stir the ingredients together in a mixing glass, then divide between two Collins glasses and fill them with ice. Garnish with a sprig of lavender or other edible flower. Serves 2.

Note: To make a lavender simple syrup, place 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water and 1 Tbsp food-safe lavender blossoms in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup steep about 30 minutes. Strain, cool completely and pour into a sterilized jar.

This floral, low-proof cocktail comes from Tofino Distilling and is a cool refresher on a hot day.

photo

TH E D EVIL’S C LU B O RGANIC ABSINT HE

Pemberton Spirits (60% ABV)

One of the world’s only absinthes distilled from organic potato spirit uses a blend of traditional (anise, fennel) and local foraged (Devil’s Club Root, Oregon grape, hops, hemp seed) herbs and botanicals, including wormwood grown on the distillery’s organic farm. “It’s such a vigorous plant that we now have to control it,” says manager of product development Lorien Schramm.

It’s rested with more botanicals to achieve a peridot-coloured final product that’s “natural, balanced and more herbal than anise-dominant.”

Use it in: The Green Beast

BA B A YAGA ABSINT HE

Arbutus Distillery (60% ABV)

Arbutus Distillery owner Mike Pizzitelli calls his bartender-candy absinthe, named for a mythical Eastern European witch, “kind of a meld of traditional absinthe and B.C. craft.” Distilled with wormwood, anise, fennel, lemon balm and mint, then steeped in a secret mix of local and traditional botanicals, its mentholcrispness refreshingly balances its blacklicorice magic.

Though the spirit is lime green when bottled, its plant-based natural colour fades over time to a chartreuse shade, even though its wildly illustrated but functional paper wrap helps protect it from sunlight. “If your absinthe has a bright mouthwash colour, it’s probably dyed,” Pizzitelli says.

Use it in: Bohemian Mule

THE GREEN BEAST

This modern take on an absinthe frappé was invented about a decade ago by French bartender Charles Vexenat for Pernod Ricard. At Pemberton Spirits, they make it with The Devil’s Club Organic Absinthe instead.

Add all ingredients to a Collins glass with ice. Garnish with the cucumber slices and stir. Serves 1.

Alternatively: Muddle 3 cucumber slices in a cocktail shaker. Add absinthe, simple syrup, ice and shake. Strain into Collins glass filled with ice, then top with 2 oz water. Stir and garnish with additional cucumber slice. Serves 1.

TAB OO

Okanagan Spirits (60% ABV)

When Okanagan Spirits opened in 2007, “We realized that absinthe had never been banned in Canada,” says the distillery’s CEO, Tyler Dyck. And so Canada’s first genuine absinthe was born. Its base spirit is distilled from Okanagan cherries, macerated with botanicals for a few months, then redistilled. “Hundreds” of test batches originally went into getting the perfect flavour, subtle green colour and ideal louche.

On a recent trip to southern France, Dyck saw absinthe still enjoyed midday in cafés by imbibers engrossed in conversation. “I love sitting around with a good group of people and talking about art, or books—it really seems to be a drink that brings that out.”

Use it in: Absinthe Mojito

BO H EMIAN M ULE

At Arbutus Distillery, they use their own house-made ginger beer, but any good commercial one would work as well.

1 oz Baba Yaga Absinthe

0.5 oz fresh lime juice

Ginger beer

Pour absinthe and lime juice over ice in a copper mule mug, then top with ginger beer. Serves 1.

ABSINT H E M OJITO

1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp sugar

6 mint leaves

1 oz Taboo Absinthe

1 cup crushed ice

Sparkling water

Garnish: 1 lime wheel

In a double rocks or similar glass, muddle lime juice, sugar and mint leaves. Add absinthe and stir. Fill glass with crushed ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wheel. Serves 1.

Jakub Janco photo

Okanagan Spirits’ anise-flavoured take on the Cuban classic.

Jeremie Dyck photo

Meet the Tempo Family

BC MADE CRAFT GINS AND GIN COCKTAILS

DIY Gin & Tonic

M AKE SUMMER’S FAVOURITE COCKTAIL YOUR VERY OW N WITH THESE BESPOKE IDEAS

Story by Justin Taylor · Photos by Dan Toulgoet

Gin is unlike any other spirit. Simply put, gin is a distilled grain mash that produces a neutral alcohol or vodka. The spirit is then redistilled with botanicals, herbs and spices to achieve the final product. It doesn’t rely on aging in oak barrels like whisky, and it doesn’t rely on one agricultural product to achieve its flavour, like agave for tequila. The infusion process will determine the flavour profile of each gin.

In other words, gin is essentially a botanical-flavoured vodka. And that means, even though not very many of us will ever have access to a still, we can make our own quality gins by working with infusions.

Except for juniper, which all gins must have, there are no rules on

the amount or the types of “flavour” that a distiller or gin maker can use. With some quick research you will find many common ingredients used by distillers, but it is the type, the amount, and what they leave out that creates the artist’s expression.

In these pages, I will show you some simple ways you can achieve a quality gin all on your own. I will also show you some unique ingredients that will produce gins with spectacular colour and vibrancy that will go way beyond anything Miss Hannigan could ever concoct in her bathtub. And for our spirit-free friends who still love the flavour of a good Gin and Tonic, I will show you a simple gin syrup bound to quench your thirst.

ABOVE: Before you start, assemble your ingredients.

H OW TO MAKE GIN AT HOME

Gather the ingredients:

1 bottle (750 mL) good vodka

3 Tbsp juniper berries

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

Choose your flavour:

ROYAL GIN

10 dried butterfly pea flowers

2 dried makrut (ka r) lime leaves

Peel of 1 mandarin orange (white pith removed)

3 slices fresh ginger root

2 slivers licorice root

L A BICICLETTA GIN

1 tsp dried lemon balm

5 cracked cardamom seeds

Peel of 1 lemon (pith removed)

1 tsp burdock root

2 slivers licorice root

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh oregano

In a sterilized 4-cup (1 L) mason jar, add the vodka, juniper berries and coriander. Seal the jar and let rest for 24 hours.

