November 2017 Archives

Apple-etto Fizz

November 22, 2017 No Comments

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole Honey Crisp apple, core removed*
Egg white separated from 1 large egg
1 oz amaretto
1 oz calvados
1 oz lemon juice
2 oz soda water
4 1-inch ice cubes
apple fan (for garnish)

METHOD:
Place first five ingredients plus ice into a blender and blend on a low setting, gradually increasing speed until the ice has dissolved. Put soda water into a tall glass, then add the blender contents slowly to mix through the soda—done right, a frothy head that rises above the rim of the glass should form. Garnish with an apple fan.

The Alchemist

Smoke and spirits

November 17, 2017 No Comments

Mexico’s top bartender makes us fall in love with the smouldering complexity of mezcal

Mica Rousseau, head bartender at Four Seasons Mexico City and winner of Best Bartender at the 2016 World Class Mexico competition, pours out samples at a mezcal master class at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler during Cornucopia 2017. He is also hosting Mezcal y Maize, a series of “après” parties. Cornucopia continues to Nov. 19 in Whistler, www.whistlercornucopia.com. Hannes van der Merwe photo

“Twenty years ago in Mexico, mezcal was for poor people. Fifty years ago it was for poor people in the villages,” says Mica Rousseau. “Now it’s a super trendy spirit in the big food and cocktail cities. Now we are producing mezcal not for the Mexican market, but for the rest of the world.”

Recipes, The Alchemist

Naked and Famous

November 17, 2017 No Comments

For his mezcal master class at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler, Mexico’s Mica Rousseau demonstrated this classic cocktail created by Joaquín Símo at Death & Co. in New York.

INGREDIENTS:
1 oz (30 mL) mezcal
1 oz (30 mL) Aperol
1 oz (30 mL) yellow Chartreuse
1 oz (30 mL) fresh lemon juice

METHOD:
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and fine-strain into a cocktail coupe. If you like, garnish with an ice cube. Serves 1.

The Alchemist

November’s most ‘spirited’ events

November 10, 2017 No Comments

November is no one’s favourite month. It’s dark, cold, wet and gloomy, and it isn’t quitethe month that comes with presents. Maybe that’s why it’s such a great month for drinking. I mean, maybe that’s why it’s such a great month for new product releases and exciting social events, starting with these.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Blood Orange Sidecar

November 10, 2017 No Comments

Serve your cocktails in old-fashioned coupe glasses. iStock photo

Blood oranges are in stores right now, but not for long. They are delicious in any of the traditional sours, especially in this juicy variation on a classic Sidecar.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz (45 mL) Cognac or brandy
1 oz (30 mL) Cointreau
0.5 oz (15 mL) lemon juice
1.5 oz (45 mL) blood orange juice

METHOD:
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Serves 1.

Features

Whisky Business

November 9, 2017 No Comments

The second edition of Davin de Kergommeaux’s Canadian Whisky is out now. Contributed photo

When it came out in 2012, Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert established Davin
de Kergommeaux as the foremost authority in the country on the spirit. As the second edition is published, The Alchemist asked its author about the state of the Canadian industry today.

The Alchemist

A Cornucopia of cocktails in Whistler

November 3, 2017 No Comments

Savour the art of the shaken and stirred at the ski resort’s annual food and drink fest

Cocktails are served! This year’s Whistler Cornucopia event takes place Nov. 9-19. Darby Magill photo

If you think Whistler Cornucopia is just about wine, think again. Sure, there’s no shortage of Chardonnay, but the annual food-and-drink festival is also about beer, whisky and, above all, cocktails.

In fact, Whistler has generally become a great destination for cocktail lovers. As Mary Zinck, the manager of travel media for Tourism Whistler, says, “I don’t think there is a place that you can go where you can’t get a good drink.”

Recipes, The Alchemist

Mountain Mezcal Sour

November 3, 2017 No Comments

This smoky, sweet and sour cocktail was created by Rob Kharazmi and the bar team at Sidecut, Four Seasons Resort Whistler, just in time for Cornucopia.

Recipes

Madame Colet

November 2, 2017 No Comments

A complex, pensive cocktail by Sabrine Dhaliwal inspired by the 1932 film Trouble in Paradise. Dhaliwal imagines that this is the drink the character of Mariette Colet would be drinking as she ponders the whirlwind of events that befall her in the movie.

On the Town

Deighton Cup Cocktail Jockey Competition

November 1, 2017 No Comments

B.C. Bartenders were away to the races at this summer’s Deighton Cup Cocktail Jockey competition.

Dave Mott (Brandywine Bartending Studio), Rod Redford (The Diamond). Dan Toulgoet photo.

Philipp Karatsyupa (Ancora), Yonah Sweetapple (Glowbal). Dan Toulgoet photo.

Victoria bartender Jayce Kadyschuk (Clive’s Classic Lounge) and The Botanist’s Chris Enns took second and third pace, respectively. Dan Toulgoet photo.

The Vancouver Club’s Michelle Medwin won with her creation, the Romaji — a Japanese-influenced cocktail with umeshu plum brandy as its base. Cathy Browne photo.