Photo courtesy of Bagheera
This cocktail takes its name from a Rudyard Kipling short story in which an Irish boy is swallowed by a whale and spat out in Labrador. That journey inspired the drink’s split base of Irish and Canadian whisky, and its wild, botanical character. Recipe by Lucas Van Es, beverage manager at Bagheera in Vancouver.
INGREDIENTS:
1 oz J.P. Wiser’s 10 Year Old
1 oz Green Spot Irish whiskey
1 oz Sea Buckthorn + Labrador Tea Cordial (see recipe below)
0.5 oz Strega liqueur
2 oz elderflower soda
METHOD:
Stir all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass until chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a highball glass over ice and top with elderflower soda. Garnish with lemon oils.
Note: The original cocktail is made in a milk punch style and force carbonated for extra effervescence, but is simplified for this article.
Sea Buckthorn + Labrador Tea Cordial
1 kg sea buckthorn purée
1,100 mL water
10 g Labrador tea (herbal tea made from the leaves of an evergreen shrub)
10 g dried lemon verbena
5 g dried rosemary
20 g citric acid
20 g lactic acid
400 g sugar
Process the sea buckthorn purée in a blender to ensure that it’s completely smooth, then pass it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining lumps.
Bring water to a boil. Add the tea, verbena and rosemary and cut the heat. Steep for 5 minutes before straining the solids through a paper filter.
Combine the steeped and strained tea, sea buckthorn purée and all other ingredients and emulsify using a hand blender. Transfer to sealable containers and keep refrigerated for up to two weeks. Makes about 2 L.
