B.C.'s only magazine dedicated to local distilleries and cocktail culture.
In January, Drinks International, a trade publication for the alcohol industry, released its annual list of the 50 best cocktails—or at least the best-selling ones—around the world. It’s perhaps no big surprise that the top drink, for the fifth year running, was that classic whisky-based bittered sling, the Old Fashioned.
• 1 oz Bacardi Añejo Cuatro rum
• 1 oz Bacardi Banana flavoured rum
• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.75 oz cane syrup (2:1; see note)
• 1 bar spoon fresh pineapple juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and add ice. Shake like the trees on a hot, breezy summer afternoon. Double-strain into a cocktail coupe and enjoy! Serves 1.
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz light cuban rum
1 oz maraschino liqueur
1.5 oz freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
1.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup*
2 cups of cubed ice
METHOD:
Add all ingredients to a blender, leaving the cubed ice until last. Put the lid on and blend on the lowest setting. Slowly increase the speed until the desired texture is reached. Pour into Martini glasses. Garnish with fresh mint and a grapefruit wedge. Serves 2.
Once a derided device of the past, the blender is slowly finding its way back into cocktail bars around the globe.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz light rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
3 fresh basil leaves, plus one for garnish
1 oz cocoa nib syrup*
1 egg white
cocoa powder for garnish
METHOD:
Pre-chill a cocktail glass. Add rum, lime, basil (torn in half), cocoa nib syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker and dry shake without ice for about 10 seconds. Add ice and shake for an additional 10-15 seconds. Double strain into the glass using a fine mesh. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and a small pinch of cocoa powder.
—by Justin Taylor
