The Alchemist – Summer 2018

SUMMER 2018

MIXERS

ON BRAND

GO BIG

SIP LOCAL

Hand-crafted sodas, syrups, shrubs

The pros behind the products

Batched cocktails for summer parties

Distillery listings and tasting panel

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Baijiu!

The most-consumed spirit in the world.

Never heard of it? You’re not alone.

If you know baijiu, you’ll find

Find out why cutting-edge cocktail

Dragon Mist Baijiu surprisingly

bars from Los Angeles to New York

clean-tasting and smooth. That’s

are serving baijiu in tasting flights

because it’s distilled and filtered four

and shaking it into black-sesame

times, and aged for three years.

Pina Coladas.

Get in the spirit! Order online and find out what you’ve been missing. dragonmistdistillery.com

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Contents 08 – BAR BITES A taste of what’s happening in the cocktail world 14 – CL ASSICS The simple pleasure of the highball

by Joanne Sasvari

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iStock photo

20 – THE BON VIVANT Our columnist seeks refuge from the sun

by Michael White

27 – MIXERS Local craft sodas, shrubs and syrups

by Charlene Rooke

24 – A FINE AGE The whisky world revisits the issue of age statements—again

by Tim Pawsey

31 – HOME BAR Big batch cocktails for your next big bash

by Justin Taylor 34 – BRAND AMBASSADORS Meet the experts behind your favourite spirits

by Joanne Sasvari

31 Dan Toulgoet photo

48 – INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS In conversation with Drew Mayville

by Aileen Lalor 50-59 – DISTILLERY LISTINGS Our guide to B.C. distilleries 60 – ON THE TOWN BC Distilled 62 – THE L AST WORD Patios + cocktails = summer perfection

40 – STILL LIFE Celebrating the spirits of wine country

by Charlene Rooke 44 – TASTING PANEL Our experts sample a range of made-in-B.C. vodkas

by Joanne Sasvari

RECIPES in this issue 08 – Douglas Fir 09 – Home Team 10 – Locals Only Negroni 17 – Dark ‘n’ Stormy 37 – KB Banana Daiquiri

BIG BATCH DRINKS: 32 – French 75 Royale 32 – Negroni 33 – Margarita 33 – Sangria Rosé 62 – The Third Half

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Contributors Joanne Sasvari is the editor of The Alchemist. She is a Vancouver-based, WSET-certified writer-editor who covers food, drink and travel for a variety of publications including the Vancouver Sun, Westcoast Homes & Design, Destination BC and WestJet magazine. She is also the author of theWickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.

Aileen Lalor is a freelance writer and editor. She was the editor of Female magazine in Singapore before moving to Vancouver, where she writes for Singaporean publications as well as the Vancouver Sun, Vita, Nuvo and Thebeholdr.com.

Justin Taylor has been mixing it up behind the bars of Toronto and Vancouver for almost two decades. He is currently general manager of The Cascade Room in Vancouver.

Tim Pawsey (a.k.a. The Hired Belly) writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for print publications including Where Vancouver, Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He also judges a number of wine awards.

Michael White writes about popular culture and dining. He is formerly a senior editor at Vancouver, FASHION and Glow magazines. A perfect life moment was drinking a Manhattan at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

Charlene Rooke is a certified Specialist of Spirits and a Moonshine University-trained craft distiller who writes for enRoute, TASTE and Food & Drink. She drinks stirred rye Manhattans on the rocks.

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ON THE COVER: The French 75 Royale by Justin Taylor gets its lilac hue from Victoria Spirits Empress Gin and lavender syrup.

Find this and other big batch cocktails on pages 32-33.

Photo: Dan Toulgoet.

Duncan Joseph photo

Central City Distilling’s Blueberry Gin Smash cocktail. Find the recipe at thealchemistmagazine.ca

N

o matter where you live in Canada, summer is short. So make the most of it while you can.

It’s time to relax, take things easy and get outdoors.

Unless, of course, you’re our Bon Vivant columnist Michael White, in which case you’ll be finding a cool, dark drinking den to hide out in (page 20).

In this issue we make summer entertaining as simple as possible. Charlene Rooke rounds up a selection of local craft mixers (page 27) just in time for the return of the highball (Classics, page 14).

Meanwhile, Justin Taylor shows us how to make bottled and other big-batch cocktails for your next backyard bash (Home Bar, page 31). Don’t want to stay home? Charlene plots out a spirited road trip through wine country in Still Life (page 40).

We have much more for you to drink in, too: Tim Pawsey revisits the issue of age statements (A Fine Age, page 24), Aileen Lalor chats with the blender of the world’s best whisky (page 48), our tasting panel samples B.C. vodka (page 44) and we discover the best job ever in our look at brand ambassadors (page 34). All this plus news and distillery listings.

For more recipes and features, visit thealchemistmagazine.ca.

