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By Chris Ryall

CRUSTACEAN ELATION ALE – SALTBOX BREWING CO.

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Lobster’s influence permeates daily life along Mahone Bay and the South Shore coastline, and that includes quaffing a Crustacean Elation Ale at Saltbox Brewing Co. Lobster brine and toasted lobster shells are added into the mash. What comes out is a refreshing light beer with a hint of saltiness. This year, Saltbox will be using lobster caught by the Nellie Row, Canada’s first all-female lobster crew. Lobster beer is brewed seasonally and people can’t wait to get their claws on it.

©SALTBOX BREWING CO.

RADOUNE GIN – O'DWYER DISTILLERY

Gaspé, Quebec

Explorer Jacques Cartier erected a cross in Gaspé in 1534 and it became known as the “Birthplace of Canada.” The Gaspé Peninsula, home to four national parks including Forillon National Park, is a nature lover’s playground with mountains, salmon-rich rivers and verdant forests. In these forests, four kinds of wild mushrooms (chanterelles, yellowfoot chanterelles, honey mushrooms and matsutake) are hand-picked to provide a rich, earthy flavour with notes of pine and juniper for O'Dwyer Distillery’s Radoune Gin. This gin may be the only ‘tonic’ you need.

©O'DWYER DISTILLERY

VODKOW – DAIRY DISTILLERY

Almonte, Ontario

Almonte, less than an hour southwest of Ottawa, is the hometown of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. The 19th-century mill town is lined with limestone buildings, craft shops and galleries. In 2018, Dairy Distillery created a new taste sensation distilling milk from its dairy farm to make Vodkow, Canada’s first lactose and gluten-free vodka. What used to be waste is now transformed into a revolutionary vodka distilling process that produces the country’s only carbon-neutral vodka and four Vodkow Cream flavoured liquors. Enjoy the cream of the crop.

©DAIRY DISTILLERY

LENTIL BEER – REBELLION BREWING CO.

Regina, Saskatchewan

Something’s brewing in Regina, but this latest rebellion is being allowed to ferment despite the city being home to the RCMP training headquarters since 1885. Saskatchewan is the world’s leading exporter of lentils so why not use them in a tasty hyper-local beverage? Rebellion Brewing Co.’s Lentil Cream Ale contains 20 per cent lentils and 80 per cent barley. Have a glass in their taproom as you ponder visiting Regina’s other points of interest such as Stone Hall Castle, RCMP Heritage Centre, Wascana Centre Park, and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. High in protein, lentil beer serves up a smooth, light and flavourful taste firmly ingrained in Saskatchewan’s beer culture.

©REBELLION BREWING CO.

TABOO GENUINE ABSINTHE – OKANAGAN SPIRITS CRAFT DISTILLERY

Vernon and Kelowna, British Columbia

Creative icons and absinthe drinkers Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh contributed to the popularity and taboo nature of the spirit, also known as the “green fairy” drink. Opened in 2004, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery is Western Canada's original farm-toflask craft distillery and produces a 60 per cent alcohol proof Taboo Genuine Absinthe. It is Canada’s first genuine absinthe and World Spirits Gold Award winner. This gluten-free absinthe is created from a neutral fruit alcohol giving it a more mellow finish than alcohol made from grain. With two locations in Vernon and Kelowna, Okanagan Spirits is surrounded by Okanagan’s bounty of herbs and rich soils. Sip a glass in their barrel room and get those creative juices flowing.

©OKANAGAN SPIRITS CRAFT DISTILLERY

ABSINTHE MOJITO

Recipe supplied by Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery

Ingredients (1 serving):

1 oz Taboo Genuine Absinthe

1 tbsp sugar

6 mint leaves

1 cup crushed ice

Sparkling water

1 lime wheel

Directions:

In a glass, muddle lime juice, sugar, mint leaves and lime. Add absinthe and stir. Fill glass with crushed ice and top with sparkling water. Add lime wheel as garnish.