1 3

Strain the liquid through a co ee filter to remove suspended particles. Pour liquid into a sterilized 750 mL bottle.

4 2

Open jar and add remaining ingredients. Let rest for another 24 hours.

Seal with a tight-fitting lid and label. The gins will keep in a cool, dark place for several months.

R OYAL G IN & T ONIC

Butterfly pea flowers add a royal purple hue to this citrusy-floral G&T.

2 oz. Royal Gin

0.5 oz mandarin juice

0.25 oz. simple syrup

4 oz tonic water

Build in order over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with mandarin slices and dried flowers. Serves 1.

L A BICICLETTA G IN & T ONIC

Bright, fresh and lightly herbal, this G&T will whisk you to an Italian piazza.

2 oz La Bicicletta Gin

0.5 oz lemon juice

0.25 oz simple syrup

4 oz tonic water

Build in order over fresh ice in a stemmed wine glass or goblet and stir. Garnish with fresh rosemary and lemon zest. Serves 1.

Cocktails created by Justin Taylor

4 cups water

2 cups white sugar

½ cup cracked juniper berries

2 tsp cracked coriander seeds

8 cracked cardamom pods

Peel of 2 oranges

S PIRIT F REE G IN & T ONIC

This zero-proof G&T will ensure all your friends can enjoy summer’s quintessential cocktail.

1 oz. spirit-free gin syrup

0.75 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

5 oz tonic water

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely, then fine strain ingredients. Bottle, seal, label, and refrigerate. Will keep, chilled, for up to two weeks. Makes about 4 cups (1 L). In a highball or Collins glass, build ingredients in order over fresh ice and stir. Garnish with fresh rosemary and lime. Serves 1.

S PIRIT F REE G IN S YRUP

The Caesar

CAN ADA’S COCKTAIL HITS THE BIG FIVE-OH

by Joanne Sasvari

Thisyear Canada’s favourite cocktail turned 50. And like many a middle-aged bon vivant, it has been undergoing something of a makeover.

The Caesar was famously invented in 1969 by a Calgary bartender named Walter Chell, who was tasked with creating a drink to celebrate the opening of a new Italian restaurant at The Calgary Inn (now The Westin).

Inspired by the popularity of the Bloody Mary and the umami-rich flavours of spaghetti alle vongole, he mixed together vodka, tomato juice, clam nectar and spices and created Canadian cocktail history.

Mind you, that wasn’t the first time someone mixed vodka, tomato and clam juice in a glass. A similar drink called a Smirnoff Smiler was introduced at Manhattan’s Polonaise

Istockphoto.com

photo

SH AK E UP YOUR C AESAR

Bored with the Caesar recipe you’ve been using since college? Head over to the Mott’s website and you can find 50 recipes for 50 years of the Caesar, enough for a year of brunches. Try the Smoked Lime & Tequila Caesar. mottsclamato.ca

nightclub in 1953. In 1962, the Baker Hotel in Dallas served a drink called the Imperial Clam Digger. And in 1968, Seagram president Victor Fischel and Mott’s Clamato marketer Ray Anrig reportedly invented a seasoned tomato, clam and vodka cocktail called the Clamdigger at their headquarters, just two blocks from the Polonaise.

But no matter. Chell invented the Caesar, and we’re glad he did, because it has become our go-to brunch cocktail and hangover cure, as well as our preferred aperitif, nightcap and just-about-any-time cocktail.

As for the name, Chell called it a Caesar, but it also became known as a Bloody Caesar after one of his customers tasted the drink one day and said, “Walter, that’s a damn good bloody Caesar.”

Whatever you call it, the drink was, apparently, an instant hit in Calgary, though it took a little longer to become popular in the rest of Canada. It’s still never really caught on outside our borders, except in places with enclaves of Canadians. But we’re OK with that.

In 2009 Parliament declared it our official cocktail. In 2015, Canada celebrated its first National Caesar Day (it’s held each year on the Thursday before the May long weekend, making it the unofficial kickoff to summer). And according to Mott’s, the company that makes Clamato juice, we drink some 407 million Caesars a year. Not bad for a nation of only 35 million people.

Not too surprisingly, after 50 years, the Caesar has undergone some changes.

The basic recipe is still the same: an ounce of vodka, Caesar mix, a dash or two of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, lots of ice, a celery salt rim and celery garnish. But right from the beginning, bartenders started playing with the seasonings, adding a dash of horseradish here and a splash of pickle juice there. And they switched up the spirit too, replacing the vodka with the botanical bite of gin or the smoky allure of mezcal.

A CURE FOR WH AT AILS YOU?

The Caesar is our favourite brunch cocktail for many reasons, but chief among them is its reputation as a hangover cure. But does it work? Let’s see. It’s got plenty of spices to settle your queasy stomach. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals to replenish your depleted body. It’s thirst quenching. And it’s got just enough alcohol to ease your morning after withdrawal symptoms. It may not be a complete cure for your bad decisions, but it sure can’t hurt.

Then in 2013, Vancouver-based Walter Craft Caesar Mix was introduced, an all-natural, Ocean Wise alternative to Clamato. (They now offer classic spice, mild spice, smoky maple and vegan, which is made with dulse, a type of seaweed.) In 2017 Simp’s Syrups from Kelowna introduced their Serious Caesar Mix, which is vegan as well as glutenand MSG-free and comes in a dill pickle version. And, of course, craft bartenders have been making their own artisanal variations all along.

But where the Caesar really stands out is in the realm of garnish. Whoever suggested we Canadians were a shy retiring lot clearly hasn’t seen what we’ve done to our national cocktail. Forget the simple celery stick or pickled asparagus spear. How about a cheeseburger on a stick? Some fried cheese curds? A couple of slices of smoked salmon? A roast chicken? All that and more?