Joanne Sasvari, Editor

PUBLISHER: Gail Nugent gnugent@glaciermedia.ca EDITOR: Joanne Sasvari jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Kelsey Klassen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Dan Toulgoet ILLUSTRATOR: Ryan Mitson TheAlchemistMagazine.ca @TheAlchemistBC @TheAlchemistMag Published by: Glacier Media Group 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 604-742-8678 © The Alchemist 2018 This issue is complimentary.

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BAR BITES NEWS AND NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR AND AROUND THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS AND SPIRITS

DOUGL AS FIR

Find this signature cocktail at the D/6 Bar and Lounge at Parq Vancouver.

1.5 oz Douglas Fir-Infused Gin from Yaletown Distillery 0.5 oz Cointreau 0.5 oz dry vermouth 0.5 oz sweet vermouth 3 drops of Bittered Sling Orange Juniper bitters

D/6 Bar and Lounge photo

Stir ingredients over ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice and a Douglas fir tip. Serves 1.

PATIO AT THE PARQ We’re always excited to see a new patio in town, especially when it’s one that serves great cocktails. And so we’re thrilled that D/6 Bar and Lounge at Parq Vancouver has flung open the big glass doors onto its vast new patio space.

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Located on the sixth floor of the DOUGLAS boutique hotel, the D/6 patio has great views of the city skyline and offers locally inspired cocktails like the Douglas Fir, which is made with Douglas fir-infused gin from Yaletown Distilling Company. (The gin is also available in all the guest rooms.)

Even better news: The patio is covered, so guests can enjoy the views and the cocktails come rain or shine. parqvancouver.com.

WORLD CLASS CITY With Christopher Enns’ recent win in Montreal, that’s four times Vancouver bartenders have taken home the prestigious title of Diageo Reserve World Class Canada champion since the competition started in 2013.

Enns, who mans the shakers at the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Lobby Lounge, also recently won the Woodford Reserve Manhattan challenge in New York. “It’s been very busy, that’s for sure,” he says.

Now we’re all wondering: Will lightning strike again?

After all, last year’s World Class Canada winner, Kaitlyn Stewart of Vancouver’s Royal Dinette, went on to win the global competition, beating out 10,000 talented bartenders from more than 50 countries to do so.

Enns is already preparing for the world finals in Berlin this October. “We won’t get the lineup for a few months, but I’ll start researching Berlin and working within the seasonal produce,” he says.

It helps that he’s got a strong team of previous hometown winners helping him prepare, including his colleague, Grant Sceney, the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s creative beverage director and World Class Canada 2014 winner.

“I’m going to see a lot more of him than I do already,” Enns says with a laugh.

For more info, follow @WorldClassCa on Twitter, @WorldClassCanada on Instagram, use the hashtag #WorldClass or visit Facebook.com/ WorldClassCanada.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Enns

HOME TEAM

Chris Enns prepared this cocktail for the World Class Canada 2018 national finals. “T his drink came from the Wanderlust challenge where we came up with a cocktail inspired by both home and an away location,” he recalls. A twist on the Sazerac cocktail, the Home Team is inspired by the feeling of “home” he found at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, as well the home-team support among the World Class bartenders.

Here it is served in a Scottish quaich cup; however, a chilled Old Fashioned or Sazerac-style glass would be fine.

1 sprig rosemary 1 oz Hennessey VSOP Cognac 1 oz Lagavulin 16 Year Old single malt

2 tsp sage syrup (see note) 2 dashes Peychauds bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 dashes orange bitters

Brush the inside of a chilled short glass with the rosemary. Place all the remaining ingredients in a mixing glass with ice; stir to your desired dilution and strain into the glass. Serves 1.

Note: To make the sage syrup, bring 1 cup water to a boil and add a few sage leaves; steep for about 15 minutes then strain. Add 1 cup sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and chill. Will keep, covered and chilled, for about a week. Makes about 1 cup.

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SIPPING TOFINO

“We take classic cocktails and revisit them with B.C. products,” she says. “It came about because there are so many awesome products now on a world-class scale.”

Wolf in the Fog photo

When you’re surrounded by wild bounty the way Tofino is, it only makes sense to use it however you can. And so Wolf in the Fog’s bar manager Hailey Pasemko transforms huckleberries into bitters, infuses gin with salal or spruce tips, and fat-washes vodka with salmon.

Now she’s looking beyond Tofino, to the great spirits being produced across B.C., for her new “Local Legends” cocktail program.

The list currently comprises the Locals Only Negroni, a twist on the Lynchburg Lemonade, a Chi Chi and two variations on the Gin and Tonic.

And Pasemko isn’t stopping there. She’s working on working on a made-in-B.C. Twentieth Century, Penicillin and an Aperol spritz using G&W Distilling’s Bitterhouse LaDame. And, she adds, “There’s been some discussion of a Harvey Wallbanger in a popsicle form.”

