After months and months of being cooped up at home, there’s one thing we know for sure: We’re going to be spending a lot more time outside this summer.

So in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the Alchemist, we celebrate the patio.

Gail Johnson looks at the way expanded patios have changed B.C.’s social landscape. We offer tips for making “fun in the sun” boozy slushies and popsicles. Home Bar columnist Matthew Benevoli shows us how to make a ginger bug, the base for all your thirst-quenching Moscow Mules and Dark ’N’ Stormys. And our Tasting Panel shares their favourite tequilas and mezcals, and the cocktails you should be making with them.

Meanwhile, Charlene Rooke checks out the new synthetically aged spirits, Michael White checks in with Bacardi portfolio ambassador Kevin Brownlee, and we look into the origins of Bénédictine only to uncover a mystery. Plus we cover all the latest spirited news from here and around the world, and offer a complete guide to B.C.’s distilleries.

Summer is short and sweet, so enjoy it while you can.

Find The Alchemist in select distilleries and independent liquor stores across B.C. Or make sure you never miss an issue, and subscribe right here.

—The Alchemist Magazine