Recipes

Coa Swizzle

June 16, 2017 No Comments

The coa is a specialized hoe used to harvest agave. Here it’s also the inspiration for Luke McInnes’ tequila-based variation on a Caribbean-style swizzle, now on the menu at Blue Water Café.

• 1 oz (30 mL) blanco tequila
• 1 oz (30 mL) watermelon-infused Lillet Blanc (see note)
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) Campari
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) agave syrup
• 1 oz (30 mL) lime juice
• 3 dashes black peppercorn tincture (see note)

Stir—or swizzle—all the ingredients together in a highball glass, then fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Suffering Barbarian

June 9, 2017 No Comments

This cocktail created by Justin Taylor of the Cascade Room is an easy and refreshing way to enjoy bourbon

• 2 oz (30 mL) bourbon
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 4 oz (120 mL) ginger beer

Place all ingredients in a highball glass, add lots of ice and stir. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Cîroc Me Gently, Cîroc Me Slowly

June 2, 2017 No Comments

This cocktail from Kaitlyn Stewart, World Class Canada 2017 winner and bar manager of Royal Dinette, is a mouthwatering balance of sweet, citrus and spice.

• 1.5 oz (45 mL) Ciroc Vodka
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Ancho Reyes chili liqueur
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) crème de cacao (chocolate liqueur)
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 dashes of Bittered Sling Lem-Marrakech bitters

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If you like, garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Watermelon Negroni

May 26, 2017 No Comments

This refreshing summertime recipe from Josh Pape at Wildebeest balances the bitterness of Campari with a splash of simple syrup, which keeps the texture consistent. It’s designed for one portion; if you’re serving more, just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings. But remember, you’ll also need about 1 cup (250 mL) ice per serving, so make sure everything fits into your blender.

• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Beefeater gin
• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Campari
• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Cinzano Rosso
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) simple syrup (see note)
• 3 x 1.5-inch (3 cm) cubes of watermelon

Place ½ cup (125 mL) cracked ice into the blender with the watermelon and simple syrup. Blend until smooth.

Add the other ingredients and another ½ cup (125 mL) of ice. Blend for 45 seconds and pour into a fancy glass (or a plastic cup).

Garnish with a slice of watermelon. Serves 1.

—By Josh Pape

Recipes, The Alchemist

Empress 1908

May 12, 2017 No Comments

The original 1908 cocktail, featuring tea-infused vodka, was introduced to celebrate the Fairmont Hotel Empress’ 100^th anniversary. This royal update gets its purple hue from the butterfly pea flower in the Empress Gin by Victoria Spirits.

• 2 oz (60 mL) Empress Gin
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) lemon juice
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) simple syrup (see note)
• 1 egg white

Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, without ice, and shake vigorously. Once you have created voluminous foam, add ice, and shake again. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If you like, garnish with dried butterfly pea flower blossoms. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Lady O’Keefe

May 5, 2017 No Comments

Lily Duong, assistant bar manager at UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar in the Moda Hotel, captures the floral fragrance of elderflower in this refreshing spring cocktail.

• 1 oz (30 mL) vodka
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) lemon juice
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) Monin jasmine flower syrup
• 2 dashes Bittered Sling Grapefruit & Hops bitters
• 1 egg white

Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Once you have created voluminous foam, add ice, and shake again. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Hanky Panky

April 28, 2017 No Comments

As bar manager of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, Ada Coleman created this simple, yet complex cocktail that is considered one of the great classics. Don’t be tempted to skip the orange peel garnish – it’s what magically ties all the flavours together

Recipes, The Alchemist

Vancouver #2

April 21, 2017 No Comments

Before the team at Botanist installed the bar top, creative beverage director Grant Sceney “bought a drink for the next generation of bartenders” by embedding a bottled cocktail, a handwritten note and a copy of the first bar menu inside the bar itself. This is the cocktail they left for the future: an updated version of the classic Vancouver cocktail. “We’ve made the Vancouver Cocktail as Vancouver as we can,” says Sceney.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Joy’s Cocktail

April 14, 2017 No Comments

This refreshing patio-sipper of a cocktail is created by Appleton Estate master blender Joy Spence.

Ingredients:
• Slice of orange
• 1 oz (30 mL) Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
• 3 oz (90 mL) ginger ale
• 5 drops Angostura bitters
• Slice of orange peel to garnish

Recipes, The Last Word

The Last Word: A Classic Negroni

April 3, 2017 No Comments

*A classic Negroni. Dan Toulgoet photo.*

“The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”

—Orson Welles writing from Rome in 1947 on the relative merits of the Negroni in a missive to the Ohio-based Coshocton Tribune.

The coa is a specialized hoe used to harvest agave. Here it’s also the inspiration for Luke McInnes’ tequila-based variation on a Caribbean-style swizzle, now on the menu at Blue Water Café.

This cocktail created by Justin Taylor of the Cascade Room is an easy and refreshing way to enjoy bourbon

This cocktail from Kaitlyn Stewart, World Class Canada 2017 winner and bar manager of Royal Dinette, is a mouthwatering balance of sweet, citrus and spice.

The original 1908 cocktail, featuring tea-infused vodka, was introduced to celebrate the Fairmont Hotel Empress’ 100th anniversary. This royal update gets its purple hue from the butterfly pea flower in the Empress Gin by Victoria Spirits.

Lily Duong, assistant bar manager at UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar in the Moda Hotel, captures the floral fragrance of elderflower in this refreshing spring cocktail.

As bar manager of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, Ada Coleman created this simple, yet complex cocktail that is considered one of the great classics. Don’t be tempted to skip the orange peel garnish – it’s what magically ties all the flavours together

This refreshing patio-sipper of a cocktail is created by Appleton Estate master blender Joy Spence.

“The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”

The original 1908 cocktail, featuring tea-infused vodka, was introduced to celebrate the Fairmont Hotel Empress’ 100^th anniversary. This royal update gets its purple hue from the butterfly pea flower in the Empress Gin by Victoria Spirits.