For more info, visit wolfinthefog.com.

LOCALS ONLY NEGRONI

Created by Wolf in the Fog bar manager Hailey Pasemko, this variation on the classic uses all B.C. products.

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1 oz Sheringham Seaside Gin 1 oz Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth 1 oz Legend Distilling Naramaro Build all the ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass with ice. Serves 1.

Wolf in the Fog photo

MARK YOUR CALENDARS Sure, you could enjoy cocktails alone in your back yard. Or you could join the crowds having fun at these great events here at home and abroad over the next few months.

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL

The world’s premier cocktail festival takes place in New Orleans July 17 to 22, with the coveted Spirited Awards announced on July 21. Expect seminars, tastings, networking opportunities, special events and, of course, plenty of cocktails. This is the world’s biggest and most important gathering of bartenders, distillers, brand reps and other spirits industry professionals, who meet annually in this great cocktail city to exchange new ideas, products and techniques. Will you be joining them? talesofthecocktail.org

ART OF THE COCKTAIL

The Alchemist is pleased to sponsor Western Canada’s most important cocktail festival Oct. 13 in beautiful downtown Victoria. Some 900 attendees will gather at the Grand Tasting to sip and sample cocktails and products from 40 exhibitors pouring more than 60 spirits. Plus there will be masterclasses, guided tastings, and more fun than you can shake a cobbler at. Note that this is a fundraiser for the Victoria Film Festival, as well as an opportunity to learn from the pros and enjoy the vibrant cocktail scene of B.C.’s capital city. artofthecocktail.ca

DEIGHTON CUP

Don your fancy chapeaux and hoist your glasses! The ponies hit the track once again on July 21 for the 10th annual Deighton Cup at Hastings Racecourse.

Some 5,000 people gather at the track to Deighton Cup photo gamble on the ponies while enjoying swish fashion, buckets of bubbly, fine cigars, gourmet cuisine and, of course, cocktails. The event includes an annual mixology competition, plus sweet summer sippers to enjoy trackside. deightoncup.com

TORONTO COCKTAIL WEEK

Istock photo

Get your kicks in the Six this fall: Toronto Cocktail Week is back! After a five-year hiatus, the six-day festival of all things boozy returns Oct. 16 to 21, bringing together bars, brands and bartenders—as well as consumers, of course—to celebrate the city’s evolving cocktail scene. Now owned by St. Joseph Media, the latest incarnation of TCW will be shaking things up with a neighbourhood-focused bar guide, themed gala events, guided tours and a downtown TCW18 headquarters programmed with seminars and a nightly pop-up bar hosted by guest bartenders from across Canada. torontococktailweek.ca

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or over a decade, Chambar has been known as not only a destination restaurant famous for its Belgian and Moroccaninfluenced cuisine, but also as a cocktail mecca that has attracted and nurtured some of the city’s top talent.

With a fantastic kitchen that produces bold flavoured dishes, the bar program works collaboratively to uphold these flavours, while being rooted in storytelling. The classic cocktail world is extremely dynamic; there are beverages that have outlasted multiple wars, multiple countries. The stories of the cocktails add interesting complexity to Chambar’s well considered list. Every cocktail is perishable art.

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568 Beatty St., 604-879-7119, ChambarRestaurant @Chambar_Restaurant

@Chambar

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Photo credit: Jenna Low

iStock photo

The simplicity of a highball such as a classic gin and tonic makes it the perfect thirst-quenching option when the weather is hot and the days are lazy.

CLASSICS

Two short, one long 14

WHY THE HIGHBALL IS OUR ENDURING SUMMER COCKTAIL OF CHOICE

by Joanne Sasvari

THE HIGHBALL IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL TWO-INGREDIENT COCKTAIL: SPIRITS AND SODA, GUSSIED UP WITH ICE AND MAYBE A LEMON WHEEL OR A SPRIG OF MINT IF YOU WANT TO GET FANCY.

W

hen it’s hot and sticky out, who’s really up for making fancy cocktails?

Not me.

In the glass, that’s translated as two short measures of spirit plus a long stream of soda.

That’s why summer time is highball time. The highball is the quintessential two-ingredient cocktail: spirits and soda, gussied up with ice and maybe a lemon wheel or a sprig of mint if you want to get fancy.

It may seem as if the highball was always with us, but it dates back only to the 1890s or so. It first appears in print in Harry Johnson’s 1900 Bartenders Manual. Then, in 1927, a Manhattan barkeep named Patrick Gavin Duffy wrote a strongly worded letter to The New York Times, in which he took credit for introducing the highball to America when an English customer asked for a Scotch and soda in his bar back in 1894.

Easy. Thirst quenching. Ahhh.