Perhaps the most gloriously excessive Caesar ever could be found this year on National Caesar day (May 16) at Notch 8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. On that day only, you could order the Anniversary Caesar, which came topped with a chorizo calzone, deep-fried clam po’boy, two BBQ pork sliders, two prime ribstuffed Yorkshire puddings, two fried chicken skewers, two grilled prawn skewers and a garnish of pickled vegetables and celery sticks, all for only $99.

Now that’s how to celebrate a big birthday.

Just for National Caesar Day, Notch 8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver offered this glorious beast of a Caesar for $99.

Two new made-inB.C. Caesar mixes have changed the national cocktail.

Photo courtesy of Notch8

D ONNELLY C AESAR

With a few aromatic tweaks, the Donnelly Group’s Trevor Kallies has updated the classic cocktail created by Walter Chell in 1969. If you prefer it zero proof, he suggests substituting Seedlip non-alcoholic spirit for the vodka.

2 oz Absolut vodka OR Seedlip Garden

108

1 dash Tabasco hot sauce

1 dash Lea & Perrins

Worcestershire sauce

Top with Walter Caesar Mix

Garnish: Celery salt rim

Skewer of Castelvetrano olive, pickled onion and cucumber spear

1 lime wedge

Sprig of rosemary and thyme

Rim a footed beer glass with celery salt. Place all the ingredients (except garnish) in the glass, fill with ice, and stir gently. Garnish with the skewer of olive, onion and cucumber, the lime wedge and sprigs of rosemary and thyme; using a torch, burn the herbs for a smoky aroma. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Donnelly Group

Roll out the barrel

W HERE B.C . WAS O N CE A MA J OR BARREL PRODUCER, TODAY DISTILLERS ARE SCRAMBLI N G TO FI N D CASKS

by Charlene Rooke

There’s a spot on the Seawall of Vancouver’s northeast False Creek that should be a pilgrimage—or maybe mourning grounds—for B.C. whisky fans. Under the Cambie Bridge in Coopers’ Park, a plaque marks where

the Sweeney Cooperage set up shop in 1889, becoming an important international manufacturer of wooden barrels. It closed in 1981, three decades too early for the current demand from B.C. distillers.

RIGHT: For decades, the Sweeney Cooperage near the Cambie Street Bridge was part of the British Empire’s biggest barrel-making company. It closed in 1981. City of Vancouver Archives photo

OPPOSITE PAGE: Whisky and barrels at Legend Distilling in Naramata. Jason Lehoux photo

The vanilla and spice flavours we take for granted in small-batch whisky are hard earned. Three years of wood-aging is an essential requirement for a whisky in Canada—a country with virtually no working coopers. (OK, there’s at least one in Ontario who prefers to remain obscure.) Western North America doesn’t even really grow the types of oak necessary for quality barrels (though Seattle’s Westland distillery is experimenting with Oregon Garry oak). While big distilleries order thousands of used 200-litre American standard barrels—which can only be used once in bourbon production—acquiring them can be a challenge for small distilleries.

“When I built my business plan, a previously used ex-bourbon barrel was $120… I just bought one yesterday that was $300. I should have invested in barrels 10 years ago!” says Grant Stevely, owner and distiller at the Dubh Glas distillery near Oliver. Aside from rising prices, he faces other challenges: demand from the global whisky industry, barrel brokers who take their cut and the small quantity he needs.

Stevely uses everything from small socalled octaves to used quarter-casks from Laphroaig to half-size barrels customcoopered in the U.S. from ex-bourbon

wood. He also has a secret weapon: former Okanagan Barrel Works cooper Cal Craik, who closed his business in 2014, “still lives in town and has helped me with barrel repairs, which is so valuable,” says Stevely. Craik is a godsend when barrels leak or get damaged in transport.

Just to the north, wine-country neighbours Legend Distilling source three types of former wine barrels to age Wyatt, their first whisky release. “We have an excellent supply of quality French oak barrels all around us that have been used for wine, Port-style and other fortified wines, so why not utilize them?” says distillery co-owner Dawn Lennie.

Award-winning Lohin McKinnon, made at Central City Brewers & Distillers in Surrey, looks further afield. With more than 2,000 barrels of whisky aging, marketing director Dustin Sept tells me, “We play to the roots of what built our brand on the beer side of things, which is using wood and other techniques to push the

W HE N I BUILT MY BUSI N ESS PLA N, A PREVIOUSLY USED EX-BOURBO N BARREL WAS $120… I J UST BOUGHT ON E YESTERDAY THAT WAS $300.

boundaries of flavour, and doing things that really no one is doing in B.C. or even the world.” That includes a tequilabarrel-finished whisky that came out last year, as well as casks once used for aging everything from rum to Sauternes wine to Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry. “A Muscat white wine-finished whisky will be next,” Sept says, with one finished in Ontario VQA wine barrels now.

Beyond the supply chain, used barrels pose other challenges. “When we procure something for re-use, it needs to be wet, it needs to be fresh. If they’ve been sitting too long you may not get the flavour you

want out of them. It really is an artisanal experience when the distiller is filling these barrels and trying to get what he wants from them,” says Sept.

In many a B.C. distillery, you’ll also see the Black Swan logo on heads of barrels from 20 to 200 litres in size. The Minnesota cooperage caters to craft producers with its patented “honeycomb” carved barrel staves, which expose spirits to greater wood surface area for faster aging.

Tellingly, the Best New Whisky at the Canadian Whisky Awards this year was B.C.-aged Bearface, a flavour-bomb product of seven years in American, French and—in a first for Canadian whisky—a three-year-old air-dried virgin Hungarian oak cask. Based on a tip that master blender Andres Faustinelli got from a cooper in Napa, it gave “rye-like notes and a rich texture” to the corn whisky, he says. Until B.C. raises a new generation of coopers, it’s innovations like this that will keep our whisky glasses full.

