The Great Wild North

The Great Wild North cocktail created by Max Borrowman, bar manager at Vancouver’s Juniper Kitchen & Bar for Canada 150. Zoe Klymiuk-Turner photo

This recipe by Max Borrowman, bar manager at Juniper Kitchen + Bar, was inspired by Canada’s rare foraged botanicals, while the gold flakes evoke memories of B.C.’s 1850s and ’60s gold rushes.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1.5 oz (45 mL) Ungava gin
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Campari
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) lemon juice
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) egg white
• 0.33 oz (10 mL) simple syrup
• 2 dashes spruce tip tincture (see note)
• 1 oz (30 mL) rhubarb compote (see note)

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Coa Swizzle

Blue Water’s Coa Swizzle. Dan Toulgoet photo

The coa is a specialized hoe used to harvest agave. Here it’s also the inspiration for Luke McInnes’ tequila-based variation on a Caribbean-style swizzle, now on the menu at Blue Water Café.

• 1 oz (30 mL) blanco tequila
• 1 oz (30 mL) watermelon-infused Lillet Blanc (see note)
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) Campari
• 0.25 oz (7 mL) agave syrup
• 1 oz (30 mL) lime juice
• 3 dashes black peppercorn tincture (see note)

Stir—or swizzle—all the ingredients together in a highball glass, then fill the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serves 1.

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Watermelon Negroni

Josh Pape’s Watermelon Negroni. Contributed photo

This refreshing summertime recipe from Josh Pape at Wildebeest balances the bitterness of Campari with a splash of simple syrup, which keeps the texture consistent. It’s designed for one portion; if you’re serving more, just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings. But remember, you’ll also need about 1 cup (250 mL) ice per serving, so make sure everything fits into your blender.

• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Beefeater gin
• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Campari
• 0.75 oz (20 mL) Cinzano Rosso
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) simple syrup (see note)
• 3 x 1.5-inch (3 cm) cubes of watermelon

Place ½ cup (125 mL) cracked ice into the blender with the watermelon and simple syrup. Blend until smooth.

Add the other ingredients and another ½ cup (125 mL) of ice. Blend for 45 seconds and pour into a fancy glass (or a plastic cup).

Garnish with a slice of watermelon. Serves 1.

—By Josh Pape

Slush fun with frozen cocktails

The Wildebeest Slurpee. Contributed photo

Who hasn’t wasted a hot summer afternoon knocking back frozen margaritas on a sunny patio somewhere? It’s almost a rite of passage. But it isn’t, generally speaking, a quality drinking experience.

Or at least it didn’t used to be.

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Bittersweet symphony

The latest twist in the tale of the Negroni

Classic, White or Boulevardier­—a Negroni is a sexy, sophisticated drink. Alexa Mazzarello photo

For a drink so simple, the Negroni is one impressively complicated cocktail.

It contains only three ingredients—equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari—but those three ingredients comprise a world of flavours and aromas: bitter, sweet, citrus, floral, herbal, spicy, medicinal. It has a sexy backstory, except that it isn’t true.

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A classic Negroni

A classic Negroni. Alexa Mazzarello photo

When only the original will do.

• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz Campari

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

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