Whisky

After Dark Distillery

October 26, 2017 No Comments

Dean and Louise Perry moved from Alberta to the Shuswap to begin their distilling adventure. They focus on flavoured moonshine, vodkas and whisky, but gin is also in the works.

1201 Shuswap Ave., Sicamous
250-836-5187
AfterDarkDistillery.com

PRODUCTS:

• Copper Island Gin
• After Dark Burner Vodka
• Monashee Mountain Vodka
• Monashee Mountain Whiskey
• Cinnamous Whiskey
• Loudmouth Soup
• Monashee Mountain Moonshines

TASTING NOTES:

Monashee Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine

FRAGRANCE: Amazing nose of fresh baked cinnamon buns, quince tarte tatin and cream cheese.
FLAVOUR: Apple candy sweetness dominates.
FEEL: Very light viscosity.
FINISH: Sweet finish with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Astringent, bitter notes.
BEST ENJOYED: In hot apple cider on a fall day.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Could use more viscosity and natural apple flavour. —Shaun Layton, October 2017

The Alchemist

Meet Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada’s rye guy

October 13, 2017 No Comments

Davin de Kergommeaux, author of the book Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert, published by Appetite by Random House. Photograph By Jen Steele for Appetite by Random House.

Davin de Kergommeaux and I are lounging in the oak-paneled sitting room of Willistead Manor in Windsor, Ont., ancestral home of the Hiram Walker family, sipping rye and, fittingly, talking about Canadian whisky.

“I’ve got a lot of single malt at home, but preferentially, I drink Canadian whisky,” says de Kergommeaux. “I like the rye spices in Canadian whisky. It’s flavourful, well-balanced and enjoyable.”

The Alchemist

It’s time to try Canada’s oldest whisky

October 6, 2017 No Comments

Canadian Club 40 Year Old is the oldest whisky ever released by a Canadian distiller

The Canadian Club 40 Year Old whisky, unveiled at the warehouse on Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Windsor, Ont. Joanne Sasvari photo

Only in Canada, you say? Pity. Everyone else will have to travel to the True North to get their hands on the oldest Canadian whisky that has ever been poured.

“In Canadian whisky, you’re never going to find a 40-year-old whisky – not until today,” Tish Harcus tells us as we stand outside the Windsor, Ont., warehouse where row upon row of barrels stand stacked upon each other.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Always Wanted To Be A Tenenbaum

September 28, 2017 No Comments

This cocktail inspired by the movie The Royal Tenenbaums was created by the Homer Street Café as a “VIFFtail” for the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Gerard

August 25, 2017 No Comments

This drink is perfect for sipping while you sit beside the fireplace on a leather couch and reminisce.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz (45 mL) Macallan Gold whisky
0.5 oz (15 mL) maraschino liqueur
0.25 oz (7 mL) Fernet Branca
3 dashes Bittered Sling Suius Cherry

METHOD:
Combine all ingredients and stir in a mixing glass with ice for 20 seconds. Strain mixture into an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry. Serves 1.

Recipes, The Alchemist

Impeached Iced Tea

June 30, 2017 No Comments

Mamie Taylor’s owner Ron Oliver and lead bartender Scotty Marshall will be serving this spiked tea on July 1 at their eighth annual RibFest competition.

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 oz (30 mL) Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Lillet Blanc
• 0.5 oz (15 mL) Canadian whisky
• 3 oz (90 mL) unsweetened iced tea (any black tea will do)
Garnish: Okanagan peach slices

Home Bar, Recipes

Turn of the Century

March 28, 2017 No Comments

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz single malt Scotch whisky
0.5 oz dry vermouth
1 oz white chocolate syrup*
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
3 dashes Bittered Sling Malagasy Chocolate Bitters
candied cocoa nibs

METHOD:
Pre-chill an Old Fashioned glass. Add ice and all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain over crushed ice into your glass. Garnish with candied cocoa nibs.

*White chocolate syrup: Boil 2 cups heavy cream and pour over 6 oz white chocolate chips, stirring to dissolve. Reserve in a sealable jar or bottle and refrigerate until needed.

—by Justin Taylor

Recipes

The B.C. Filibuster

March 24, 2017 No Comments

Just in time for the provincial election, a politically inspired cocktail with ingredients that celebrate British Columbia.

INGREDIENTS:
3 oz Lohin McKinnon Single Malt Whisky
3/4 oz apple butter diluted with just enough water to make a thick syrup
2 dashes of Bittered Sling Suius Cherry Bitters
1 dash Bittered Sling Kensington Bitters

METHOD:
Place all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir well. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass and add fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated apple chip.

—by J-S Dupuis

Features

Ballot Box Booze

March 24, 2017 No Comments

The history of the cocktail is indelibly entwined with modern politics

*J-S Dupuis, bar manager at Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar. Lou Lou Childs photo.*

It may not be immediately obvious, but politics and cocktails have an affinity to rival gin and vermouth.

J-S Dupuis, bar manager at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar agrees. “The history of spirits and politics — they’ve always gone hand in hand.”

Home Bar, The Alchemist

How to stock your spirits cabinet

February 24, 2017 No Comments

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.