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

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

Recipes

Havelin

March 19, 2018 No Comments

As an aspiring newcomer in the cocktail scene, Jason Cheung, born and raised in Vancouver, draws on his extensive training with mentors in some of the industry’s top bars.

His bar style is young and fresh, while still bringing you the traditional cocktails you know and love.

Currently at Boulevard as the assistant bar manager, he hopes to shake up the paradigm of traditional mixology and start a new generation in the industry.

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!

On the Town

On the Town: Speed Rack 2018

March 6, 2018 No Comments

Women bartenders show off speed and skill for breast cancer charities at Speed Rack.

From left to right, Sabrine Dhaliwal, Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar; Reece Sims, Brix+Mortar/The Diamond; Liana Madera, The Diamond; Jasmine Radu, Tocador; Amber Bruce, The Keefer Bar. Cathy Browne photo

Bonnie Stewart of The Granville Room was the fastest qualifier and is going to nationals. Cathy Browne photo

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.

On the Town

A fitting formula

February 19, 2018 No Comments

Science of Cocktails shakes things up at Science World

The Clough Club’s Andrea Civettini won the cocktail competition at Science of Cocktails at Science World on Feb. 8, 2018. Science of Cocktails photo.

A sign outside the Science of Cocktails at Science World on Feb. 8, 2018. Joanne Sasvari photo.

Bartender and Diageo World Class Canada 2014 winner Grant Sceney at the VIP Lounge at Science of Cocktails 2018. Joanne Sasvari photo.

Bartender J-S Dupuis at Science of Cocktails 2018. Joanne Sasvari photo.

Bartender Kevin Brownlee at Science of Cocktails 2018. Joanne Sasvari photo.

Bartender Colin MacDougall at Science of Cocktails 2018. Joanne Sasvari photo.

With a puff of dry ice, the 2018 edition of Science of Cocktails has proven once again that physics, chemistry and thermodynamics are as important in your glass as the spirits and bitters.

Bartenders from all over Vancouver, as well as Calgary, Toronto, Halifax and Las Vegas, headed over to Science World last week to put their skills to the acid test.

Recipes, The Last Word

The Last Word: A classic Bronx

February 12, 2018 No Comments

A classic Bronx, shaken the Nick and Nora way. Dan Toulgoet photo, taken at D/6 Bar & Lounge, Parq Vancouver.

“The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to foxtrot time, a Bronx to two-step time, but a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.”

—Nick Charles (William Powell) covers the essentials in the 1934 classic movie The Thin Man.

The Alchemist

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.

Still Life

Liquid Gold

February 5, 2018 No Comments

It can take years before brown spirits get to market. Here’s how B.C. distilleries keep their businesses liquid in the meantime

Imagine you make widgets: finely crafted, artisan widgets. Customers pay more for vintage widgets, so there are laws around how old they have to be as well as their quality. You spend a couple of years building your factory with expensive, traditional widget-making equipment. You hire workers, pay for raw materials, power and utilities, and finally fill a warehouse with a bunch of bulky, heavy containers, then wait a few years before you can sell any of your exquisite stock at a premium price. In the meantime, you absorb labour and storage costs to maintain your inventory, which you lose a mysterious chunk of every year as some widgets slip through the cracks and just disappear into thin air.

Features

Smooth Operator

January 29, 2018 No Comments

The Sidecar cocktail is a sophisticated, classy concoction, so why is it so often overlooked?

Ritz Paris bartender Frank Meier may have invented the Sidecar in 1923. Ritz Paris photo.

The Sidecar is one of the great Prohibition-era classics, a boozy-but-vibrant three-ingredient cocktail that fulfills our desire for both the depth of brown spirits and the bright acidity of citrus. It should be a rock star among cocktails, yet where Old Fashioneds, tiki drinks and even the horrible Gimlet have made their comebacks, the Sidecar has somehow eluded its just recognition amid the modern cocktail revival.

It’s time for that to change.

Exploring BC’s best: Over 200 artisan spirits to be featured at BC Distilled

Where to drink right now in New Orleans

A Vancouver Prophecy: New cocktail bar opening in historic downtown basement

The Alchemist Spring 2018

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

Havelin

Dream job alert: The Alchemist is hiring!

On the Town: Speed Rack 2018

Women bartenders show off speed and skill for breast cancer charities at Speed Rack.

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

A fitting formula

Science of Cocktails shakes things up at Science World

The Last Word: A classic Bronx

“The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to foxtrot time, a Bronx to two-step time, but a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.”

Canada’s best artisan spirits announced

Sheringham Akvavit named Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year

Liquid Gold

It can take years before brown spirits get to market. Here’s how B.C. distilleries keep their businesses liquid in the meantime

Smooth Operator

The Sidecar cocktail is a sophisticated, classy concoction, so why is it so often overlooked?

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