Sunny days demand thirst-quenching cocktails like Margaritas, Palomas and Ranch Water, which all just happen to be a showcase for tequila. And that might just make tequila our favourite summer spirit.
What’s the best tequila for making Margaritas?
A pretty drink to put you in the pink
This is the season of celebrations—weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, coronations—and that makes it a season that cries out for something pretty and sparkly in a glass. Luckily, Trevor Kallies, the bar and beverage director of Freehouse Collective, has just what we’re craving.
Pink & Pretty
The cocktail you need for all the season’s celebrations, from Trevor Kallies at Freehouse Collective.
Mmmargaritas
Our favourite summer cocktail offers the perfect canvas for artful variations
The Margarita is a splash of happiness, the quintessential summer cocktail and one of the most popular drinks in the world. Whether you like it frozen or on the rocks, in a pre-dinner coupette, a plastic cup poolside or poured from a pitcher, it’s a classic that hits all the right notes with the bitterness of tequila, the tartness of fresh lime, the sweetness of orange liqueur and the salt, which heightens all the flavours.
Hibiscus Maragarita
• 1.5 oz tequila 1800 blanco
• 1.5 oz fresh lemon juice
• 0.5 oz Cointreau or other triple sec
• 0.5 oz hibiscus syrup (see note)
• Garnish: Dried hibiscus flower
Jalapeño Margarita
• 2 oz jalapeño-infused reposado tequila (see note)
• 1 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz agave water (2 parts agave syrup to 3 parts water)
• Garnish: Tajín Clásico Seasoning rim
Spicy Tamarind Mezcal Margarita
• 1 oz tamarind syrup (see note)
• 1.5 oz mezcal
• 0.5 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• 0.5 oz agave syrup
• Dash habanero bitters
• Garnish: Tajín Clásico Seasoning for rim, dehydrated lime wheel
Coconut & Mint Margarita
• 2 oz tequila reposado
• 0.75 oz pineapple syrup
• 1 oz coconut syrup
• 0.25 oz triple sec
• 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 3 mint leaves
• Garnish: Salt or Tajín Clasico seasoning for rim; slice of dried pineapple and pineapple leaf
The cocktail matchmakers
Nikka brings Coffey, chemistry, and collaboration to Vancouver Cocktail Week
When B.C.-based importers Enoteca Bacco first approached the Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. to participate in Vancouver Cocktail Week, it was an immediate and enthusiastic “yes.”
“We wanted to create a unique experience … and add excitement for the people of Vancouver,” says Naomi Kamiyama, the global marketing and sales department representative for Nikka Whisky. “The first thing that came to mind was to bring one of our favourite bars, Bar Trench, to Vancouver. We also knew that The Keefer Bar is one of the most amazing bars in the world, and if these two fantastic bars could collaborate, their chemistry would deliver something memorable.”
Broke and Famous
