Canada's only magazine dedicated to distillers, spirits and cocktail culture.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
It may be a truism, but for Rebekah Crowley and Rob Rindt it’s also the organizing principle that inspired their newly opened Roots and Wings Distillery in Langley, and the reason their handcrafted vodka exists.
Rebekah Crowley and Rob Rindt built a distillery and tasting room on their Fraser Valley farm where they crop 30 acres of potatoes and corn.
7897 240th St., Langley
778-246-5247
RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca
• It’s G&T time: The Alchemist’s tasting panel searches for the best B.C. gin to enjoy with your tonic
• Field work: potatoes fuel the spirit at Langley’s Roots and Wings Distillery
• Vital Vodka
• Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka
• Renegade (Horseradish-infused vodka)
• Dill Pickled Vodka
• Peachy Keen Vodka
• Jackknife Gin
• Encore Gin
• Rebel
• Sidekick
• Johnny Handsome
• Old Fashioned Spirit
• 5th Element Absinthe
Vital VodkaFRAGRANCE: Vanilla, cream corn, créme brulée.
FLAVOUR: Custard, funky earth notes, white pepper, this IS a potato and corn vodka.
FEEL: Slightly viscous, but buttery in a very good way.
FINISH: A load of spice stays around for a minute.
BEST ENJOYED: Will make a buttery Martini that packs a spicy finish, or a Moscow Mule.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Surprisingly ballsy finish after a sweet nose, cool product. —Shaun Layton, February 2017
Hops and Honey VodkaFRAGRANCE: Malty, resiny, touch of buttery corn.
FLAVOUR: Faint coriander spice, danky, dry pepper, honeysuckle.
FEEL: Creamy on the palate.
FINISH: Nice subtle black pepper, piney, slightly bitter.
BEST ENJOYED: Would make a great collins style drink, looking forward to this in a Michelada or a Caesar.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I wouldn’t put it in the vodka category, theres a lot going on. A very intriguing spirit. —Shaun Layton, July 2017
RebelFRAGRANCE: Cooked corn and orange.
FLAVOUR: Corn comes through with playful citrus notes and a touch of smoke.
FEEL: Mild creaminess.
FINISH: A little baking spice on the front, a touch of smoke on the back.
BEST ENJOYED: Could sub into a sour or Old Fashioned with some ease.
THE BOTTOM LINE: An interesting take on a young (soon-to-be) corn whisky. —Trevor Kallies, October 2017
Master distiller Randy Poulin and Stealth president John Pocekovic specialize in vodka made from field-dried Okanagan corn.
#3-20 Orwell St. North Vancouver
604-916-4103
StealthVodka.com
• Stealth Corn Vodka
• Stealth Wheat Vodka
Stealth Vodka No. 9FRAGRANCE: A hint of alcohol on the nose with a small touch of cream.
FLAVOUR: Slight bit of grain with white pepper.
FEEL: The palate is smooth with a tiny element of alcohol warmth.
FINISH: Fairly abrupt.
BEST ENJOYED: In your favorite mixed vodka drink.
THE BOTTOM LINE: As craft vodkas go it is right up there. Packaging is bartender friendly, with a decent neck to grab onto. —Trevor Kallies, February 2017
FRAGRANCE: Caramel, butterscotch even.
FLAVOUR: Toffee, candy corn.
FEEL: Light.
FINISH: Dryer than the nose suggests.
BEST ENJOYED: In a shaken cocktail with fruit or citrus.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A New World-style vodka for those who like sweeter drinks. —Josh Pape, October 2017
Every cocktail starts with a base spirit. Every home cocktail bar should do the same. The question is, what spirits do you really need to stock at home? What’s worth spending money on (and what isn’t)? After all, those bright, shiny bottles can be expensive.
• 1.5 oz Grey Goose Pear
• 0.75 oz Hpnotiq
• 0.25 oz vermouth infused with lavender and sage
• 0.25 oz chamomile
• 0.25 oz fresh squeezed lemon
• Dash of Bittered Sling Denman Extract
After working for five years as a bartender on cruise ships, Tiffany Davis is well acquainted with the benefits of cocktail bitters.
“I went through so many bottles of Peychaud’s,” she laughs. “It was the best cure for seasickness.”
Now safely moored on dry land, as a bartender at the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver’s Market by Jean-Georges, Davis still relies on bitters, but primarily for their cocktail applications.
It will be just two short years in February since Sons of Vancouver opened for business—with a 700-litre still repurposed from a dairy pasteurizer. And, like so many of the distilleries around B.C., owners James Lester and Richard Klaus have barely had time to pause for breath.
Take the past few months of 2016 as an example: Sons ran a successful crowdfunding campaign to upgrade to a proper—and much bigger—still, opened a tasting room, and will release a special barrel-aged edition of their signature No. 82 Amaretto in time for the holidays.
It wasn’t meant to happen this fast.
• 2oz Absolut vodka
• 2oz cold brew concentrate
• 2 dash bitters
• 0.25oz mole syrup
• 1 lemon zest
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz. Odd Society East Van Vodka
• 0.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 oz. Walter’s Caesar Mix
• 2 dashes Tapatio Hot Sauce
• Pinch ground pepper
• Pinch brown sugar
• 3 oz. Main Street Pilsner
METHOD:
In a 20 oz. pint glass, add ice and all other ingredients, and stir. Garnish with a stick of celery.
Truly handmade using a small homebrew mill and a pump, Mad Laboratory’s vodka is triple distilled and carbon filtered from Armstrong barley and Champagne yeast.
119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver
madlabdistilling.com
• ULKERaki
• Mad Lab Vodka
• Viking Vodka
• Mad Lab Gin6
• Mad Dog Single Malt White Spirit
• Chocolate Spiced Mad Dog Single Malt
• Kombucha Cordials
• Pre-mixed cocktails
Mad Lab VodkaFRAGRANCE: Clean, light fragrance of sweet wheat, vanilla, and hints of doughy bread.
FLAVOUR: Very smooth, lightly sweet with notes of black pepper, hint of vanilla.
FEEL: Silky and dry.
FINISH: Super clean, lightly creamy.
BEST ENJOYED: Stirred, straight up with a twist.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Brand new distillery, only the 4th batch made; Mad Lab nailed it. —Wendy McGuinness, July 2016
Mad Lab GinFRAGRANCE: Sweet and fruity.
FLAVOUR: Clean and citrusy.
FEEL: Tickling mouth-feel.
FINISH: Spicy, biting.
BEST ENJOYED: In a White Lady (gin, Cointreau, lemon).
THE BOTTOM LINE: A six-botanical cucumber gin that is delicate and nuanced. Very clean tasting. —Robyn Gray, February 2017
Mad Dog Single Malt White SpiritFRAGRANCE: A brewery in the morning. Lovely.
FLAVOUR: Toasted pumpernickel bread.
FEEL: Punchy, then round.
FINISH: Honey. Long and sweet.
BEST ENJOYED: As a sour. Heavy on the angostura, or even with 10 ml of amaro.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Not sure about the white whisky trend, but this is a good indicator of the aged spirit Mad Dog will produce. —Josh Pape, October 2017