B.C. Distilleries

Stealth Distilleries Corporation

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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

PRODUCTS:

• Stealth Corn Vodka
• Stealth Wheat Vodka

TASTING NOTES:

Stealth Vodka No. 9

FRAGRANCE: 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

Stealth Vodka

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

Home Bar, The Alchemist

How to stock your spirits cabinet

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Nightingale head bartender Rhett Williams. Dan Toulgoet photo

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.

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Recipes

End of an era

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Tiffany Davis’ End of an Era. Lou Lou Childs photo.

Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period meets the Martini.

• 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

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Features

Seasoned greetings

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The bartender’s salt and pepper, bitters are big in B.C.

At Market, Tiffany Davis uses bitters to bring balance and complexity to her drinks. Lou Lou Childs photo

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.

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Features

Prodigal sons

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How Sons of Vancouver is riding the big boom in small spirits

James Lester (L) and Richard Klaus bring a clear point-of-view to Sons of Vancouver. Lucy-kate Armstrong photo

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.

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Home Bar, Recipes

Main Street “Wide eye”

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Justin Taylor’s Main Street “Wide Eye.” Oliver Harden photo

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.

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B.C. Distilleries

Mad Laboratory Distilling

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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

PRODUCTS:

• 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

TASTING NOTES:

Mad Lab Vodka

FRAGRANCE: 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 Gin

FRAGRANCE: 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 Spirit

FRAGRANCE: 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

Features, Recipes

The milky-whey

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The Milky-Whey. Fred Fung photo

Unique, delicious and very West Coast.

• 1 oz milk liqueur (see recipe below)
• 0.5 oz East Van vodka
• 0.25 oz arancino
• 0.5 oz B.C. mead
• 0.5 oz fresh-pressed orange juice
• 0.5 oz whey

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B.C. Distilleries

Bohemian Spirits

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Using botanicals foraged in the mountains around Kimberley, Bohemian produces small-batch hand-crafted vodka and gin.

417A 304 St., Kimberley
BohemianSprits.com

PRODUCTS:

• Vagabond Vodka
• Limited Gin
• Colossal Gin
• Eclipse Coffee Liqueur
• Forester Single Malt Oak Aged Gin
• Harmony Herbal Liqueur
• Hearth Cherry Apple Liqueur
• Honeycomb Cream Liqueur
• Rose Rhubarb Ginger Gin Liqueur
• Single Grain Red Fife Wheat Whisky
• bottled cocktails

TASTING NOTES:

Limited Gin

FRAGRANCE: Pine, woodsy, pepper.
FLAVOUR: Sweet and herbaceous.
FEEL: Creamy, balanced.
FINISH: A touch hot, dry.
BEST ENJOYED: Martini on the rocks.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A bold and full flavored gin. —Josh Pape, April 2016

Vagabond Vodka

FRAGRANCE: Subtle spice.
FLAVOUR: Sweet and spicy.
FEEL: Lightly tickling.
FINISH: White peppercorn.
BEST ENJOYED: In a Caesar.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Spicy vodka perfect for a Bloody Mary or a Caesar. —Robyn Gray, July 2016

Forester Single Malt Oak Aged Gin

FRAGRANCE: Wood on the nose.  
FLAVOUR: Caramel and light vanilla, botanicals slightly hidden.
FEEL: Has a slight heaviness to it, likely due to the barrel.
FINISH: Long and creamy. Definitely not a gin for traditional types.
BEST ENJOYED: Store in the freezer and serve with some lemon zest.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A fun, oak-aged gin. —Trevor Kallies, July 2017

Eclipse Coffee Liqueur

FRAGRANCE: Bright coffee, cherry and bitter chocolate. 
FLAVOUR: Rounded, deep, rich, sweet coffee.
FEEL: Viscous and mouth coating.
FINISH: Lasting, balanced, bittersweet coffee.
BEST ENJOYED: Caucasian, a.k.a. White Russian.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Beautiful balance of bitter and sweet allows for a great take on your favourite coffee liqueur cocktails. —Robyn Gray, October 2017