ANY TIME, ANY PL ACE

The highball is not just an easy drink to enjoy on a lazy day, it’s also the ideal solution for those times when you’re imbibing in an establishment where you can’t trust the cocktail skills behind the bar.

Simple as it is, though, there’s more going on with the highball than you might think. For one thing, there’s that name. It refers back to old-timey American railway lingo. The highball, according to cocktail historian Gary Regan, was the name for the float in a steam engine’s water tank.

If there was enough water for the train to depart, the conductor would “give the highball”—two short blows on a whistle, followed by a long one.

Although the name likely originated in the U.S., the drink itself did not. It came from England, where artificial carbonation had been invented more than a century previously. The English, who also made bubbly wine before the French perfected it, were the first to infuse water with carbon dioxide back in 1767. By 1792, an Englishman named Johann Jacob Schweppes had developed a process to commercially manufacture fizzy water and was selling it all over London.

By the beginning of the 19th century, Londoners were enjoying soda water in their brandy, then turned to whisky, first

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The Dark ‘n’ Stormy is one of the classic highball-style cocktails, made with Goslings Black Seal rum and ginger beer. At H Tasting Lounge, citrus and bitters are added, too.

DRINK FREE

Dan Toulgoet photo

when blockades during the Napoleonic wars prevented Cognac from landing in posh gentleman’s clubs and then again when phylloxera devasted Europe’s vines.

(There is a school of thought that the name highball actually refers to British golf club slang—the “ball” is a small amount of whisky in a tall glass.) In any case, the English were enjoying drinks such as the “Splificator” (Irish whiskey and soda) long before the highball was a thing, and the soda siphon became an essential tool in the home bartender kit.

One of the most famous highballs is the Cuba Libre, a.k.a., rum and Coke with a squeeze of lime. Although fighters drank what they called a Cuba Libre during the Spanish-American War of 1898, it was made with molasses, water and spirits; Coca-Cola was only introduced to Cuba around 1902, after Spain capitulated.

gin and tonic, rye and ginger, vodka and soda, Pamplona (tequila and grapefruit soda), Cuba Libre (rum and cola) and Dark ’n’ Stormy (dark rum and ginger beer). Unlike the Collins, the highball traditionally does not contain citrus juice, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t add bitters, infusions, syrups, fancy garnishes or a splash of lemon or lime juice if you wish.

Then again, when the point of a drink is simple perfection, why make things complicated when you don’t have to?

Today, of course, there are many variations on the highball. Among them:

THE RIGHT GL ASSWARE

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Not that we’re picky, but a proper highball glass is taller than an Old Fashioned glass, and shorter and wider than a Collins glass, about 2 ¾ inches in width and six inches high. It should hold eight to 12 ounces of liquid.

Dan Toulgoet photo

DARK ‘N’ STORMY

Purists insist on Goslings Black Seal r um, but in fact, any good quality dark r um will work in this satisfyingly spicy drink. Tr y one of the ne w made-in-B.C. craft ginger beers for zing y home-g rown flavour; see the stor y on page 27 for sug gestions.

2 oz dark rum such as Goslings Black Seal 4 oz chilled ginger beer Optional: 1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters Lime wedge

In a highball glass filled with cubes of ice, add the rum and top with ginger beer. If you like, add a dash or two of bitters. No need to stir; the bubbles should do the work for you. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serves 1.

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H Tasting Lounge takes flight GLOBALLY INSPIRED COCKTAIL PROGRAM SOARS AT THE WESTIN BAYSHORE

Bright, airy and colourful, with a contemporary design that embraces both mid-century and Art Deco motifs, H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, is certainly one of the city’s most elegant cocktail spaces.

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But its beauty goes far beyond plush pastel furnishings and dramatic crystal chandeliers.

There is serious talent behind the bar here, led by award-winning premium

bartenders Chiara Fung, who hails from Grain and Notch 8, and Dylan Williams, formerly of Bambudda and Shameful Tiki Room.

They bring top-notch skills and nimble imaginations to a cocktail program inspired by the adventuresome spirit of early aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. His 1938 world flight was the motivation for the inventive “destinations” drinks that are at the heart of the lounge’s menu, which

includes such premium cocktails as the Champagne-fizzy Eiffel 75 and goldflecked Alaska Cocktail No. 2.

“Now,” says Williams, “we’re adding a couple of destinations to the tour.”

Among them will be an ode to Hollywood, where Hughes began his career as a film producer. “Another cool thing we’re doing is a shared bowl based on an outrigger. It’s going to be a tribute to [Hughes’ airplane] the Spruce Goose. It’ll be super cool.”

The team is also introducing other highend innovations, including tableside gin and tonics—“We just purchased a luxury Italian bar cart that we’ll use for service,” Fung says—and interactive Liquid Labs that will combine mixology classes, chef Alex Mok’s exotic cuisine and cocktails made with foraged ingredients.

