Features

Roll out the barrel

January 24, 2018 No Comments

Surrey’s Central City may have begun as beer brewers, but they are fast becoming one of B.C.’s most important distillers of single malt.

Central City has 1,400 barrels of single malt aging right now.

He may have a lengthy career in brewing behind him, but Gary Lohin is clear: “I’ve been a whisky aficionado for even longer.”

He got his start in beer at Whistler Brewing back in 1989, before spending most of the 1990s at Sailor Hagar’s Brewpub in North Vancouver. He moved to Central City Brewpub in Surrey in 2003 where his Red Racer beer lineup established him as one of B.C.’s top brewmasters. It was on trips to Oregon and California that he visited microdistilleries and began noticing that breweries there were adding stills. So, when Central City began planning its new production facility in 2010, Lohin suggested to his business partner that they should add a distillery.

Features

Golden Oldie

January 15, 2018 No Comments

The name may sound dated, but the Old Fashioned remains a classic for a reason. The Alchemist asked Sabrine Dhaliwal, Bar Manager at Uva, to let us in on its secrets.

Sabrine Dhaliwal stirs up a classic. Dan Toulgoet photo.

The Old Fashioned is amazing — simple and complex at the same time. On paper it is minimal — spirit, bitters, sugar and water (via the dilution of ice) — but what is critical for an Old Fashioned is getting that balance right. You get the balance right, you have a beautiful cocktail, but if you don’t, there’s nowhere to hide. The fewer the ingredients in a cocktail, the more skill needed to make it.

Features

Bags of quality

December 16, 2017 No Comments

Aunts & Uncles and Brooklyn Clothing believe in durable fashion that only gets better with age

In this increasingly fast-paced, disposable society, quality products that are crafted to last are a reassuring reminder of how things can improve with age. It could be a single malt whisky maturing for a couple of decades, a carefully cellared Bordeaux, or that go-to pair of jeans or bag that never lets you down.

Features

Star Anise

November 29, 2017 No Comments

How a Scandinavian classic is warming hearts in B.C.

It takes about three seconds for a shot of ice-cold aquavit to pass your lips and slide down your throat, leaving its distinctive hit of caraway and liquorice tingling on your tongue and introducing a pleasing warmth into your belly. The Swedish Shot, as it is known — raise your glass, lock eyes with your fellow toasters and drink up — is swift and satisfying.

Features

Class rules

November 27, 2017 No Comments

Canada’s Diageo World Class success has much to do with national program to educate and inspire bartenders

Kaitlyn Stewart wins the Diageo World Class competition. Contributed photo

Vancouver made cocktail headlines around the world in August when Kaitlyn Stewart was named bartender of the year at the Diageo World Class competition.

The Royal Dinette bartender’s feat was extraordinary, topping a field of 56 mixologists from around the world during a gruelling four days of competition in Mexico City.

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.

Features

There’s new life in the old tomcat

July 12, 2017 No Comments

Gin’s dark past comes to light as distillers go back to the drink’s barrel-aged roots

Early gin was stored and shipped in barrels, so it was naturally darker. Modern barrel-aging aims to add vanilla and spice complexity to gin’s botanicals. Dan Toulgoet photo

To the superstitious, a black cat is a bad omen. But to underground drinkers during Prohibition, spotting a sign depicting an old tomcat meant you’d hit the gin jackpot.

A precursor to the crisp and clear London dry gin, Old Tom gin was stored and shipped in wooden barrels, so it had a naturally darker hue. Sometimes it was sweeter or more resiny, thanks to the addition of sugar or, yes, turpentine. Swill or not, Old Tom was probably better than no Tom.

Features

Rye Smile

July 10, 2017 No Comments

JS Dupuis is back doing what he loves, with the drinks he loves, at Homer Street Café and Tableau

It’s a time of change at the Homer Street Café and its sister venue, Tableau Bar Bistro. And that suits JS Dupuis just fine.

Following a stint in sales, Dupuis returned to the fold as beverage director for the restaurants in April.

Features

Fear not the fairy

July 6, 2017 No Comments

Laying bare the legends and lore behind absinthe

Bar manager Simon Ogden draws off some absinthe from the fountain at the Veneto Tap Lounge in Victoria. Meghan Kirkpatrick photo.

“After the first glass, you see things as they are. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” — Oscar Wilde

Absinthe, the fabled Green Fairy that ran amok through Paris at the height of the Belle Époque, remains the most polarizing spirit on the bar shelf.

Features

Bar excellence

July 5, 2017 No Comments

The Rosewood Hotel Georgia may be 90 years old but with three spectacular, very different bar experiences, it sure knows how to entertain

When you check in to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, there’s no real reason to leave until you check out. With spas, superb food and three of Vancouver’s leading bars inside its 90-year-old walls, this glamorous landmark accommodation is a highlight reel of local luxury, history and flavour.