A rose by another name

A Rose By Another Name as served at the Vancouver Cocktail Week 2023 launch party. Canadian Cake Hospitality photo

An opulent, dense, spirit-forward cocktail

• 1 oz CAMPARI

• 1 oz Scotch Whiskey

• 0.75 oz Tawny Port

• 0.5 oz Peated Islay Scotch

• 2 heavy dashes Rose Water

• 1 Drop of Cardamom Bitters

• 1 Drop of Aromatic Leaf Bitters (or Cigar Bitters)*

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Ungava Margarita

Supplied photo

The wild Arctic botanicals in Ungava Gin add unique colour and flavour to this spooky big-batch cocktail.

• 5 oz Ungava Gin

• 3.75 tequila or mezcal 

• 2.5 oz orange liqueur

• 4 oz lime juice 

• 1 oz agave syrup

• Garnish: Fresh mint, lime slices (fresh or dried)

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Nitro Espresso Martini

Getty Images photo

If you work in a bar with a draft system, it’s relatively easy to put an Espresso Martini on tap and let the nitrogen do its magic. For home bartenders, here’s how to get a similar effect using an iSi nitrogen dispenser. (Recipe adapted from iSi.com.)

• 10 oz cold brew coffee

• 2 oz coffee liqueur

• 4 oz vodka

• 1 oz simple or vanilla syrup

• Garnish: coffee beans

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Espresso Martini

Getty images photo

The key to this cocktail is using hot espresso—if the coffee is cold, it won’t form the “crema,” the creamy foam on top that is the drink’s signature. The three coffee beans represent health, wealth and happiness.

• 2 oz vodka

• 0.5 oz coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa)

• 1 oz espresso, freshly brewed and hot

• 0.5 oz simple syrup (or to taste) 

• Garnish: coffee beans

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The Arbutus Cove

The Arbutus Cove by Nic VanBergen. Photo courtesy of Naramata Inn

A cocktail with locally sourced ingredients created by Nic VanBergen for Eliza at the Naramata Inn. 

• 1 oz Arbutus Distillery Blue Gin
• 0.5 oz Arbutus Lavender Liquor
• 0.75 oz Cane Sugar Syrup
• 0.5 oz Grape Acid (see note)
• Lunessence Riesling Brut
• Garnish: Flower from the garden

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The Tune-Up

The Tune-Up. Jana Bizzarri photo

This cocktail represents Vancouver during the late 1950s and early 1960s. After the vaudeville days, Vancouver became known as the “Tune-Up City,” where famous performers would come play at venues like The Cave. The Cave was an important part of Vancouver’s nightlife history and is still talked about today.

“There are even those who never went there who regret its demise, longing for the magic and excitement of a lost era. The Cave was the city’s premier venue during the height of the nightclub show era—the early 1960s when nightlife was stylish and sophisticated  (Chapman 19).”

Performers often used Vancouver as a chance to rehearse and then would continue to tour across Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This tour route is still commonly used today. Staying true to the sophisticated nightclub era, we “tuned-up” a whiskey sour using Southern Comfort Original and Chambord.

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Golden Ratio

Golden Ratio. Jana Bizzarri photo

This cocktail by Marta Ess of Halifax, NS, won the national Patron Perfectionist cocktail. She represented Canada on the global stage in Mexico in June.

• 1.5 oz Patron Silver

• 0.75 oz Martini Rosso vermouth

• 0.75 tsp amaro (preferably Amaro Lucano)

• 1 oz pineapple juice

• 0.5 oz lime juice,

• 0.5 oz rich simple syrup (2:1)

• Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

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