While Williams and Fung are as wellversed in the classics as they are happy to pour a glass of Champagne, they bring their own unique flair to the menu. Fung, for instance, is proud to serve her spiced pineapple True Lies cocktail, which won the recent Stolichnaya vodka competition in Vancouver. And Williams is delighted to bring his taste for tiki back to a hotel that was once legendary for its poolside tropical cocktails.

Most importantly, the team is passionate about using the highest quality ingredients from around the world and right here at home, whether for Ladies’ Nights on Mondays, afternoon tea served daily, or a nightcap after a show.

“We hand-carve our own ice. All of the ingredients are made in house or sourced locally. We’re getting a garden,” Williams says. “If it’s not from the garden or the forest it will be from the farmers’ market.”

Adds Fung: “We’re just trying to deliver a unique experience to the guests.”

Get the recipes for Chiara Fung’s True Lies and Dylan Williams’ The Bayshore Inn cocktails at thealchemistmagazine.ca.

H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, 604-691-6962 htastinglounge.com @htastinglounge

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THE BON VIVANT THE PATIO SCENE ISN’T FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING OUR MAN ABOUT TOWN

by Michael White

I

n many ways, I’ve always been hilariously unsuited to Vancouver, despite having lived here for the best part of 20 years. While I enjoy observing nature from the distant vantage point of a high-rise apartment, actually venturing into it makes me anxious and irritated. I look upon the lifestyle cults surrounding yoga, spinning and clamshell salads— ostensibly expressions of joyful living, yet deadly serious—as if they were the Republic of Gilead.

But what situates me permanently at the fringe of the party that is this city (this beautiful, very expensive party) is my habitual response to the arrival of summer. When everyone else rushes hysterically into the streets, as if drawn by the promise of eternal youth and free poké bowls, I draw the blinds and cower until nightfall.

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freaks of nature (we make up less than two per cent of the global population), we’re uncommonly sensitive to sunlight not only because we have the greatest susceptibility to sunburn and skin cancer, but because prolonged exposure (which is to say, roughly three minutes) makes us feel as if we’ve been set on fire.

This presents a unique conundrum with regard to the summertime consumption of adult beverages. Summer drinking, in populist terms, means a patio—which, to my sub-albino brethren and myself, may as well mean an open-air hot plate.

I don’t want to be this person, but I have no choice: I’m a ginger.

Thus, I retreat into the sort of darkened indoor bars most associated with winter, when the local population seeks physical and emotional refuge from weeks-long downpours: Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar; the Cascade Room; the upstairs lounge at Hy’s Steakhouse, which actually feels subterranean, so successfully does it block out any sense of time and place.

For the benefit of those not familiar with the physiological plight of the tangerinetopped: In addition to being literal

“I like sitting in dark places to drink, and I like working in dark places for drinking,” says Sabrine Dhaliwal, bar manager at

“I LIKE SIT TING IN DARK PL ACES TO DRINK, AND I LIKE WORKING IN DARK PL ACES FOR DRINKING.” —Sabrine Dhaliwal Uva. (Blond and fair-skinned, her preference is also partly borne of self-preservation.) Her workplace, she points out, is hardly among the most crepuscular in Vancouver—its French windows let in a decent amount of light—but it does seem to attract the sort of clientele who frequented her previous rooms, West and Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s Reflections. She recalls a regular at West telling her that “the dark bar is a dying breed in Vancouver. He would also go to the Gerard Lounge [in the Sutton Place Hotel] when it didn’t have windows.

There are very few drinking dens in the city.”

“Dens” is an antique distinction that evokes the era in which these sorts of rooms originated, when imbibing something better than bottled beer or rotgut was a quiet, decorous activity favoured by small groups of people not wearing shorts. The sort of tie-loosening people from nearby office towers that bar manager Taylor Smith serves at Hy’s. “They’re in suits.

Being out on a patio isn’t conducive to being in a suit,” he says. “They want a nice, strong drink after a hard day at work, and they want to sit in an air-conditioned room.”

Despite their increasing scarcity, Dhaliwal feels confident that the sort of rooms we favour will persevere. In fact, she says, “I think they’ll come back in vogue. You and I, we’re part of the

Illustration by Ryan Mitson

population and that’s where we want to be. I think it’s very West Coast to say, ‘We have so little sunlight here all winter that we want the patios.’ Don’t get me wrong—the view is beautiful here, but we see it every day.”

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Martinis for Life Hemingway drank them because it made him feel civilized. All courtesies aside, we just fucking love gin

By Trevor Kallies

M

artinis are cool. They’ve always been cool. They are so cool that most people don’t order them, ever. If you look at any old movie, even back to the days of silent films, if someone had a martini in their hand, it was to show their importance compared to the schmuck holding the bottle of beer. Think of the last time you ordered a beer and the last time you ordered a martini. Which role in that film are you playing?

