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THIRSTY FOR CANADIAN CULTURE?
from Bon Vivant 2021
QUENCH IT WITH THESE UNIQUE OFFERINGS
By Chris Ryall
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Canada’s diverse landscape spawns a treasure trove of travel experiences and an unusual, but flavourful, mix of local ingredients, from lobster shells to wild mushrooms. Innovative brewers and distillers have tapped into them to create distinctly Canadian craft brews and spirits. Enjoy a taste of Canadiana with these tasty highlights.
TABOO GENUINE ABSINTHE – OKANAGAN SPIRITS CRAFT DISTILLERY
Vernon and Kelowna, British Columbia
Creative icons and absinthe drinkersErnest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde,Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Goghcontributed to the popularity andtaboo nature of the spirit, also knownas the “green fairy” drink. Opened in2004, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distilleryis Western Canada's original farmto-flaskcraft distillery and producesa 60 per cent alcohol proof TabooGenuine Absinthe. It is Canada’s firstgenuine absinthe and World SpiritsGold Award winner. This gluten-freeabsinthe is created from a neutral fruitalcohol giving it a more mellow finishthan alcohol made from grain. Withtwo locations in Vernon and Kelowna,Okanagan Spirits is surrounded byOkanagan’s bounty of herbs and richsoils. Sip a glass in their barrel room andget those creative juices flowing.
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.
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.
CRUSTACEAN ELATION ALE – SALTBOX BREWING CO.
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Lobster’s influence permeates daily life alongMahone Bay and the South Shore coastline,and that includes quaffing a CrustaceanElation Ale at Saltbox Brewing Co. Lobsterbrine and toasted lobster shells are added intothe mash. What comes out is a refreshing lightbeer with a hint of saltiness. This year, Saltboxwill be using lobster caught by the Nellie Row,Canada’s first all-female lobster crew. Lobsterbeer is brewed seasonally and people can’twait to get their claws on it.