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

Mexican Firing Squad

July 4, 2017 No Comments

Take aim at some great grenadine flavours

INGREDIENTS:
2 oz blanco tequila (or mezcal)
¾ oz grenadine*
¾ oz fresh lime juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash lime bitters
Splash of soda
Lime wheel, for garnish

METHOD:

Shake all the ingredients except soda with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Top with soda and garnish with a lime wheel. Serves 1.

*La Mezcaleria’s grenadine: Place 1 cup pomegranate juice (fresh is best, but bottled 100-per-cent pomegranate juice will also work) in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes. To preserve the bright, fresh flavour, do not boil or reduce the juice. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup sugar and a couple of dashes of orange flower water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. This will keep, refrigerated, in a clean glass jar for up to a week.

—by Ryley Zucca

Searching for Margaritaville

July 1, 2017 No Comments

Mastering this quintessential summer cocktail can be as difficult as tracking down its origins

“On the one hand, it’s hard to mess it up. But on the other hand, it’s hard to perfect,” says Ryley Zucca of La Mezcaleria about the Margarita. Dan Toulgoet photo.

It’s the taste of a perfect summer afternoon: that citrus bite, the peppery hit of tequila, the touch of salt like the spray of a random ocean wave.

We’re talking about the Margarita, of course; the quintessential summer cocktail that holds a mysterious past. When it comes to this particular dame’s history, no one really knows what the truth is.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Impeached Iced Tea

June 30, 2017 No Comments

Mamie Taylor’s owner Ron Oliver and lead bartender Scotty Marshall will be serving this spiked tea on July 1 at their eighth annual RibFest competition.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz (30 mL) Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Lillet Blanc
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Canadian whisky
• 3 oz (90 mL) unsweetened iced tea (any black tea will do)
Garnish: Okanagan peach slices

Recipes, The Alchemist

A Mari Usque Ad Mare

June 30, 2017 No Comments

Inspired by the Canadian motto, meaning “Sea to Sea,” L’Abattoir head bartender Katie Ingram updated the classic Vieux Carré cocktail with luxe flavours from east and west coasts, including rum, rye and bitters made from Okanagan haskap berries and sour cherries.

INGREDIENTS:
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) Ron Zacapa Centenario Sistema Solera 23 Rum
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) Crown Royal XO
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) sweet vermouth
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) Bénédictine or B&B
• Two dashes Bittered Sling Suius Cherry Bitters
• Two dashes Bittered Sling Western Haskap Bitters

Recipes, The Alchemist

The Great Wild North

June 30, 2017 No Comments

This recipe by Max Borrowman, bar manager at Juniper Kitchen + Bar, was inspired by Canada’s rare foraged botanicals, while the gold flakes evoke memories of B.C.’s 1850s and ’60s gold rushes.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1.5 oz (45 mL) Ungava gin
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Campari
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) lemon juice
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) egg white
• 0.33 oz (10 mL) simple syrup
• 2 dashes spruce tip tincture (see note)
• 1 oz (30 mL) rhubarb compote (see note)

The Alchemist

Coast-to-coast cocktails for Canada Day

June 30, 2017 No Comments

Vancouver mixologists are blending the best of our national ingredients for party drinks this July 1

A long weekend of fireworks and barbecues, sparklers and fluttering Maple Leaf flags stretches ahead of us. Happy 150th birthday, Canada! Now, let’s celebrate.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz

June 23, 2017 No Comments

This simple but elegant vodka fizz is a clean canvas for your own experimentation.

• 1.25 oz (35 mL) Grey Goose vodka
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• 0.75 oz (22 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2.5 oz (75 mL) chilled soda water

Place vodka, elderflower liqueur and lime juice in a cocktail shaker along with some ice. Shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled flute or large wine glass and charge with soda water. If you like, add a few cubes of ice and garnish with a slice of lime. Serves 1.

The Alchemist

Fire up the fizz for patio season

June 23, 2017 No Comments

These soda-charged sours are what you should be drinking this summer

A fizz made with ginger beer instead of soda water, at Le Logis in the Cognac region of France. Joanne Sasvari photo

Some of Europe’s most talented bartenders are lounging around the swimming pool at Le Logis, the 16th-century chateau in France’s Cognac region that Grey Goose calls home.

It is hot – the mercury hovering around 30 C – and humid, with thunderstorms threatening to break later on.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Coa Swizzle

June 16, 2017 No Comments

The coa is a specialized hoe used to harvest agave. Here it’s also the inspiration for Luke McInnes’ tequila-based variation on a Caribbean-style swizzle, now on the menu at Blue Water Café.

• 1 oz (30 mL) blanco tequila
• 1 oz (30 mL) watermelon-infused Lillet Blanc (see note)
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) Campari
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) agave syrup
• 1 oz (30 mL) lime juice
• 3 dashes black peppercorn tincture (see note)

Stir—or swizzle—all the ingredients together in a highball glass, then fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serves 1.

The Alchemist

Summer cocktails for your next patio session

June 16, 2017 No Comments

Pour a cold one and enjoy every drop of our short, sweet summer

Bar manager Luke McInnes with a Coa Swizzle on the patio at the Blue Water Cafe. Dan Toulgoet photo.

After what seems like the longest, wettest, dreariest winter in history, it is finally patio season. We’ll see you indoors again come September.

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

Mexican Firing Squad

Take aim at some great grenadine flavours

Read more about the inspiration behind this cocktail.

Searching for Margaritaville

Mastering this quintessential summer cocktail can be as difficult as tracking down its origins

Impeached Iced Tea

Mamie Taylor’s owner Ron Oliver and lead bartender Scotty Marshall will be serving this spiked tea on July 1 at their eighth annual RibFest competition.

A Mari Usque Ad Mare

Inspired by the Canadian motto, meaning “Sea to Sea,” L’Abattoir head bartender Katie Ingram updated the classic Vieux Carré cocktail with luxe flavours from east and west coasts, including rum, rye and bitters made from Okanagan haskap berries and sour cherries.

The Great Wild North

This recipe by Max Borrowman, bar manager at Juniper Kitchen + Bar, was inspired by Canada’s rare foraged botanicals, while the gold flakes evoke memories of B.C.’s 1850s and ’60s gold rushes.

Coast-to-coast cocktails for Canada Day

Vancouver mixologists are blending the best of our national ingredients for party drinks this July 1

Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz

This simple but elegant vodka fizz is a clean canvas for your own experimentation.

Fire up the fizz for patio season

These soda-charged sours are what you should be drinking this summer

Coa Swizzle

The coa is a specialized hoe used to harvest agave. Here it’s also the inspiration for Luke McInnes’ tequila-based variation on a Caribbean-style swizzle, now on the menu at Blue Water Café.

Summer cocktails for your next patio session

Pour a cold one and enjoy every drop of our short, sweet summer

Next Steps: Sync an Email Add-On