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It can be a complicated drink, there seems to be a lexicon of order terms that no one seems to know how to use or combine properly. Most of the time people elaborate on their order to the point of simply receiving a glass of diluted cold gin or vodka.

With martinis slowly working their way into obscurity in this world of creative cocktails it is important that the next generation of bartenders understands the complexities of this iconic drink, how to make it, how to order it, and what ratio to rely on when all else fails.

When we started planning the drink menu for The Ivory Room in Walrus Pub & Beer Hall we looked long and hard at the current state of affairs of the martini. We found most people will order martinis if A— you’re in a fancy hotel lobby bar, B— you’re at a classic steak house*, or C— someone’s simply ordered it for you. *No, The Keg does not count.

The martini is too delicious to limit to this so we compiled a menu of over 20 martini and martini variations. This isn’t the 2000s method of combining fruit juice, vodka and pouring it into a v-shaped glass – this is a celebration of a stirred, strong drink served up with the right ratio of spirit to vermouth.

There was thought in this, there was trial, there was error and there was product testing.

We found our ratio; every bartender stirs their martini at 3:1 spirit to vermouth. We found our olive; we only garnish with three pitted castelvetrano olives. Or one. But never two. We found our glass; a modern remake of a classic Marie Antoinette champagne coupe (that V glass is merely a suggested serving vessel).

The thousands of martinis we’ve served at Walrus since February prove that we might be onto something here and the martini might still be as cool as we think it is. more info: donnellygroup.ca

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A fine age IF YOU THOUGHT THE DEBATE OVER WHISKY AND AGE WAS RESOLVED, A B.C. NEWCOMER AND SCOTCH MAINSTAY START THE DISCUSSION OVER AGAIN

by Tim Pawsey

Y

ou might forgive Andrew Campbell Wall if he seems just a wee bit bullish.

Wall is the Macaloney Ambassador for the neophyte Victoria Caledonian Distillery, which is based in B.C.’s capital city, but is Scottish through and through. Just to make the point, Wall is wearing his Campbell kilt and full regalia as he samples his wares at this year’s BC Distilled festival.

While he pours me a dram of Mac na Braiche Single Malt Spirit, he can barely contain his excitement.

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Mac na Braiche, he explains, means “single malt.” “A single distillery, single cask, single malt, distilled entirely from Canadian product, matured in American white oak, which was once a Portuguese dry red wine cask, and distilled in an imported Scottish still by a third-generation Scottish master distiller,” Wall describes it.

But what is truly singular about this spirit is the way it is breaking long-held beliefs

about minimum-aging requirements in Canada, at the same time as discussions about age statements are heating up again in Scotland. It raises the question: Is it time to rethink not just the rules, but the preconceptions around whisky and age?

In Canada and Scotland, a grain spirit must be aged at least three years in wooden casks to be called a “whisky.” And, in reality, most whiskies need at least a few more years’ maturation to compete with heavy hitters on the world stage.

Yet the Mac na Braiche seems to disprove that. The sample Wall pours me had been in the barrel for just 17 months, but it tastes much older. It sports fruity aromas with hints of stone fruit and red grape notes before a palate that’s smooth, fruity, gently spicy—and remarkably approachable. Samples already sent out for professional review were even younger, but performed well in blind tastings beside five- to eight-year-old comparisons.

IS IT TIME TO RETHINK NOT JUST THE RULES, BUT THE PRECONCEPTIONS AROUND WHISKY AND AGE?

Victoria Caledonian Distillery photos

At BC Distilled, Andrew Campbell Wall poured Victoria Caledonian Distillery’s 17-month-old Mac na Braiche Single Malt Spirit, which has been earning comparisons to 10-year-old Scotch single malts.

“We sent cask samples to Whisky Intelligence, WhiskyCast and Whisky Advocate magazines,” says Wall. “They scored it even with Bowmore Tempest and Macallan Gold.” These are 10-year-old Scotch single malts that score in the 86or 87-point range, which is a respectable

CHEATING TIME

It’s time spent in wooden casks that transforms raw spirit into whisky. But who wants to wait years and years for a dram? While many distillers have experimented with different ways to speed up the process, it seems some Spanish brandy researchers have cracked the code. They added oak chips to grape distillate, then blasted them with ultrasound, which ruptures the plant tissues and releases bioactive compounds similar to those in long-aged whiskies. The result? Brandy that— apparently—tastes as good as those aged several years.

barometer of comparison. As Caledonian notes on its website: “Scores in the high 80s are typically reserved for 12- and 18-year-old Scotches considered to be great single malts.”

It would appear that the upstart from Victoria has achieved something for which many strive, but few succeed.

Meanwhile, Caledonian’s early success comes at a time when the merits of agestated versus No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies are once again being debated.

