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Mastering Gin at Copperpenny Distilling Co.
North Van distillery reaps the rewards of craftsmanship
Winning a prestigious Global Gin Masters Medal—only a few months after they opened their doors—is just one of the exciting things happening at North Vancouver’s Copperpenny Distilling Co.
“Our key focus here is that we recognize, as a distillery, we are more than a maker of spirits, we are a purveyor of experiences,” says Jan Stenc, co-founder of the distillery along with his partner in work and life, Jennifer Kom-Tong. “The whole idea that it is a meaningful social interaction is super-important to us.”
Cocktails that tell a story
Three new bars define cocktails, each in their unique way
There’s a special camaraderie between keen patron and impassioned bartender. The room design, flavour and atmosphere combine and create fertile ground for storytelling. Luckily, these three new cocktail-forward bars and restaurants that have just opened in Vancouver are more than happy to indulge us.
We stopped by these hot spots to get a taste of what they’re serving.
Gin Paloma
This easy, patio-ready cocktail comes from the tasting lounge at North Vancouver’s Copperpenny Distilling. The fresh citrus and rosemary accentuate the notes of Egyptian coriander and Moroccan grains of paradise in their Social Project Gin 005.
• 2 oz Copperpenny Social Project Gin 005
• 2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (strained)
• 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 0.5 oz rosemary-infused simple syrup (see note)
• Garnish: Himalayan pink salt rim, dehydrated grapefruit and/or sprig of rosemary
Map: Here are all the craft distilleries, wineries, breweries, and cideries in North Vancouver
The craft spirits and beer scene is now booming in North Vancouver, particularly in the burgeoning Brewery District in Lower Lonsdale.
The North Shore will forever hold a piece of Canadian brewing history, as West Vancouver holds the distinction as the site of the country’s first ever microbrewery.
Horseshoe Bay Brewery started brewing beer for the nearby Troller Bay Pub in 1982, long before the craft beer boom exploded on the West Coast decades later.
Horseshoe Bay Brewery is no longer pumping out the suds on the North Shore – although it spawned some other B.C. breweries that are still very much alive – but in its place are now a dozen North Vancouver breweries, a number that seemingly rises each year.
Many of those establishments are clustered in the City of North Vancouver’s burgeoning Brewery District, a neighbourhood that now boasts seven breweries within easy walking distance of each other.
‘I don’t want to be a dreamer’: These former set decorators are disrupting the landscape of gin distilling in North Vancouver
Copperpenny Distillery looks like a stunning cocktail lounge but it’s the behind the scenes work that sets them apart.
One of the statement pieces of Copperpenny Distilling Co.‘s emerald and gold, peacock-esque cocktail lounge is a bunny lamp that made the 7,581 km trek from London to North Vancouver segmented in co-owner and mistress of distilling Jennifer Kom-Tong’s hand luggage. The shade, stashed under the seat in front of her, forced Kom-Tong to spend the nine-hour flight with her legs shoved to the side—but it was worth it.