Cinnamon Smoked Old Fashioned

Cinnamon Smoked Old Fashioned. Supplied photo

Here is a simple twist on a spirit that is typically sipped neat. This recipe was developed by Soren Schepkowski, head bartender at Wind Cries Mary in Victoria.

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 oz DEVINE Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky
• 0.25 oz toasted pumpkin seed orgeat (see note)
• 10 drops Ms Betters Chocolate Bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

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Sipping la bella vita: Four places to drink Italian cocktails in Vancouver

Italian cocktails have taken over Vancouver

Bar manager Nico Tognon shakes up Italian-inspired cocktails at the new Tutto Restaurant and Bar in Yaletown. Supplied photo

Cocktail culture may be thriving in North America, but you could say Italy invented it with the aperitivo. Drawn from the Latin aperire, meaning “to open,” the term implies much more than a drink to whet the appetite; it’s a ritual of gathering with friends and unwinding after work over drinks and small bites and opening up conversation.

Here in Vancouver, several Italian hot spots are serving aperitivo-inspired cocktails, putting their own spin on la bella vita.

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Playin’ Cello

Playin’ Cello. Alison Kuhl photo

This bright, elegant cocktail is by Nico Tognon at Tutto Restaurant and Bar.

• 1.5 oz Tanqueray gin
• 0.5 oz Luxardo Limoncello
• 0.5 oz Aperol
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz homemade raspberry syrup (see below)
• Garnish: lemon twist

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Violetta

Violetta cocktail. Photo courtesy of UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar

A floral variation on the classic Negroni, this pretty “up” drink comes from UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar.

• 1 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 0.75 oz Bitter Bianco
• 1 oz Cocchi Americano
• 3 sprays crème de violette (violet liqueur)
• Garnish: Dehydrated lemon wheel

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The new home bar

Getty Images photo

Even before we found ourselves hunkering down at home trying to flatten the curve of a global pandemic, home bartending was already a growing trend. Once COVID-19 hit, though, we were all living in a world of cocktail kits and mixology livestreams and tutorials on how to arrange your bar cart.

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La Colmena

La Colmena. Origami Social photo

Recipe courtesy of Bodega on Main

• 0.75 oz Tanqueray No. Ten Gin
• 0.75 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
• 0.5 oz Aperol
• 0.5 oz Lime
• 0.5 oz Honey Ginger Syrup
• 2 dashes of Lavender Bitters
• 2 oz Cava
• Grapefruit Peel

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DIY vermouth

Add a personalized twist to your favourite cocktails with this aromatized, fortified wine

For this white vermouth, you’ll need botanicals such as grapefruit peel, bay leaves, dried apples, chamomile and mint tea, which mimic the earthy flavours of the wormwood that gave vermouth its name. Matthew Benevoli photo

Let’s talk about the often-misunderstood aperitif vermouth. What is it? Where does it come from?

Vermouth is fortified wine with herbs, roots, spices and sometimes sugar added. There are a handful of different styles to choose from: the most common offerings are sweet red, traditionally from Italy; and dry white wormwood-infused from France. The word vermouth is the French pronunciation for “wermut,” which is German for wormwood, the mystical herb that gives absinthe its reputation and provides the distinctive dry, bitter note found in vermouth.

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A taste of Japan

Photo courtesy of The Japanese Bitters

Just when you thought bitters companies had created every flavour imaginable for your cocktail-drinking enjoyment, The Japanese Bitters comes along to wake up your palate with something completely new.

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