Sarah Annand photo
Bearface’s distinct character serves as the perfect foundation for a cocktail that connects flavour, place and story in Lacey Roberts’s (Published on Main) Bianco Manhattan, which is poured tableside from a beeswax-coated vessel, the wax sourced directly from the Queen Elizabeth Park apiary.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz Bearface Canadian Whisky
1 oz elderflower-infused local honey (see note)
0.5 oz Elderflower Freeze Switch Vermouth (see note below)
0.5 oz Krupnik Honey Liqueur
2 drops Ms. Better’s Banana Bergamot Bitters
2 drops saline
Optional garnish: honey tuile, elderflower butter cream, edible flowers
METHOD:
Stir all ingredients (except garnish) with ice in a mixing glass until chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled tulip glass and, if you like, serve alongside a honey tuile topped with a dollop of elderflower butter cream and fresh petals. Serves 1.
Note: To make elderflower-infused honey, combine 500 g locally sourced honey, 10 g fresh or 5 g dried elderflowers, and 250 mL (1 cup) boiling water in a sealable, heat-safe vessel. Mix well and steep until cool, about 30 minutes. Strain and store in the fridge.
To make the Elderflower Freeze Switch Vermouth, pour the contents of a 750 mL bottle of dry vermouth into a sealable bag and freezer for 2 to 3 hours until slushy. Meanwhile, make 1 cup of elderflower tea by pouring 1 cup of boiling water over 2 g fresh or 1 g dried elderflowers; steep for 10 minutes, strain, cool and set aside. Strain the slushy vermouth through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. You should have 500 mL (2 cups) of liquid; if you don’t, let a little more of the ice melt. Discard the ice. Mix strained vermouth with the tea and store in the fridge.
