Niigata Paper Plane
The Borealis
Recipe by Tabytha Towe, bartender/server at Brix & Mortar Restaurant in Vancouver.
1.25 oz Basil Hayden bourbon
0.25 oz Mia Amata or similar amaro
0.25 oz Bénédictine
1 barspoon yellow Chartreuse
5 drops Ms. Better’s Cypress Bitters
Garnish: lemon peel (oils), fir pine or berry leaf, clip
Rob Roy Visits Toronto
Recipe by Jenn Abergel of Toronto’s Quench Bar.
1 oz Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve
1 oz Fernet-Branca
1 oz Dolin sweet vermouth
0.5 oz Amaro Cinpatrazzo
Garnish: Luxardo cherry
Golden Ratio
This cocktail by Marta Ess of Halifax, NS, won the national Patron Perfectionist cocktail. She represented Canada on the global stage in Mexico in June.
• 1.5 oz Patron Silver
• 0.75 oz Martini Rosso vermouth
• 0.75 tsp amaro (preferably Amaro Lucano)
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 0.5 oz lime juice,
• 0.5 oz rich simple syrup (2:1)
• Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg
Amaro Spritz
Kaitlyn Stewart recommends this elegantly bittered variation on a classic spritz.
1.5 oz The Woods Amaro
0.5 oz elderflower liqueur
1 dash grapefruit bitters
Cava (sparkling wine), to top
A spirited selection at the BC Distilled 2019 Audience Favourites Awards
They came, they sipped, they chose their favourites, ranging from a delicately herbal absinthe to a boldly spiced rye whisky.
Some 600 people descended on the Croatian Cultural Centre on April 6 for the sixth annual BC Distilled festival, highlighting the best of the province’s artisan spirits. Some 180 spirits from 39 distilleries were poured over two tastings, and at the end of it all, the audience voted for their favourites in 13 categories.
Amour for amaro
The Alchemist’s tasting panel revels in the complexities of made-in-B.C. amaros, vermouths and aperitifs
Consider them the supporting actors of the cocktail world: complex, helpful and a little bitter. Vermouths, aperitifs and amaros are typically fortified wines—though some are sweet enough to be considered liqueurs—flavoured with botanicals such as citrus peel, spices, roots and herbs. They typically have a somewhat bitter profile, hence the name “amaro,” which means bitter in Italian.
It takes a sophisticated palate to appreciate a good bitter drink, so not too surprisingly, Vancouver bartenders were eager to sample the best of B.C. amaros. We sat down with Alex Black of Tableau Bar Bistro, Amber Bruce of The Keefer Bar, cocktail consultant Sabrine Dhaliwal, Robyn Gray of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia and The Botanist’s Jeff Savage to get at the bitter truth.
Locals Only Negroni
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
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
