Canada's only magazine dedicated to distillers, spirits and cocktail culture.
Cabin Gin 2024 Green Label: Okanagan Spirits has just released the first in a new lineup of seasonal small-batch gins inspired by time spent at the family cabin and escapes to other places. It features hints of lemongrass, fresh ginger and Thai lime leaf, reminiscent of trips through Southeast Asia. It retails for $35 (for a 500 mL bottle), with at least two more in the series expected by the end of the year. okanaganspirits.com
If it’s spring it must be competition season and Canada’s best bars and bartenders are winning awards all over the place. Here are just a few that have made news the past few months.
We’ve been waiting impatiently to see what’s going into the grand space under the Rosewood Hotel Georgia where Prohibition used to be. We’ve been waiting just as impatiently to learn where Jeff Savage would land after leaving Botanist Bar last year.
For 165 years, J.P. Wiser’s has been synonymous with Canadian whisky. But who says an old brand can’t learn new tricks? It’s just launched a bold new look across its entire portfolio, one that captures its heritage while looking ahead to the future.
A few years back, Toronto’s venerable Fairmont Royal York underwent a reno that transformed the train-station vibe of the main floor public area into the glamorous Clockwork Champagne & Cocktails. Now the space has a resident barkeep as dashing as it is.
It’s always great to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar space, and so it was when we heard that Emily Vey was leading the bar program at the new(ish) Jungle Room in Vancouver’s West End. You probably remember her from the much-missed Diamond, as well as her thrilling run at the World Class Canada 2023 finals.
If anyone knows what bartenders need, it’s Geoff Dillon, the founder of Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers in Beamsville. Along with his (mostly) rye-based gins, vodka, whisky and canned gin cocktails, he’s also introduced a line of liqueurs made from quality local products and designed to go straight into your cocktail shaker or mixing glass.
Craving a Sazerac? He’s got an absinthe for that. In the mood for a Kir Royale? Yep, there’s a blackcurrant liqueur. Thinking to try your hand at a White Negroni but struggling to find Suze? Try the Dillon’s gentian liqueur instead. And, of course, if you’re searching for an orange liqueur for a Margarita or Sidecar, well, he’s got that, too, along with amaretto, chocolate, coffee, limoncello and peach.
Most Wanted: DecantersIt’s that time of year when we’re both hosting events and shopping for gifts, and there is one easy solution for both: decanters. An elegant decanter makes a lovely gift under the tree or even for a party host. It’s also a good vessel for your house whisky or brandy. But it’s best put to use for serving large-format cocktails—a decanter filled with pre-mixed Negronis or punch not only looks beautiful, but is easy to pour. Find some great options at: williams-sonoma.ca.
Max Curzon-Price is a bartender who is willing to go there, whether that means dressing in bonnet and matronly frock to represent an old Dutch portrait for a cocktail competition or serving a drink made with fresh blood. Now his fearless approach to cocktailing has earned him the prestigious Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktails Award, in the second year the Guide has covered Vancouver.
If you are going to pick up one cocktail book this fall—or if you are looking for one to gift your cocktail-loving friend—make it For the Love of Cocktails by Evelyn Chick (Figure 1 Publishing).