A range of the barrels used at Dubh Glas distillery near Oliver, B.C. Dubh Glas photo

Barrels of Lohin McKinnon whisky at Central City Brewers & Distillers in Surrey. Dustan Sept photo

Come for the craft spirits, stay for the craft cocktails.

e Drinkery at Roots and Wings now open for cocktails.

La Mula

2 oz Koch Espadín Mezcal

0.5 oz Lime

0.5 oz Hibiscus Syrup

1 oz Passion Fruit Purée

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Ginger Beer

Add ingredients to a Collins glass, fill with ice, top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge and mint sprig.

7897 240th St., Langley www.rootsandwingsdistillery.ca

1014 Main Street • bodegaonmain.ca • Open Daily 11am-midnight

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TASTING PANEL

A botanical bonanza

Summer is the season for refreshing gin cocktails, so it was only natural to think juniper for this issue’s tasting panel. Juniper, of course, is the signature flavour that defines gin, which is typically a grain spirit (though there are some fruit-based ones) that has been infused with botanicals that can include citrus peel, flowers, herbs, spices, stems, roots, seeds and fruits.

Think gin and you tend to think London Dry, the crisp, juniper-forward style developed in London in the 1830s. But there are a wide range of styles from all

over the world. To sample a selection of them, we gathered at Tableau Bar Bistro with some of the city’s top barkeeps: Alex Black, bar manager of Wildebeest; Sabrine Dhaliwal, cocktail consultant and Pourhouse bartender; Adam Domet, bar manager of Pourhouse; J-S Dupuis, beverage director of Wentworth Hospitality; Robyn Gray of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia; and Ryan Johnson, bar manager of Tuc Craft Kitchen.

The panel blind-tasted 12 international gins. Here’s what they had to say.

The 12 international gins were tasted blind so the panel could focus on the flavours.

Photos by Dan Toulgoet

TANQUERAY, $25.49, 40% ABV

This is one of the oldest of the London Dry gins (though it’s now produced in Scotland). The bartenders detected lots of juniper and peppery notes. “It’s a super classic London Dry. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” Black said. “It’s perfect for the home bartender,” said Dhaliwal. Gray added: “A classic well gin.”

Cocktail: Gray suggested a Negroni, but Black countered with: “I don’t think it’s strong enough for a Negroni. G&T, classic two-to-one measure.”

LUXARDO SOUR CHERRY GIN, $50.58, 37.5% ABV

Although the gins were tasted blind, there were few surprises for a group of bartenders who know their way around a back bar. This was one of them, a new product from a company known for its maraschino liqueur. It had very little juniper on the nose, but an appealingly tart, juicy cherry flavour. “It’s like a vermouth,” Dhaliwal said. “It’s tasty.”

Cocktail: “It’s kind of a gin liqueur. You’d make your creative cocktails with this. You’re not going to find it in your classic cocktails,” Dupuis said. Gray suggested enjoying it on the rocks, while Dhaliwal thought it would work well in a gin fizz: “This is what you want for the summer. A little lemon, a little soda,” she said.

The lineup featured gins from Japan, Italy, Spain and Canada, as well as the spirit’s traditional UK home.

Ryan Johnson noses one of the gins.

T HIS IS WHAT YOU WA N T FOR THE SUMMER. A LITTLE LEMO N , A LITTLE SODA.

HENDRICKS SMALL BATCH, $44.99, 44% ABV

There was a time when the cucumberand-rose Scottish gin was ubiquitous in Vancouver. One sniff and Dhaliwal cracked, “2010 is calling…” and Gray responded, “…and they want their gin back.” He added, “It’s a new western style gin. I was surprised to find there’s

elderflower in the botanical mix. And the rose and cucumber are distilled by perfumers.” Johnson also detected coriander and citrus, while Dupuis concluded, “It’s pretty. Dainty. Delicate.”

Cocktail: Gin and tonic with a cucumber slice. “You can’t really do anything classic with Hendrick’s, but it’s a good gin,” Black said. Dupuis added: “This is perfect for people who like gin Martinis without vermouth.”

BEEFEATER, $22.99, 40% ABV

The bargain of the bunch was also one of the favourites. The bartenders felt the classic Beefeater had complex notes of citrus, spice and florals, with a nice roundness, good balance and appealing

Think all gins are clear and juniper-driven? The Luxardo and Ungava beg to differ with their pops of flavourful colour.

The tasting panel, from left: Sabrine Dhaliwal, Ryan Johnson, Alex Black, J-S Dupuis, Adam Domet and Robyn Gray.

viscosity. “There’s a lot more soft, expressive notes than the first one (Tanqueray), which was a lot more peppery,” Domet said. Added Dhaliwal: “Beefeater is the gin everyone should have at home because it’s so versatile.”

Cocktail: Everyone agreed that this would work well in pretty much every classic gin cocktail. “It’s good in your Corpse Revivers and Last Words,” Domet said. “Or a nice wet Martini, with a long strip of lemon.”

UNGAVA CANADIAN PREMIUM GIN, $37.49, 43.1% ABV

The bright saffron colour of this Canadian gin comes from Arcticsourced botanicals that include cloudberries, Labrador tea and rose hips. Johnson detected “honey and tropical notes.” Dupuis felt it had a peppery nose. Others commented on its high acidity and clean flavour. But Black said, “For as bright as it is, it’s boring on the palate.”

Cocktail: “It would go well with tea,” Gray said, and Domet noted that he uses it in a cocktail with a peppermint tea syrup that he calls a Bitter Southside.

SIPSMITH, $46.99, 41.6% ABV

The first gin to be distilled within London’s boundaries in nearly two centuries, this is an aromatic update of a traditional London Dry. The bartenders described it as floral, delicate, earthy, savoury, textured. “It’s

TOP: Alex Black detects some of the more elusive botanical notes.

