The Alchemist

Vancouver’s Chris Enns named Diageo World Class Canada Bartender of 2018

May 9, 2018 No Comments

Botanist bartender Chris Enns, Diageo World Class Canada Bartender of the Year. Photo courtesy of Diageo World Class Canada

The Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Christopher Enns has become the fourth Vancouver bartender to win the prestigious Diageo World Class Canada competition since this country joined the global fray in 2013.

He now heads to Berlin, Germany, to represent Canada at the World Class Global Final Oct. 4 to 8, 2018.

Expectations will be even higher than usual. Not only is this the 10^th anniversary of the biggest and most important cocktail competition on the planet, but another Vancouverite, Kaitlyn Stewart of Royal Dinette, won the global title last year, vanquishing 10,000 bartenders from 57 countries to do so.

So, you know, no pressure.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist Spring 2018

March 20, 2018 No Comments

Thirsty for cocktail and spirits news? You’re in luck—the spring issue of The Alchemist is out this week.

The eighth edition of B.C.’s only magazine dedicated to local distilleries and cocktail culture returns just in time for the warmer weather with “lighter spirits, brighter cocktails and new seasonal adventures.”

In this issue: We look at what was behind B.C.’s recent whisky raids and explain how to order a cocktail the right way. We offer a guide to Vancouver’s distillery tasting rooms, sample farm-to-flask cocktails and our tasting panel judges B.C. gins ideal for G&Ts or cocktails to toast the royal wedding. Plus we share a dozen must-try cocktail recipes.

Be sure to grab a free copy before they’re gone! Find The Alchemist in select distilleries, cocktail bars and independent liquor stores in B.C.

—The Alchemist Magazine

The Alchemist

Dream job alert: The Alchemist is hiring!

March 8, 2018 No Comments

Are you passionate about craft cocktails and craft beer? Are you a super cool person with a positive attitude? Is “fun” generally something you spend every waking moment pursuing?
Perfect, because we want to hire you!

The Alchemist

Taste and discover spirits from 40 B.C. distilleries this April

February 19, 2018 No Comments

Your chance to taste and discover spirits from 40 distilleries from around the province will be Saturday, April 14 at the annual BC Distilled.

Canada’s biggest artisan and micro-distillery event continues to grow, with 12 new distilleries featured among the nearly four dozen slated to take part in 2018’s festivities.

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Canada’s best artisan spirits announced

February 6, 2018 No Comments

Sheringham Akvavit named Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year

B.C., which is home to almost 45 per cent of Canada’s artisan distilleries, took home the greatest number of awards, including the Artisan Spirit of the Year: Sheringham Distillery Akvavit. Lucy-Kate Armstrong photo

One hundred and seventy-five. That’s a lot of spirits to taste, especially when they range from akvavit to amaro to apple brandy.

But throughout December 2017, that just what I and seven other spirits experts from coast to coast did, sniffing, swirling, sipping and occasionally spitting, as we judged the inaugural Canadian Artisan Spirits Awards.

The Alchemist

A kinder, gentler cocktail culture

January 23, 2018 No Comments

Legendary bartender Jim Meehan, author of *Meehan’s Bartender Manual*. Contributed photo.

Legendary bartender Jim Meehan envisions a future where humanity is as important as the craft.

It’s not about the fancy glassware, or the high-tech centrifuge, or the exotic, impossible-to-source-spirit, not any more. It’s all about the people.

“Now that it’s no longer an arms race to assemble the cocktail, the other things matter more,” says Jim Meehan.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Stone Fence

January 23, 2018 No Comments

Here’s an old school classic getting a new life thanks to Jim Meehan. Cocktail historian David Wondrich traces it back to 1775 when it was “a savage mixture” of New England rum and hard cider. Nearly a century later, he notes, it had evolved into a “suave and smooth” bourbon cooler. Today, Meehan makes the most of the resurgence of craft cider and adds maple syrup for depth of flavour. And, he says, if you want to add a dash or two of Angostura bitters, by all means go ahead.

The Alchemist

Whisky raid leaves shelves empty, bar owners stunned

January 22, 2018 No Comments

Provincial liquor inspectors remove bottles of whisky from Fets Whisky Kitchen in Vancouver. Fets Whisky Kitchen photo.

It’s the story that everyone in the BC booze industry is buzzing about: On Jan. 18, the provincial government conducted four simultaneous Prohibition-style raids on establishments in Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver and confiscated tens of thousands of dollars worth of liquor.

Their target? Bottles of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s unique (and expensive) whiskies.

Their reasoning? Although the bottles were shipped to B.C. under proper channels and all appropriate taxes paid, the licensees bought them through private retailers instead of government stores, which is not allowed.

The Alchemist

From vermouth to high volume: Cocktail trends for 2018

December 29, 2017 No Comments

Some of Vancouver’s top bartenders give their thoughts on what’ll be hot next year

Glass straws will be seen more widely as bars strive toward more sustainable practices. The Last Straw Co. photo

Raise your glass to the end of 2017, a year that brought us one disaster after another, from raging wildfires to the near-daily perp walk of sexual predators. Between all that and the inescapability of frosé, it’s a year we’re mostly happy to forget.

And so we look forward to 2018. We checked in with some of the city’s top bartenders to discover what’s shaking for the New Year.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Sticky Toffee Old Fashioned

December 29, 2017 No Comments

The Salted Vine Kitchen + Bar’s David Warren combines several trends in this drink, including updated vintage cocktails and culinary techniques – this was inspired by Chef Jeff Pat’s sticky toffee pudding on the dessert menu.

INGREDIENTS:
2 oz (60 mL) Bulleit bourbon
¾ oz (22 mL) date syrup (see note)
Dash Fee Brothers black walnut bitters
Dash Angostura bitters
Sash Regan’s Orange bitters