A visit from the queen of rum
“When people taste it, the first word you hear is, ‘Whoa,’” says Joy Spence, smiling. I take a sip. “Whoa,” I exclaim. She laughs.
From Jamaica to Vancouver
B.C.’s spirits boom: sample the best in handcrafted hooch
BC Distilled festival an opportunity to sample everything from amaro to whisky, all made right here
It’s hard to believe that just five years ago, British Columbia had fewer than 10 artisan distilleries. Today, the province has at least 40, with a whole bunch more in the works.
The Last Word: A Classic Negroni
“The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”
—Orson Welles writing from Rome in 1947 on the relative merits of the Negroni in a missive to the Ohio-based Coshocton Tribune.
On the town: Science of Cocktails
Local bartenders mixed it up for charity at the annual Science of Cocktails event.
Gez McAlpine’s Nitro Lady took inspiration from Scotland’s Botanist Gin. Lucy-kate Armstrong photo.
Ardbeg provided the peat in the Union’s Kristi Leigh Akister’s Islay Milk Punch. Lucy-kate Armstrong photo.
Jenner Cormier mixed up classic Martinis in the style of London’s Connaught Bar. Lucy-kate Armstrong photo.
World Class Canada 2016 winner Shane Mulvany embraced chemistry to make his nitro-fuelled cocktail. Lucy-kate Armstrong photo.
Mork from Ork
Winner of the Giffard Iron Mixologist 2017
INGREDIENTS:
0.5 oz Giffard Banane du Brésil
1 oz genever
0.3 oz Odd Society Mia Amata Amaro
0.5 oz port
0.5 oz Spiced Mork Syrup (simple syrup spiced with cardamom)
1 whole egg
Nutmeg for garnish
METHOD:
Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake to emulsify egg. Add ice and shake again. Fine strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.
—by Amber Bruce
Shake Shack
Behind the scenes of competitive cocktails
Nothing says Monday morning quite like arriving at a bar at 10.30 a.m. ready to drink all day. The scene at Main Street’s Cascade Room is organized chaos. Bartenders, usually never seen out before noon, are slugging coffee offered both straight up or spiked.
There are crates and boxes all over the place. Recognizable labels of Scotch, rye, mescal, Cognac and more jostle beside unlabelled bottles of homemade fat-washed and syrupy concoctions. This is clearly a serious affair.
I Sat By The Ocean
“I decided to embrace the salty, briny taste of this Manzanilla sherry and create a pickle juice Martini on steroids. The salt and pepper rim complements the sherry’s terroir near the ocean, and the peppery punch of the tequila, while the celery bitters and oils from the lemon peel keep it light and crisp.”
Not Yo’ Granny’s Cobbler
“A riff on Portugal’s national drink of choice — White Port and Tonic— that combines the flavours with those of Mexico in a housemade cordial.”
Fortify yourself
The terroir-driven strength of sherry, port and madeira translates into great cocktails
It’s impossible to pass a day in Portugal, Spain or Madeira without being offered a glass of one of their famous fortified wines. Often presented in cocktails and mixed drinks, these local terroir-driven sherries, ports and Madeiras are as natural to drink as (and in some cases more than) water. Because of their blend of wine and spirit, fortifieds are highly useful and versatile in mixed drinks and cocktails, providing just enough of that spirited touch without all the booze of a straight spirit.
Islas Moradas (Purple Island)
“I was inspired by the idea of the island of Madeira floating in the sea. I wanted the richness of the Madeira to float on a refreshing, citrus-forward, more tropical cocktail.”