ABOVE: Adam Domet matches gins to the cocktails they work best in.

very pretty,” Johnson said, “and it has a beautiful roundness.” Dhaliwal added, “It tastes like walking through the forest after the rain.” “There’s a word for that,” Black said. “Percocet…no that’s not it. Petrichor, that smell after the rain.”

B EEFEATER IS THE GI N EVERYO N E SHOULD HAVE AT HOME BECAUSE IT’S SO VERSATILE.

Cocktail: A Gibson or Negroni. As Domet said, “This is your classic stirred gin cocktail.”

ROKU, $48.99, 43% ABV

Roku is a new premium gin created by the House of Suntory in Osaka, Japan. “Now that’s interesting,” Dupuis said. “Very different from everything we’ve tried. Yuzu, floral, lemon.” Others detected notes of preserved lemon, pomelo and clementine, and layer upon layer of complex flavour. As Black said: “This is a killer gin. Super approachable. I don’t need anything else to go in this glass.”

Cocktail: “This would make a really good Martini,” Dhaliwal said. “I would

make a 20th Century with this. A classic 20th Century. No egg white,” Dupuis added.

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY, $46.99, 46% ABV

Produced by the venerable scotch whisky house Bruichladdich, this gin is famous for using 22 botanicals hand-foraged from the island of Islay. “It’s super soft and elegant,” Johnson said. “I love this gin. I absolutely love this gin,” Dupuis said, summing up the general opinion. “There’s a beautiful balance of aromas. That’s a great gin.”

Cocktail: Johnson suggested a French 75, but Domet disagreed: “A dirty Martini. I mean subtly dirty, nothing disgusting. Maybe some saline solution instead of the brine.”

GIN MARE, $68.26, 40% ABV

This Spanish gin is unique in that it uses olives, rosemary and thyme in its botanical mix for a distinctly Mediterranean flavour. “Now this is a dirty Martini,” Johnson said. Both savoury and citrusy, it made Dhaliwal think of beaches: “Sitting on a patio, eating tapas and drinking G&Ts on the Spanish coast.” “It makes me want to have some cured ham,” Domet added.

Cocktail: A Spanish style Gin & Tonic. “A G&T with olives and rosemary,” Gray said. “And half the garden thrown in it,” Black added.

Sabrine Dhaliwal celebrates all the creative cocktail options gin has to offer.

NOW THAT’S I N TERESTI NG. V ERY DIFFERE N T FROM EVERYTHI N G WE’VE TRIED. Y UZU, FLORAL, LEMO N.

T HIS IS A CLASSIC F RE N CH 75 WITH ABSI N THE, ON THE ROCKS, MADE PROPER.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, $26.49, 40% ABV

Despite its premium-brand image, this gin did not wow the panel. The described it as dry, dusty and almost neutral in flavour, likely because Bombay vapour-infuses its botanicals rather than macerating them. “It’s hard to pick anything out of this,” Johnson said. “This is your gin if you like vodka sodas but want to branch out. This is your training wheel gin,” Dupuis said. “It’s the gateway gin,” Dhaliwal chimed in. “The Barefoot wine of the gin world,” Black added, to which Gray said: “It’s the lager of gins.”

Cocktail: A highball of some sort. “I think because there’s not a lot of expressiveness, you want this to be as cold as possible,” Domet said.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE EAST LONDON

DRY, $28.99, 42% ABV

The original with the addition of Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorn. “Number 11 is literally number 10 cranked by one. This is when you want to get out of the gateway,” Dupuis said. “It’s a good modern cocktail gin.” “It’s much more expressive than the last one,” Domet added.

Cocktail: “I think it would be good in Cosmo or a Clover Club,” Dhaliwal suggested. “Or a Ramos Gin Fizz,” Johnson added.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE STAR OF BOMBAY, $39.99, 47.5% ABV

The tasting ended on a high note with Bombay’s premium expression, which is made with 12 botanicals including bergamot, orange peel and ambrette seed. “I get a fennel note,” Black said. “This is good.” “It’s fucking delicious,” Gray added. “This is their redemption gin: ‘We’re sorry we made Bombay Sapphire.’”

Cocktail: “This is a classic French 75 with absinthe, on the rocks, made proper,” Black said.

J-S Dupuis compares the Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin to “a gin liqueur.”

B.C. DISTILLERY LISTINGS

YOUR GUIDE TO THE SPIRIT MAKERS

This province’s 65 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

Products: Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka, Imperative Dry Vermouth, Nocino

4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan 250-737-1880

AmpersandDistilling.com

Arbutus Distillery

Products: Coven Vodka, Empiric Gin, Baba Yaga Absinthe, Grand Visco Brandy, Blue Gin, Forest Dweller Gin, Vanilla Liqueur, Owl’s Screech Vodka, Birch

Liqueur, Amaro, Lavender

Liqueur, Elderflower Liqueur, Canadian Single Malt Whisky

1890 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo

250-714-0027

Arbutus-Distillery.com

D ISTILLER Y LE GEND

(on-site services offered)

Tasting roomCocktail 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.

Island Spirits Distillery

De Vine Spirits

Products: Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky, Ancient Grains

Alternative Whisky, 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

Fermentorium

Distilling Co.

Products: Stump Coastal Forest Gin, Hop Drop Elixir, handcrafted tonics

2010 Government St., Victoria

250-380-1912

Fermentorium.ca

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

Products: Cowichan Gin, Cowichan Copper Gin, Cowichan Vodka, Cowichan XXO Brandy, Cowichan Rhumb, Cowichan

Spiced Rhumb, Whisky Jack’s, Cowichan Pear Brandy, Cowichan

Cider Brandy, Oaked Harvest Cider, Apple Dessert Cider

PO Box 358, 1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill

250-743-4293

MerridaleCider.ca

Moon Distillery Ltd.

