The Alchemist Magazine BC | B.C. Distilleries | Cocktail Bars Vancouver

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Modern Martini

July 8, 2021 No Comments

Available at Brass Fish. I typically have three cocktails that I’ll order when time calls for a cocktail. A Negroni is likely what I am most known for ordering. Number 2 would be a Margarita (rocks, half-salt rim). For the past few years I have led our team in overall Martinis consumed. I can’t get enough of them. The Modern Martini is our flagship Martini on the Brass Fish menu. It’s the type of Martini that will gateway you into drinking more Martinis. You’re welcome. It’s a rare occasion when I don’t have a bottle of this in my home freezer for an after-work libation.

• 1.5 oz gin (preferably Beefeater for the citrus punch)

• 0.25 oz dry vermouth (Dolin if you have it; Martini Dry also works)

• 0.25 oz Tio Pepe fino sherry

• 0.25 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur

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Stray Bullets

July 7, 2021 No Comments

Available at Brass Fish and The Three Brits. This one quickly became a staple at Brass Fish when we opened in February 2020. It found its way onto a few other menus and holds its own in the overall sales of cocktails in the pubs.

• 2 oz silver tequila (preferably Olmeca Altos 100% Agave)

• 0.5 oz simple syrup (1:1)

• 0.5 oz lemon juice

• 1 oz passionfruit purée

• Soda

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Good Vibes Only

July 6, 2021 No Comments

Available at Granville Room. I basically grew up as a bartender at Granville Room so it will always hold a special place for me. Good Vibes Only is a drink that came along mid-2020. It started as a Collins-style drink and found its way into the frozen drink machine and is currently being poured in slush format.

• 2 oz gin (preferably Beefeater London Dry, which has lots of citrus and juniper)

• 0.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur

• 0.5 oz crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)

• 0.5 oz lemon juice

• Soda

Features

This summer we plan to party like it’s, well, not pandemic times. In fact, we’re going to have some fun playing with retro cocktails in different formats, like jelly shots and boozy popsicles. I mean, who says a cocktail actually has to be liquid? Here are the nostalgic patio crushers we plan to enjoy all summer long.

Recipes

Margarita Popsicles

July 1, 2021 No Comments

Note that you will need popsicle moulds and, if you don’t have plastic holders, wooden popsicle sticks for this recipe.

0.5 cup sugar

1 cup water

0.75 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 juicy limes)

0.25 cup silver tequila

0.25 cup orange liqueur

Garnish: flaky sea salt (optional)

Recipes

Frozen Strawberry-Lime Daiquiri

June 30, 2021 No Comments

Perfect for the patio. That is all.

• 1.5 cups white rum

• 0.75 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 juicy limes)

• 0.25 cup simple syrup (more if you like your Daiquiri on the sweet side)

• 1 (600 g) package frozen strawberries

• 4 cups ice cubes

• Garnish: strawberries or lime wheels (optional)

Recipes

Negroni Gelée Shot

June 29, 2021 No Comments

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)

Features

From pop-up to permanent

June 25, 2021 No Comments

How the pandemic’s temporary spaces may change our streetscapes forever

Day or night, it’s all fun and games at The Keefer Yard, the patio created from an empty lot next door. Photo courtesy of The Keefer Bar

When restaurants and bars were given the green light last year to open temporary patios in response to the pandemic’s toll, the team at The Keefer Bar didn’t want people sipping cool cocktails on alley benches. In went a mini-putt course, fire tables on custom wooden decks, booths, a disco ball and artist-designed graffiti on the walls. The Keefer Yard was born.

“It feels like you’ve walked out of normal city life and stepped through the doors of Narnia, only it’s an outdoor cocktail bar,” says The Keefer Bar’s media-relations rep, Chantelle Benzies. “I describe it as a daydream.

“Every day we are adapting in ways to make the Yard as memorable of an experience as possible, while also keeping it as safe as possible,” she says. “It feels really nice to be able to offer an exciting experience to the community at a point when many of us need it the most.”

Recipes