Negroni Gelée Shot

Negroni Gelée Shots. Joanne Sasvari photo

These look like those after-dinner gelées you get in fancy restaurants, but come with a boozy and bittersweet kick.

• 1 cup London Dry gin

• 1 cup Campari

• 1 cup sweet vermouth

• 1 cup water

• 4 packets (0.25-ounce each) powdered gelatin

• Garnish: sanding sugar, candied orange zest (optional; recipe below)

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Return of the Sumac

Return of the Sumac. Chickadee Room photo

Recipe by Chickadee Room bar manager Sabrine Dhaliwal. This new addition to the menu is a rich and savoury cocktail flavoured with sumac, a tangy, citrusy spice popular in Middle Eastern cuisine.

1.5 oz Sumac-infused blanco tequila (see note)

0.75 oz amontillado sherry

0.5 oz Cynar

2 dashes Bittered Sling Lem-Marrakech bitters

Garnish: lemon peel

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Live @ 5

Live @ 5. Mark Yammine photo

Recipe by Pourhouse Bar Manager Adam Domet. A re-interpretation of that summer classic, the Margarita, with the licorice-y hint of absinthe.

• 2 oz Altos Blanco Tequila

• 0.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

• 1 tsp St. George absinthe

• 2 tsp lime juice

• 0.5 oz Five Alive Cordial (see below)

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The Sooke Sunrise

Sooke Sunrise. Miki Ellis photo

This loose play on a Tequila Sunrise was created by Stephen Whiteside of Dachi, who says, “The akvavit brings a bright, herbaceous note to this fruity, sweet classic.”

1.5 oz Sheringham Distillery Akvavit

1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tsp maraschino syrup

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp simple syrup

Garnish: thinly sliced orange wheel

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It Takes a Valley

It Takes a Valley. Patrón photo

Jared Schmidt’s Patrón Perfectionists competition-winning cocktail is inspired by the Okanagan Valley.

• 1.5 oz Patrón Silver

• 0.5 oz B.C. apple-infused Bénédictine (see note)

• 0.25 oz 1:1 simple syrup

• 1 oz B.C. organic white verjus

• 0.75 oz dry B.C. apple cider

• Garnish: grapefruit peel

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Strawberry Youth

Strawberry Youth cocktail by Grant Sceney. Photo courtesy of the Fairmont Pacific Rim

This fresh, floral and delightfully fizzy patio sipper was created by Grant Sceney, creative beverage director at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Its name refers to a line in the Jeffree Star song Beauty Killer: “I got a sweet tooth and strawberry youth.”

• 3 strawberries, divided

• 1 oz Botanist Gin

• 0.75 oz Youth Cordial (see recipe below)

• 0.75 oz lemon juice

• 2.5 oz  Champagne or other sparkling wine

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Sangue di tigre

Sangue Di Tigre by Sopra Sotto’s bar manager Daniel Dominguez. Origami Social photo

Recipe courtesy of bartender Daniel Dominguez, bar manager at Sopra Sotto. 

• 1 oz Siete Misterios mezcal (Doba Yej)
• 1 oz Aperol
• 0.75 oz lime juice
• 0.25 oz simple syrup
• Ginger beer
• Dash of crème de cassis

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Champagne cocktail

A classic Champagne Cocktail. Getty Images photo

One of the world’s oldest cocktails, this dates back to the mid-1800s. This recipe is part of The Alchemist‘s series of cocktails you should know. 

• 1 sugar cube, preferably cane and brown
• 1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Splash of Cognac
• 3 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
• Garnish: lemon zest (optional)

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Bicicletta

A classic Bicicletta. Getty Images photo

The way the story goes, this mid-20th-century drink was named for the elderly Italian men who swerved all over the road while cycling home after drinking in the local café. This recipe is part of The Alchemist‘s series of cocktails you should know. 

• 2 oz Campari
• 1.5 to 2 oz dry white wine, preferably Italian
• Soda water
• Garnish: citrus slice (optional)

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