Created by Wolf in the Fog bar manager Hailey Pasemko, this variation on the classic uses all B.C. products.
• 1 oz Sheringham Seaside Gin
• 1 oz Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth
• 1 oz Legend Distilling Naramaro
Locals Only Negroni
SEA TO SKY RAD-LER BEER COCKTAIL
Made with Vancouver Craft Beer Week’s 2018 Collaboration Beer, Sea To Sky Double Dry-Hopped Pilsner, by bartender Shaun Layton of Backcountry Brewing.
If you’ve been following the burgeoning cocktail scene in Vancouver over the past decade, there’s a good chance you’ve come across bartender Shaun Layton and his spirited creations. Having managed the bar programs at hotspots like George, L’Abattoir and Juniper, Layton has a well-earned reputation as one of the West Coast’s top cocktailiers. He’s been named Vancouver’s Bartender of the Year by Vancouver Magazine, Westender, Western Living and Georgia Straight, and coming this fall, he’ll be opening his own Spanish-themed bar in Mount Pleasant, Como Taperia.
Original Sin
Vij’s bartender Olivia Povarchook made it to the semi-finals of the prestigious 2018 Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition with her update on the classic Cuba Libre called the Original Sin.
Havelin
As an aspiring newcomer in the cocktail scene, Jason Cheung, born and raised in Vancouver, draws on his extensive training with mentors in some of the industry’s top bars.
His bar style is young and fresh, while still bringing you the traditional cocktails you know and love.
Currently at Boulevard as the assistant bar manager, he hopes to shake up the paradigm of traditional mixology and start a new generation in the industry.
Don’t Call Me Shirley!
This cocktail is an ode to the town of Shirley on Vancouver Island, whose name was shortened from Sheringham in order to fit on a postage stamp.
INGREDIENTS:
1.3 oz Sheringham Akvavit
0.3 oz Amaro Montenegro
0.3 oz Noilly Pratt Extra Dry
METHOD:
Combine ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass rimmed with a rosemary solution (salt, water, rosemary). Garnish with a smoked olive.
Bushel and a Pec
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz bourbon
4 oz amaro
12 oz fresh pressed cider
2 dashes Scrappy’s Firewater bitters
Cinnamon and lemon zest (for garnish)
METHOD:
Pour ingredients (except garnish) into a small saucepan and bring to a temperature of no more than 80 degrees Celsius (use a thermometer, otherwise you could boil off all the alcohol). Remove from heat, divide evenly between four mugs and garnish with freshly grated cinnamon and lemon zest. Serves 4.
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
The romance of amaro
First there’s chocolate – dark and rich. Then spice—a whole caravan of exotic flavours and aromas from faraway lands. The bitterness lands next – astringent, clean, pleasantly mouthwatering. Throughout, delicate florals, dried fruits and an underlying sweetness keep everything in balance. There’s plenty to love about the new Mia Amata amaro from Odd Society Spirits, and not just because it counts Brazilian aphrodisiacs among its botanical makeup.
“I wanted to make it a modern-style bitter,” says Mia Glanz, the bartender who created it. “It took three years of work. I discarded an original recipe and started again.”
The Woods Spirit Co.
Friends Joel Myers and Fabio Martini’s West Coast version of Amaro uses traditional botanicals such as rhubarb and bitter orange, as well as the more unconventional grand fir.
1450 Rupert Street, North Vancouver (opening soon)
778-996-7637
TheWoodsSpiritCo.com
PRODUCTS:
• Pacific Northwest Amaro
TASTING NOTES:
Pacific Northwest Amaro
FRAGRANCE: Bright, fresh rhubarb, bitter orange peel dominate. Quince and nutmeg, too.
FLAVOUR: Bright, bitter citrus, herbs and unripe strawberry.
FEEL: A little thin.
FINISH: Quite bitter with clove, allspice and quinine.
BEST ENJOYED: After dinner. Try as a replacement to the Amaro Nonino in a Paper Plane.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Quality like this usually takes decades to perfect. A must-have for local spirit enthusiasts. —Shaun Layton, October 2017
Odd Society Spirits
This East Vancouver distillery’s three founding self-described “odd” owners are busy producing different expressions of gin, vodka and both white (unaged), and single malt whiskies.
1725 Powell St., Vancouver
604-559-6745
OddSocietySpirits.com
PRODUCTS:
• East Van Vodka
• Wallflower Gin
• Mongrel Unaged Spirit
• Oaken Wallflower Gin
• Crème de Cassis
• Bittersweet Vermouth
• Mia Amato Amaro
• Canadian Single Malt Casks
TASTING NOTES:
Bittersweet Vermouth
FRAGRANCE: Gingerbread spice, bitter orange, vanilla.
FLAVOUR: Upfront viscous sweetness, making its way to the back of your palate with a lovely bitterness.
FEEL: Full and coating mouthfeel.
FINISH: Sweet orange and chocolate lift for an enjoyable bitter finish that goes on and on.
BEST ENJOYED: Serve at room temperature as a digestif; could shine in many different cocktails.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A must have! —Wendy McGuinness, April 2016
Wallflower Gin
FRAGRANCE: Lavender.
FLAVOUR: Surprisingly balanced.
FEEL: Lovely and fragrant.
FINISH: Sweet, long boozy finish.
BEST ENJOYED: As a boozy cocktail. Martinez or Pink Gin. Maybe even an Old Fashioned.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A really fun spirit. If you like floral notes then jump in — you won’t be disappointed. —Josh Pape, July 2016
Crème de Cassis
FRAGRANCE: Prunes, dried red fruit, berries.
FLAVOUR: Dried figs, raisins and currants.
FEEL: Rich. A bit cloying, but not overwhelmingly so.
FINISH: More balanced than expected.
BEST ENJOYED: In an El Diablo with Dickie’s ginger beer. Kir Royale (go easy, it’s quite concentrated).
THE BOTTOM LINE: The best cassis you’ll likely ever try. —Josh Pape, October 2016
Mia Amato Amaro
FRAGRANCE: Sweet, chocolate, with a musky background.
FLAVOUR: Semi-sweet bitterness, herbal.
FEEL: Viscous.
FINISH: Long with a great balance of bitter and sweet.
BEST ENJOYED: Cold neat, or try in a Paper Plane.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Packaging knocks it out of the park. Fun and engaging, with a fantastic auburn colour. —Trevor Kallies, February 2017
Mongrel Unaged Spirit
FRAGRANCE: Buttered bread and light malty notes.
FLAVOUR: Complex and refined, very nice for an unaged rye-based spirit. Very well balanced.
FEEL: Pleasant sweetness.
FINISH: Slightly hot, loads of spice, in a good way.
BEST ENJOYED: Makes a great White Whisky Sour. Begging to be shaken with citrus.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Makes a great White Whisky Sour. Begging to be shaken with citrus. —Shaun Layton, October 2017