In 2012, the Macallan Gold heralded that distiller’s move to NAS labelling in what was considered at the time a bold—and for many aficionados a heretical—move.

As aged whisky stocks diminished faster than distilleries could replace them,

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THERE’S NO QUESTION THE “FARM TO FL ASK” STAR IS ASCENDANT. Macallan’s 1824 series abandoned its traditional aged labelling for a series of colours (Gold, Amber, Sienna, Ruby), intended to suggest taste and implied age, as opposed to a definitive statement.

It wasn’t long before other majors (including Highland Park, Diageo and Grant’s) jumped on the NAS wagon, preferring it as a far more flexible system.

In blind tastings, NAS whiskies actually perform quite well beside their age-stated counterparts. However, the jury on NAS is still out, especially as some distillers, including Macallan, with its recently released 12-Year-Old Double Cask, have indicated a shift back toward the traditional system.

A couple of other realities might have dampened the enthusiasm for NAS whiskies. One in particular is that international whiskies have jumped in popularity, especially thanks to award-winning whiskies from areas as diverse as India and Sweden.

Is it possible that the major producers misjudged the thirst for their new approach and are now having to backpedal to rebuild their loyal clientele?

Quite possibly.

In B.C., it’s hard to ignore the enthusiasm that’s greeted the likes of Caledonian, Shelter Point, de Vine, Okanagan Spirits and other craft players now coming on stream. While they may never compete volume wise with the Macallans of this world, there’s no question the “farm to flask” star is ascendant.

As far as the age-stated versus NAS discussion goes, truly, perhaps it’s a question of beauty is in the eye of the beholder: If what’s in the glass meets or surpasses expectations, maybe it’s a moot point.

And if a good part of that is plain old Scots know-how, then all power to you.

ROLL OUT THE BARREL

26 The Macallan’s 12-Year-Old Double Cask heralded the famed distillery’s return to age statements.

It’s not just the age; it’s also the vessel. By law, Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years; typically, those are seconduse bourbon or sherry casks. Bourbon, on the other hand, must be aged in previously unused, charred wood vessels, typically American oak. And Canadian whisky must be aged at least three years in small wood casks of any sort.

RD Cane photo

Odd Society Spirits joins the craft soda trend with its zingy housemade ginger beer.

Bartender in a bottle

RAISE A GL ASS TO THE SUPPORTING CAST OF B.C.’S COCKTAIL SCENE— LOCAL CRAFT SYRUPS, SODAS, TONICS AND OTHER MIXERS

by Charlene Rooke

F

orget the genie. Professional bartending expertise is captured in each bottle, can and jar of these B.C.-born cocktail mixers, which are often natural and preservative-free, too. To let loose your cocktail creativity, just add craft spirits.

CRAFT SODA

Cold-pressed ginger extract, lemons and a just-right amount of cane sugar are all that goes into Dickie’s Ginger, the

Vancouver small-batch, unpasteurized game-changer for your Dark ’n’ Stormy or Moscow Mule. dickiesginger.com Odd Society Ginger Beer (from the Vancouver craft distillery) adds chili peppers, citrus and a little booze to the mix (it’s 4 per cent ABV), putting the beer in ginger beer. oddsocietyspirits.com Phillips Soda Works (from the Victoria brewer) offers bottled craft cola, root

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beer, ginger ale and orange soda, plus tasty cucumber mint and artisanal dry tonic water in just-right-sized cans. phillipssoda.com

makes complex plum-rosemary, peachlavender and blueberry-lime shrubs. gillespiesfinespirits.com

Vancouver brew collective Callister Brewing has its own line of tasty craft sodas, from traditional tonic to fancy blends of raspberry-Earl Grey and gingermint. callisterbrewing.com

There are times when you need to up your tonic water game from Schweppes or Canada Dry. For those times of need, Vancouver-made Bowman Bottling syrup produces a nicely bitter amber-coloured tonic that’s crafty looking and allows you to control the sweetness level in your G&Ts. bowmanbottling.com

SHRUBS

The words “drinking vinegar” might not seem to go together, but trust us: so-called shrubs create a balanced base for tartsweet cocktail (or food) recipes.

Vancouver’s Thirsty Whale Elixirs come in bright-tasting strawberry-rhubarb, cranberry-ginger and apple-spice combos. thirstywhale.ca Mixers and Elixirs features the pure fruit essence of nectarine, quince and black currant in its shrubs, plus blends of cherry-thyme, cucumber-pepper, apple-mint and, perhaps the most B.C. flavour of them all, apple-salal berry. mixersandelixers.com Booze Witch (from Kelly Ann Woods of Gillespie’s Fine Spirits in Squamish)

TONICS

If you value transparency, clear tonic syrups from Rootside Provisions in Esquimalt, in traditional dry and a lovely cardamon-citrus flavour, are the ticket.