Products: Espresso Vodka, Shaft Liqueur, Blackberry Liqueur, Loganberry Liqueur, Strawberry Liqueur, Orange Vodka, Lime Vodka, Island Grown Pure Grain

Vodka, Citrus Gin

350 A Bay St., Victoria

250-380-0706

MoonDistillery.ca

Pacific Rim Distillery

Products: Humpback Vodka, Lighthouse Gin

2-317 Forbes Rd., Ucluelet

@PacificRimDistilling

Salt Spring Shine Craft

Distillery

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

194 Kitchen Rd., Salt Spring Island

250-221-0728

@SaltSpringShine

Shelter Point Distillery

Cask Rye, Canada One Artisanal Vodka, Sunshine Liqueur, HandForaged Botanical Gin

4650 Regent Rd., Campbell River

778-420-2200

ShelterPoint.ca

Sheringham Distillery

Products: Kazuki Gin, Akvavit, Seaside Gin, Vodka, Red Fife

Whisky

252-6731 West Coast Rd., Sooke

778-528-1313

SheringhamDistillery.com

Stillhead Distillery

Products: Vodka, London Dry Gin, Wild Blackberry Infused Vodka, Kirsch, Aged Apple Brandy

105-5301 Chaster Rd., Duncan

250-748-6874

Stillhead.ca

Tofino Distillery

Victoria Caledonian

Brewery and Distillery

Products: Mac Na Braiche Single Malt Spirit, whisky casks

761 Enterprise Cres., Victoria 778-401-0410

VictoriaCaledonian.com

Victoria Distillers

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

Wayward Distillation

House

Products: Unruly Vodka, Unruly Gin, Wayward Order – Krupnik

Products: Shelter Point Single Malt Artisanal Whisky, Shelter Point Cask Strength Whisky, Montfort District Lot 141 Single Grain Whisky, French Oak Double Barreled Whisky, Single

Products: Vodka, Jalapeño

Vodka, Espresso Vodka, West Coast Gin, Old Growth Cedar Gin, Rose Hibiscus Gin, Psychedelic Jellyfish Absinthe

Unit G & H, 681 Indutrial Way, Tofino

250-725-2182

TofinoCraftDistillery.com

Spiced Honey Liqueur, Wayward Order – Depth Charge Espresso & Cacao Bean Liqueur, Wayward Order – Drunken Hive Rum, Wayward Order – Elixir 151, Raspberry & Ginger Vodka Infusion, Wayward Order – Char #3 Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin

2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay

250-871-0424

WaywardDistillationHouse.com

LOWER M AINL AN D, FRASER VALL EY & B.C. W EST COAST

Anderson Distilleries

Products: Mare Serenitatis Creme

d’ Cafe, Serenitatis Golden Gin, Serenitatis Silver Liquorice, Sweet Serenitatis Limoncello, Sweet Serenitatis Lime’cello, Sweet Serenitatis Orangello, Montague Sunset, Serenitatis

Smoked Rosemary Gin

106-3011 Underhill Ave., Burnaby 604-961-0326

AndersonDistilleries.ca

Bruinwood Estate

Distillery

Products: Aquasen Vodka, Gin, Vanilla Vodka, Chocolate Vodka, Heavenly Honey Liqueur, Nucino

2040 Porter Rd., Roberts Creek

604-886-1371

Bruinwood.com

Central City Brewers & Distillers

Queensborough Gin Fizz, Bitters by Christos

11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey 604-588-2337

CentralCityBrewing.com

Crow’s Nest Distillery

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

Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers

Products: Rosemary and Olive Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Barrel Aged Akvavit (limited), Red Fife Whisky (limited)

2270 Dollarton Hwy., North Vancouver 604-770-1136

DeepCoveCraft.com

Dragon Mist Distillery

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits

Products: Sin Gin, Raspberry

Gin, VTwin Rye Vodka, Gastown

Shine Wheat Vodka, Lemoncello, Café Crema, Booze Witch Shurbs & Elixirs

8-38918 Progress Way, Squamish 604-390-1122

GillespiesFineSpirits.com

Goodridge & Williams

Craft Distillers

Products: Nütrl Vodka, Northern Grains Whisky, Tempo Renovo Gin, Tempo Fresa Strawberry

Gin, Tempo Arándano Blueberry

Gin, Sid The Handcrafted Vodka, Western Grains Whisky, Bitterhouse Aperitifs, Nütrl

Vodka Soda, Highball Whisky

Soda, Tempo Gin Smash, Sid Made Something Else, Nütrl

Vodka 7, Tempo Gin Soda Lime

8-7167 Vantage Way, Delta 604-376-0630

gwdistilling.com

The Liberty Distillery

Products: Lohin McKinnon

Single Malt Whisky, Queensborough Gin, Sparrow

Rum, Peeled Orange Liqueur, Queensborough Gin Twist,

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

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 – Canadian Rye, Trust

Whiskey – Southern, Trust Whisky – Single Cask

1494 Old Bridge St., Vancouver 604-558-1998

TheLibertyDistillery.com

Long Table Distillery

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

1451 Hornby St., Vancouver 604-266-0177

LongTableDistillery.com

Lucid Spirits

Products: Northern Vodka, Northern Gin, Apple Spirit, B.C. Rye Whisky

105B-8257 92nd St., Delta 604-349-3316

LucidSpirits.ca

Mad Laboratory

Distillery

Products: ULKERaki, Mad Lab Vodka, Mad Lab Gin6, Mad Dog Single Malt White Spirit, Kombucha Cordial, Viking Vodka

119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver MadLabDistilling.com

New Wave Distilling

Products: Illusion Spirit, Rexford Rum, Disillusion Gin, Bride’s Tears, Silver Lining

3387 Tolmie Rd., Abbotsford

@NewWaveDistilling

North West Distilling Co.

