Gin | The Alchemist

Ginned up

August 16, 2019 No Comments

The evolution of terroir-driven made-in-B.C. gin

Some of the botanicals used to make gin; juniper, in the centre, is the only one that is absolutely essential. istockphoto.com photo

When news arrived that Sooke’s Sheringham Distillery had scooped Best Contemporary Gin in the World at the prestigious World Gin Awards, I, like so many others, was truly thrilled. After all, what an achievement for the relatively neophyte distillery perched on Canada’s wild and westernmost edge.

But there was also a personal connection, as the awards were judged at London’s Honourable Artillery Company, right across from where I used to stay at my Uncle Ricky’s apartment.

Features, Recipes

Sheringham Cherub

August 15, 2019 No Comments

With elderflowers as early harbingers of summer, Sooke meets St-Germain in this house recipe from Sheringham Distillery.

• 1.5 oz Sheringham Seaside Gin
• 0.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
• 0.25 oz maple syrup
• 0.25 oz lemon juice
• 0.5 oz loganberry or strawberry purée
• 0.75 oz sparkling elderflower juice such as Bottle Green
Garnish: Lemon peel

Recipes

Negroni Rosa

August 6, 2019 No Comments

Try this negroni at Nicli Antica in Gastown, or make it yourself at home.

• 1 oz Bulldog Gin
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Cocchi Rosa
• 0.5 oz fresh lemon
• 0.5 oz fresh grapefruit

Hey Bartender, Recipes

Schwing

August 1, 2019 No Comments

This floral bubbly drink created by David Wolowidnyk is ideal as a reception cocktail for any of your spring flings.

• 1 oz gin or vodka
• 1 oz Aperol
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• Dash orange flower water
• 2 oz sparkling wine

Home Bar, Recipes

La Bicicletta Gin & Tonic

July 18, 2019 No Comments

Justin Taylor’s La Bicicletta G&T. Dan Toulgoet photo

Bright, fresh and lightly herbal, this G&T will whisk you to an Italian piazza.

• 2 oz La Bicicletta Gin
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• 0.25 oz simple syrup
• 4 oz tonic water

Home Bar, Recipes

Royal Gin & Tonic

July 17, 2019 No Comments

Justin Taylor’s Royal G&T. Dan Toulgoet photo

Butterfly pea flowers add a royal purple hue to this citrusy-floral G&T.

• 2 oz. Royal Gin
• 0.5 oz mandarin juice
• 0.25 oz. simple syrup
• 4 oz tonic water

Home Bar, Recipes

DIY Gin & Tonic

July 16, 2019 No Comments

Make summer’s favourite cocktail your very own with these bespoke ideas

Before you start, assemble your ingredients. Dan Toulgoet photo

Gin is unlike any other spirit. Simply put, gin is a distilled grain mash that produces a neutral alcohol or vodka. The spirit is then redistilled with botanicals, herbs and spices to achieve the final product. It doesn’t rely on aging in oak barrels like whisky, and it doesn’t rely on one agricultural product to achieve its flavour, like agave for tequila. The infusion process will determine the flavour profile of each gin.

In other words, gin is essentially a botanical-flavoured vodka. And that means, even though not very many of us will ever have access to a still, we can make our own quality gins by working with infusions.

Recipes, The Last Word

The Last Word: Bees Knees #2

June 22, 2019 No Comments

The Bees Knees #2. Photo courtesy of Fairmont Chateau Whistler

All the buzzzzz

June is National Pollinator Month. Celebrate all the winged things that keep us alive with an updated classic that’s the Apis patella.

Recipes

Garden’s Keeper G&T

June 21, 2019 No Comments

Spanish-style G&Ts like the one on our cover are the coolest drinks of summer 2019. This one was photographed at Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, and created by head bartender Jeff Savage.

• 1.5 oz Star of Bombay gin
• 0.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
• 2 dashes Bittered Sling Haskap Bitters
• Fentiman’s tonic water

The Alchemist

The Alchemist Summer 2019

June 20, 2019 No Comments

Keep cool: The summer issue of The Alchemist is out this week.

The Garden’s Keeper G&T by Jeff Savage of Botanist. Dan Toulgoet photo

The 12th edition of B.C.’s only magazine dedicated to cocktail and spirits culture returns with everything you need to quench your thirst this summer.