November is no one’s favourite month. It’s dark, cold, wet and gloomy, and it isn’t quitethe month that comes with presents. Maybe that’s why it’s such a great month for drinking. I mean, maybe that’s why it’s such a great month for new product releases and exciting social events, starting with these.
Blood Orange Sidecar
Blood oranges are in stores right now, but not for long. They are delicious in any of the traditional sours, especially in this juicy variation on a classic Sidecar.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz (45 mL) Cognac or brandy
1 oz (30 mL) Cointreau
0.5 oz (15 mL) lemon juice
1.5 oz (45 mL) blood orange juice
METHOD:
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Serves 1.
Whisky Business
When it came out in 2012, Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert established Davin
de Kergommeaux as the foremost authority in the country on the spirit. As the second edition is published, The Alchemist asked its author about the state of the Canadian industry today.
A Cornucopia of cocktails in Whistler
Savour the art of the shaken and stirred at the ski resort’s annual food and drink fest
If you think Whistler Cornucopia is just about wine, think again. Sure, there’s no shortage of Chardonnay, but the annual food-and-drink festival is also about beer, whisky and, above all, cocktails.
In fact, Whistler has generally become a great destination for cocktail lovers. As Mary Zinck, the manager of travel media for Tourism Whistler, says, “I don’t think there is a place that you can go where you can’t get a good drink.”
Mountain Mezcal Sour
This smoky, sweet and sour cocktail was created by Rob Kharazmi and the bar team at Sidecut, Four Seasons Resort Whistler, just in time for Cornucopia.
Madame Colet
A complex, pensive cocktail by Sabrine Dhaliwal inspired by the 1932 film Trouble in Paradise. Dhaliwal imagines that this is the drink the character of Mariette Colet would be drinking as she ponders the whirlwind of events that befall her in the movie.
Deighton Cup Cocktail Jockey Competition
B.C. Bartenders were away to the races at this summer’s Deighton Cup Cocktail Jockey competition.
Dave Mott (Brandywine Bartending Studio), Rod Redford (The Diamond). Dan Toulgoet photo.
Philipp Karatsyupa (Ancora), Yonah Sweetapple (Glowbal). Dan Toulgoet photo.
Victoria bartender Jayce Kadyschuk (Clive’s Classic Lounge) and The Botanist’s Chris Enns took second and third pace, respectively. Dan Toulgoet photo.
The Vancouver Club’s Michelle Medwin won with her creation, the Romaji — a Japanese-influenced cocktail with umeshu plum brandy as its base. Cathy Browne photo.
39 bits of booze lingo every cocktail lover should know
Your primer for the the lexicon of liquor
Cocktails have their own vocabulary, a richly evocative lingo that has evolved over the years from the barkeeps who sling the drinks, the customers who swill ’em and the scribes who take note of it all.
Here are some of the most useful expressions to know.
The Last Word
This Prohibition-era cocktail had been long forgotten until it was rediscovered by Seattle-based bartender Murray Stenson.
INGREDIENTS:
0.75 oz (22 mL) gin
0.75 oz (22 mL) green Chartreuse
0.75 oz (22 mL) maraschino liqueur
0.75 oz (22 mL) fresh lime juice
METHOD:
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass or a coupe. If you like, garnish with lime twist. Serves 1.
Hendrick’s Gin Old Fashioned
Floral, fragrant and refreshing – Josh Pape’s gin-based take on the Old Fashioned has been a huge hit at Wildebeest.
INGREDIENTS:
1-inch cylinder of cucumber, or ½ oz (15 mL) cucumber juice
2 oz (60 mL) Hendrick’s gin
2 tsp (10 mL) runny honey (see note)
2 dashes Scrappy’s lavender bitters
Cucumber slice to garnish (optional)
METHOD:
Muddle the cucumber in a mixing glass. (Alternatively, stir in the cucumber juice with the rest of the ingredients.) Add ice, gin, runny honey and bitters and stir until the drink is well chilled and has reached your ideal level of dilution. Fine strain into an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. If you like, garnish with a slice of cucumber. Serves 1.