Century Mule

Century Mule. Photo courtesy of Dominion Bar + Kitchen

At Dominion Bar + Kitchen, the food is “New Canadian,” or classics with a twist, and this cocktail is no exception. A tropical take on the classic Moscow Mule, it was meant to be an in-house “secret” drink named for the restaurant’s parent company (Century Group). Turned out the secret was too good not to share, and it has become a customer favourite.

• 1.5 oz vodka

• 0.5 oz Giffard Caribbean Pineapple liqueur

• 0.5 oz ginger simple syrup (see note)

• 0.5 oz passionfruit syrup

• 1 oz lime juice

• 4 oz ginger beer

• 3 dashes angostura bitters

• Garnish: Lime wedge

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Badam da Naasha (High on Almonds)

Badam Da Naasha. Photo courtesy of My Shanti

This recipe from Vikram Vij’s restaurant My Shanti in South Surrey is delicate and sophisticated with the subtle taste of almonds and saffron. It is also beautiful, thanks to its silver leaf garnish.

• 1 oz vodka

• 0.75 oz saffron simple syrup (see note)

• Pinch of cardamom powder

• 1 to 2 oz chilled almond milk

• Garnish: Silver leaf, crushed pistachios

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Band-e-Amir

Band-e-Amir. Photo courtesy of Afghan Kitchen

The blue hue of this cocktail from Afghan Kitchen comes from Victoria Distillers Empress 1908 gin and is inspired by the six deep blue lakes in Afghanistan.

• 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice

• 1 oz Giffard passionfruit syrup

• 1 egg white or 1 dropper of vegan foamer

• Optional garnish: Dried butterfly pea flower

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Have you met…?

Introducing Vancouver’s next generation of bar stars

As a hotbed of cocktail culture, Vancouver is home to seasoned bartenders who have wowed on the world stage—and to those who are now stepping up their careers. Here’s an introduction to the next generation of local bar stars, five up-and-coming mixologists to seek out the next time your thirst needs quenching.

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London Calling

An on-trend bar crawl during World’s 50 Best Bars week recaps some top watering holes of the year, and what leading bartenders are mixing up for the coming year.

The legendary martini cart at The Connaught Bar. Charlene Rooke photo

Pandemic be damned, I went to London for the World’s 50 Best Bars event in December 2021. Here’s a curated crawl of award winners, bars to watch and insider hangouts that hints at what the bar world might deliver in 2022.

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Top 10 cocktail trends for 2022

Our experts weigh in on what—and how—you will be drinking this winter

The Espresso Martini is the retro drink we’re craving right now.
Getty Images photos

What’s new? What’s next? In some ways, the pandemic has changed everything about how we drink. In others, it’s only accelerated trends that were already in the works. We checked in with experts both local and global, and here’s what they had to say about the way we’re drinking now and in the months to come.

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Flannel by the Fire

Matthew Benevoli photo

Make this cocktail with Matthew Benevoli’s West Coast Spiced Rum

• 1 oz West Coast Spiced Rum

• 1 oz Pineau des Charentes

• 0.75 oz mandarin juice

• 0.33 oz lemon juice

• 0.25 oz Chili Syrup (recipe below)

• 2 dashes cocoa bitters

• 1 egg white or 1 dropper of Ms. Better’s Miraculous Foamer

• Garnish: 3 to 4 drops of cocoa bitters

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Spiced rum

Give this DIY winter warmer a West Coast twist

Homemade spiced rum makes a good gift, especially for yourself. Matthew Benevoli photos

As the days get shorter and colder, we trade our Hawaiian shirts for sweaters and our light spirits for dark. Spiced rum is a wonderful way to warm up your cocktails during the autumn and winter. But what is spiced rum? In short, it’s (usually) an aged rum that’s been flavoured.

Modern versions of rum have been around since the 17th century, with accounts of “secret blend rums” in Jamaica flavoured with fruit, herbs and spices being served in Port Royal taverns. When spirits age in oak barrels, the wood commonly imparts rich flavours of vanilla and caramel, but beyond this you’ll find spice notes of allspice, nutmeg and clove, among others. Depending how the barrels are treated, you may also find toasted nut and stone fruit notes atop the woody oak blanket. “Spicing” with these components seems a natural evolution to further enhance the flavours that rum already presents us with.

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