
Bourbon Sour

What might just be Vancouver’s coolest cocktail lounge isn’t in a fancy hotel or a downtown hipster hangout. Heck, it isn’t even in Vancouver and it isn’t, for that matter, actually a bar.
One could argue that without liqueur, a drink isn’t a cocktail. It’s just booze in a glass.
• 1.5 oz. rye whisky
• 0.3 oz. amaretto
• 0.3 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 0.3 oz. maraschino liqueur
• 3 dashes of bitters
• 1 maraschino cherry
It will be just two short years in February since Sons of Vancouver opened for business—with a 700-litre still repurposed from a dairy pasteurizer. And, like so many of the distilleries around B.C., owners James Lester and Richard Klaus have barely had time to pause for breath.
Take the past few months of 2016 as an example: Sons ran a successful crowdfunding campaign to upgrade to a proper—and much bigger—still, opened a tasting room, and will release a special barrel-aged edition of their signature No. 82 Amaretto in time for the holidays.
It wasn’t meant to happen this fast.
James Lester and Richard Klaus now have a lounge licence at their North Vancouver distillery, meaning cocktail service is in
full effect.
1431 Crown St., North Vancouver
778-340-5388
SonsOfVancouver.ca
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• Prodigal sons: How Sons of Vancouver is riding the big boom in small spirits
• No. 82 Amaretto
• Barrel-aged No. 82 Amaretto
• Vodka Vodka Vodka
• Chili Vodka
• Coffee Liqueur Sucks
• Craft Clue Curacao
• Craft Tiki Creamer
• Craft Coconut Liqueur
FRAGRANCE: Peppers. Red bell and chillies.
FLAVOUR: Fire. All chillies all the time.
FEEL: Hot. Spicy.
FINISH: Lingering heat.
BEST ENJOYED: Sipped neat or in a Caesar.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A fun one to try if you like it hot. Very hot. —Josh Pape, July 2016
FRAGRANCE: Kalamata olives and vanilla. In a good way.
FLAVOUR: Marzipan, vanilla, with a touch of stone fruits.
FEEL: Velvety, lingering.
FINISH: Lingering heat.
BEST ENJOYED: Go old school: Godfather would be cool (with Scotch) — add a lemon twist to balance it.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Delicious. More complex than the original version. —Josh Pape, October 2016
FRAGRANCE: Way more apricot jam than the more traditional apricot pits.
FLAVOUR: More dried apricot flavour, raisin, caramelized fruit and honey.
FEEL: Sweet and sticky.
FINISH: Honey on toast.
BEST ENJOYED: On ice or over ice cream. Seriously: Enjoy this.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Not your typical amaretto and better for it. Delicious. —Trevor Kallies, October 2017