Products: North West Vodka

104-20120 Stewart Cres., Maple Ridge 604-818-6972

NorthWestDistillingCo.ca

Odd Society Spirits

Products: East Van Vodka, Wallflower Gin, Mongrel Unaged Spirit, Oaken Wallflower Gin, Crème de Cassis, Bittersweet Vermouth, Mia Amata Amaro, Commodore Canadian Single Malt Whisky, Prospector Canadian Rye Whisky, Canadian single malt casks

1725 Powell St., Vancouver 604-559-6745

OddSocietySpirits.com

One Foot Crow

Pemberton Distillery

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, Organic Coffee Liqueur, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy, Elderflower Liqueur

1954 Venture Pl., Pemberton 604-894-0222

PembertonDistillery.ca

Resurrection Spirits

Products: White Rye, Gin, Rosé Gin

1672 Franklin St., Vancouver 604-253-0059

ResurrectionSpirits.ca

Roots and Wings

Distillery

Products: Vital Vodka, Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka, Renegade (horseradish-infused vodka), Jackknife Gin, Rebel, Sidekick

7897 240th St., Langley 778-246-5247

RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca

Products: Mineral-Infused Vodka, Vodka, Mineral-Infused Gunpowder Gin, Lavender Gin

1050 Venture Way, Gibsons

OneFootCrow.com

Sons of Vancouver

Products: No. 82 Amaretto, Vodka Vodka Vodka, Chili Vodka, Coffee Liqueur Sucks, Craft Blue Curacao

1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388

SonsOfVancouver.ca

Stealth Distilleries

Von Albrecht & Associates

O KA

Products: XFour Vodka, XFour

Chocolate Vodka Cocktail, XFour Blueberry Vodka, XFour Percy’s Lemonade, XFour Xoxolat

Chocolate Martini, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Vodka

Cooler, Percy’s Punch Vodka

Cooler

2220 Vauxhall Pl., Richmond 604-249-0003

VonAlbrecht.com

NAGAN,

KOOTE NAYS & INTERIOR After Dark

Distillery

Products: Copper Island Gin, Monashee Mountain Vodka, After Dark Burner Vodka, Monashee Mountain Whiskey, Monashee Mountain Cherry

Products: Stealth Corn Vodka, Stealth Wheat Vodka

#3-20 Orwell St., North Vancouver 604-916-4103

StealthVodka.com

Tailored Spirits

Products: Gin, Vodka

Vancouver 604-619-9615

TailoredSpirits.com

The 101 Brewhouse & Distillery

Products: 101 Gin, 101 Vodka

1009 Gibsons Way, Gibsons 778-462-2011

The101.ca

The Woods Spirit Co.

Products: Amaro, Cascadian Dry Gin, Limoncello, Barrel Aged

Amaro

1450 Rupert St., North Vancouver 778-996-7637

TheWoodsSpiritCo.com

Yaletown Distilling Company

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

Moonshine, 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

Alchemist Distiller

Products: Libellule Gin, Nectar

Apple Liqueur, Green Frog

Absinthe

101-18006 Bentley Rd, Summerland 250-317-6454

AlchemistDistiller.ca

Bohemian Spirits

Products: Vagabond Vodka, Limited Gin, Colossal Gin, Eclipse Coffee Liqueur, Forester

Single Malt Oak Aged Gin

417A 304 St., Kimberley BohemianSpirits.com

Dubh Glas Distillery

Products: Noteworthy Gin – New Western Dry, Noteworthy Gin –Barrel Rested, Noteworthy Gin – Navy Strength, Virgin Spirits – Barley

8486 Gallagher Lake Frontage Rd., Oliver

778-439-3580

TheDubhGlasDistillery.com

Elder Bros Farm

Distillery

Products: Elderflower & Honey Schnapps, Elderflower & Cherry Schnapps, Cherry & Honey Schnapps

3121 Mission Wycliffe Rd., Cranbrook

250-581-2300

ElderBrosFarms.com

Endless Summer

Distillery

Okanagan Peach Pie Moonshine

Kelowna

EndlessSummerDistillery.com

Estate Thurn Distillery

Products: Gin, fruit eaux de vie

5214 Monro Ave., Summerland

250-809-2077

Bodega1117.com

Fernie Distillers

Kootenay Country Craft

Distillery

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

7263 Gustafson Rd., Slocan

250-355-2702

kootenaycountry.ca

Legend Distilling

Products: No. 9 Mine Vodka, Fernie Fog (Earl Grey Liqueur), Prospector Gin

531 1st Ave., Fernie FernieDistillers.com

Forbidden Spirits

Distilling

Products: Rebel Vodka, Forbidden Vodka

4400 Wallace Hill Rd., Kelowna 250-764-6011

ForbiddenSpirits.ca

Jones Distilling

Products: Mr. Jones Vodka, The Revelstoke Series – Gin No. 1

616 Third St. West, Revelstoke JonesDistilling.com

Products: Doctor’s Orders Gin, Shadow in the Lake Vodka, Blasted Brew Spiked Coffee Liqueur, Manitou Orange and Sumac Liqueur, Naramaro, Wyatt Whisky, Black Moon Gin, Silver Moon Gin, Harvest Moon Gin, Slowpoke Farmberry Vodka, Slowpoke Sour Cherry Vodka

3005 Naramata Rd., Naramata 778-514-1010

LegendDistilling.com

Maple Leaf Spirits

Products: Lady of the Cask Wine Brandy, Canadian Kirsch, Pear Williams, Skinny Pinot Noir, Skinny Gewürztraminer, Maple Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur

948 Naramata Rd., Penticton 250-493-0180

MapleLeafSpirits.ca

@MapleLeafSpirits

@Maple_Leaf_Spirits_Inc

@MapleLeafSpirit

Products: Skaha Vodka, Okanagan Apple Pie Moonshine,

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 BartenderBC@gmail.com

@BCBartender /BCCPBA

Monashee Spirits

Products: Vodka, Vulcan’s Fire Cinnamon Liqueur, Big Mountain Creamer

307 Mackenzie Ave., Revelstoke

250-463-5678

MonasheeSpirits.com

Okanagan Crush Pad

Products: Narrative 12 Botanical Gin, Narrative Spirit of the Vineyard, Narrative Fortified

