B.C. Distilleries

Roots and Wings Distillery

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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.

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

Read more about Roots & Wings Distillery

• It’s G&T time: The Alchemist’s tasting panel searches for the best B.C. gin to enjoy with your tonic

• Field work: potatoes fuel the spirit at Langley’s Roots and Wings Distillery

PRODUCTS:

• Vital Vodka
• Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka
• Renegade (Horseradish-infused vodka)
• Dill Pickled Vodka
• Peachy Keen Vodka
• Jackknife Gin
• Encore Gin
• Rebel
• Sidekick
• Johnny Handsome
• Old Fashioned Spirit
• 5th Element Absinthe

TASTING NOTES:

Vital Vodka

FRAGRANCE: Vanilla, cream corn, créme brulée.
FLAVOUR: Custard, funky earth notes, white pepper, this IS a potato and corn vodka.
FEEL: Slightly viscous, but buttery in a very good way.
FINISH: A load of spice stays around for a minute.
BEST ENJOYED: Will make a buttery Martini that packs a spicy finish, or a Moscow Mule.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Surprisingly ballsy finish after a sweet nose, cool product. —Shaun Layton, February 2017

Hops and Honey Vodka

FRAGRANCE: Malty, resiny, touch of buttery corn.
FLAVOUR: Faint coriander spice, danky, dry pepper, honeysuckle.
FEEL: Creamy on the palate.
FINISH: Nice subtle black pepper, piney, slightly bitter.
BEST ENJOYED: Would make a great collins style drink, looking forward to this in a Michelada or a Caesar.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I wouldn’t put it in the vodka category, theres a lot going on. A very intriguing spirit. —Shaun Layton, July 2017

Rebel

FRAGRANCE: Cooked corn and orange.
FLAVOUR: Corn comes through with playful citrus notes and a touch of smoke.
FEEL: Mild creaminess.
FINISH: A little baking spice on the front, a touch of smoke on the back. 
BEST ENJOYED: Could sub into a sour or Old Fashioned with some ease.
THE BOTTOM LINE: An interesting take on a young (soon-to-be) corn whisky. —Trevor Kallies, October 2017

B.C. Distilleries

Stealth Distilleries Corporation

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

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

PRODUCTS:

• Stealth Corn Vodka
• Stealth Wheat Vodka

TASTING NOTES:

Stealth Vodka No. 9

FRAGRANCE: A hint of alcohol on the nose with a small touch of cream.
FLAVOUR: Slight bit of grain with white pepper.
FEEL: The palate is smooth with a tiny element of alcohol warmth.
FINISH: Fairly abrupt.
BEST ENJOYED: In your favorite mixed vodka drink.
THE BOTTOM LINE: As craft vodkas go it is right up there. Packaging is bartender friendly, with a decent neck to grab onto. —Trevor Kallies, February 2017

Stealth Vodka

FRAGRANCE: Caramel, butterscotch even.
FLAVOUR: Toffee, candy corn.
FEEL: Light.
FINISH: Dryer than the nose suggests.
BEST ENJOYED: In a shaken cocktail with fruit or citrus.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A New World-style vodka for those who like sweeter drinks. —Josh Pape, October 2017

Home Bar, The Alchemist

How to stock your spirits cabinet

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Nightingale head bartender Rhett Williams. Dan Toulgoet photo

Every cocktail starts with a base spirit. Every home cocktail bar should do the same. The question is, what spirits do you really need to stock at home? What’s worth spending money on (and what isn’t)? After all, those bright, shiny bottles can be expensive.

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Home Bar, The Alchemist

Cocktail books every home bartender should own

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Take a note from the experts and decorate your coffee table with this hit list of Cocktail books. Photo courtesy of The Canon Cocktail Book.

Stocking your home bar? Before you invest in spirits, tools and glassware (not to mention that handy bar cart), you should get some expert advice. Luckily, there are plenty of great cocktail books out there to help you make the right choices.

Here are the essential tomes to quench your thirst for both well-made cocktails and the know-how to make them.

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On the Town

Art of the Cocktail 2016

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Mixologists and distillers celebrated all things spirit-forward at Victoria’s Art of the Cocktail event in October.

Stuart Bertrand from the Bard & Banker at the Grand tasting.

Kayla Morton from Fine Art Bartending School.

Jessica Barwin from Glo Restaurant & Lounge.

Michael Pizzitelli, head distiller at Arbutus Distillery.

Home Bar, The Alchemist

How to build the perfect home bar

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Rod Moore, owner of the Modern Bartender and the Shameful Tiki Room, with some essentials for the home bar. Dan Toulgoet photo.

Back in 2012, when Rod Moore was about to open his dream bar, the Shameful Tiki Room, he ran into a problem. “It was a nightmare trying to find stuff – even basic tools and bitters,” he says, remembering running all over town to find shakers, jiggers, strainers and glassware. As for specialty tiki mugs? Not a chance.

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Features

Tutti Frutti

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Maple Leaf Spirits turns fallen fruit into liqueur

istockphoto.com photo

Do you want to see the only way to shoot a bird?” asks Jorg Engel, owner of Maple Leaf Spirits, soon after we meet at his Okanagan distillery. I’m there with my daughter, Maya, and Engel is showing us the birds and chickens in the enclosure next to his tasting room.

I stare and my daughter’s eyes bug. Engel has a small green bird sitting on his finger and I’m wondering if I should cover Maya’s eyes. “Watch this,” he says, smiling gently. Without further ado, he cocks his finger like a gun at the little bird and quietly says, “Bam!” The bird swings and hangs upside down from Engel’s finger. A brief second of silence and then we burst into (slightly relieved) laughter. The bird is right side up again and chirping happily, obviously in on the joke.

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