16576 Fosbery Rd., Summerland

250-494-4445

okanagancrushpad.com

Okanagan Spirits

Products: Essential Vodka, Family Reserve Vodka, Essential Gin, Evolve Gin, Family Reserve Gin, BC Rye Whisky, BRBN BourbonStyle Corn Whisky, Final Proof

BC Hopped Whisky, Laird of Fintry Single Malk Whisky, Okanagan Shine Unaged BRBN

Whisky, Taboo Genuine Absinthe, Aquavitus, Blackcurrant Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Cherry

Liqueur, Cranberry Liqueur, Haskap Liqueur, Huckleberry Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Rhubarb

Liqueur, Sea Buckthorn Liqueur, Bartlett Pear (Poire Williams), Bradshaw Plum (Old Italian Prune), Canados, Kirsch

Danube, Raspberry Framboise, Gewürztraminer Marc

5204 24th St., Vernon

267 Bernard Ave., Kelowna

250-549-3120 | 778-484-5174

OkanaganSpirits.com

Old Order Distilling Company

Products: Heritage Vodka, Legacy Gin, Black Goat Vodka, Blessed Bean Coffee Vanilla Liqueur, Wicked Brew Chocolate

Coffee Liqueur, Harvest Raspberry Liqueur, Limited Release Canadian Whisky

270 Martin St., Penticton 778-476-2210

OldOrderDistilling.ca

Taynton Bay Distillers

Products: Vodka, Gin, Pickled Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Gringo’s Revenge, Sinferno

Cinnamon Spirit, Ginger Matcha

Tea-Infused Cocktail, Strawberry Herbal Tea Infused Cocktail, Orange Turmeric Tea-Infused Cocktail, Blueberry Rooibos Tea Infused Cocktail, Bitters

1701B 6th Ave., Invermere 250-342-5271

TayntonBaySpirits.com

True North Distilleries

1460 Central Ave., Grand Forks

778-879-4420

TrueNorthDistilleries.com

Tumbleweed Spirits

Products: Cherry Moonshine, Gin, Rock Creek Rye, Buckie’s Apple Pie Moonshine, Fireweed Whiskey, Nine Mile Creek “Shine,” Maple Moonshine, Vodka

#7-6001 Lakeshore Dr., Osoyoos 778-437-2221

TumbleweedSpirits.com

Urban Distilleries

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, Kirsch, Sweet Mead Honey Wine, Oaked Mead Honey Wine, Okanagan Muscat Grappa, Peach Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Urban Burban – Bourbon Style Whiskey 402-1979 Old Okanagan Hwy, Westbank 778-478-0939

UrbanDistilleries.ca

Vernon Craft Distillery

Products: Dominion Rye, Black Dog – After Dark, Hecate Spice Rum, Hulda Rum, Red Plum Brandy, Muscat

Products: Vodka

Vernon, 250-306-4455

VernonCraftDistilleries.com

D ISTILLERIES COMI NG SOO N

Wynndel Craft Distilleries

Products: Apple Brandy, Peach

Liqueur, Peach Brandy, Honey

Berry Liqueur, Mixed Berry

Liqueur, Saskatoon Brandy, Apricot Brandy, Cherry Brandy, Apple Liqueur, Cape Brandy, Saskatoon Schnapps, Cherry

Liqueur, Cherry Schnapps, Chili

Cherry Vodka, Apricot Schnapps, Apricot Liqueur, Saskatoon

Liqueur, Floral Gin, Old Tom

Apple Gin

1331 Channel Rd., Wynndel

WynndelCraftDistilleries.com

VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS

Copper Kettle Spirits (Ladysmith)

James Bay Distillers (Victoria)

Western Red Distilling Company (Victoria)

Wild Coast Distilling (Cobble Hill)

LOWER M AINL AN D, FRASER VALL EY & B.C. WEST COAST

Copper Spirit Distillery (Snug Cove)

Montis Distilling (Whistler)

New Wave Distilling (Abbotsford)

Tallant Distillery (Vancouver)

OKA N AG AN, KOOTE NAYS & INTERIOR Distillery 95 (Radium Hot Springs)

Lost Boys Distillery (Fernie)

Mount 7 Spirits Craft Distillery (Golden)

Trench Brewing & Distilling (Prince George)

Wiseacre Farm Distillery (Kelowna)

THE LAST WORD

ALL THE BUZZZZZ

June is National Pollinator Month. Celebrate all the winged things that keep us alive with an updated classic that’s the Apis patella.

BEES KNEES #2

Bees are some of the busiest pollinators on the planet, responsible for a third of the food we eat. That’s why Fairmont Hotels and Resorts have installed more than 40 apiaries at their properties around the world. At the Chateau Whistler, they’ve built a one-of-a-kind bee hotel designed to attract solitary pollinator bees. That’s the inspiration behind this update on the Prohibitionera cocktail, from the resort’s Mallard Lounge.

2 oz beeswax gin (see note)

0.25 oz vanilla syrup

0.25 oz simple syrup

0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

Dip the rim of a coupe or martini glass in lemon juice then again in dehydrated honey or granulated sugar. Add all ingredients to a martini shaker filled with ice, shake for 5 seconds, and strain into a rimmed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Serves 1.

Note: To make the beeswax gin, add 1.5 oz foodfriendly beeswax to 10 oz of gin (preferably Ungava) in a vacuum-sealed bag. Using a circulator, cook the gin sous vide for 2.5 hours at 68°C. (Alternatively, use a zip-lock bag and simmer it in a pot of water that does not exceed 70°C.) Cool the bag of gin in an ice bath, then strain through a co ee filter into a sterilized bottle. Will keep for several months.

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Chateau Whistler

MAKE YOUR DRINKS WORLD CLASS

MAKE YOUR

DRINKS WORLD CLASS

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.