They make a killer ginger beer mix, too. rootside.ca

SYRUPS AND MIXES

If you have a SodaStream or a bottle of club soda, all you need are a few syrups and you’ve got a world of cocktails.

For tea-infused “apothecary sodas” using foraged botanicals and herbs, just say Namasthé for sassafras and cola syrups from the Pemberton tea company. namasthe.ca

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LEFT: Dickie’s Ginger is just sweet enough for your Dark ‘n’ Stormy needs.

RIGHT: The tonic syrups from Rootside Provisions let you fine-tune the flavours of your G&T to your liking.

Fans of picklebacks need to know Vancouver’s Barrelhouse Brine, makers of not only artisan pickles but Sourback Cocktail Mix, a pure pickle brine made from vinegar and herbs. Plus they offer spicy jarred Fresh Pack Pickle Pineapple, which muddles nicely into a killer mojito or Old Fashioned. barrelhousebrine.ca

Walter Caesar Mix and Phillips’ Hop Drop Elixir are among the local cocktail essentials for your home bar.

Vancouver-based Cahoots offers a rich simple syrup plus hibiscus and lavender variations, as well as Old Fashioned, French 75 and Moscow Mule mixes that instantly elevate your mixology. cahootsmade.com With a dozen fruit cordials and an allnatural ginger syrup, Frostbites Syrup Co. is cocktail ready: find recipes at frostbitesfun.com/recipes.

BAR ESSENTIALS

So you think you’re a brewer? A dash of Phillips Fermentorium Hop Drop Elixir makes any beer (or cocktail) rival a chewy IPA. fermentorium.ca Think you’re a distiller? Find out by infusing white spirits into “rum,” “gin” and half-a-dozen other botanical mixes, which Graveley & Sons sells in ready-tofill glass bottles. graveleyandsons.com

FIND IT

Sips Cocktail Emporium (goodsips.ca), Modern Bartender (themodernbartender. com) and Gourmet Warehouse (gourmetwarehouse.ca) in Vancouver stock and ship many local brands. Local grocery and private liquor stores also stock some: check product websites for locations.

The PoCo product taking the bartending world by storm is Ms. Better’s Bitters Miraculous Foamer, which has the vegan power of 100 egg whites in a tiny bottle.

Just a few drops make a perfect pisco or whisky sour. msbetters.com Vancouver-based Walter named its craft Caesar mix for the drink’s storied founder, Calgary bartender Walter Chell.

It’s gluten free, Ocean Wise, all-natural and delicious. waltercaesar.com Simp’s Serious Caesar Mix from Kelowna has a touch of maple syrup and is MSG-, gluten- and fish-free (and vegan); the company also bottles a simple syrup for cocktailian needs. simpssyrups.com

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Barrelhouse Brine’s pickled pineapple muddles nicely into tropical cocktails.

La Gitana 2oz The London No. 1 Gin 0.5oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao 0.75oz Lemon Juice 0.5oz Pazzo Chow Lavender Tonic Syrup Egg white

Dry shake, then shake with ice.

Serve neat in a coupe. Garnish with lavender.

—Junior Alexander, bar manager

1014 Main Street • bodegaonmain.ca • Open Daily 11am-midnight Happy Hour Daily 3pm-6pm • Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11am-3pm Gran Reserva Lower Lounge • DJ • Private Bookings Open Thursday 7pm-1am • Friday & Saturday 6pm-2am @bodegaonmain @bodegaonmainVan #bodeganights

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HOME BAR

Party in a bottle BATCH THE COCKTAILS FOR YOUR NEXT GATHERING, AND YOU CAN BE PART OF THE FUN, TOO

by Justin Taylor

L

et’s face it: Making cocktails for a crowd is quite easy, but executing multiple different drinks over and over can be a tedious chore, especially when you want to enjoy the fun, too. The solution?

Bottle these crowd pleasers in advance of your next party or backyard barbecue.

Your guests will be blown away with your attention to detail and this fun way of serving iconic cocktails.

You can find fancy bottles with swing tops at specialty stores around town, order them online or hit the recycle bin. The key is finding bottles that suit your serving size. You could use any vessel from a small mason jar to a recycled beer bottle. And if you don’t feel like bottling the drink, you could just use a fountain, punch bowl or drink dispenser instead.

Just be sure you have a properly fitting lid, so your cocktails won’t leak. I bought myself a crown capper from a home brew store and now use beer caps to seal my cocktails. Keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve, and remember that non-carbonated, spirit-only drinks like the Negroni will last at least a month; drinks with fruit juice, up to a week; and carbonated beverages only a day or two at most.

Dan Toulgoet photo

Bottling cocktails for your next social event makes for impressive presentation—and it’s much easier than you might think.

Then apply custom labels, tie ribbons around the neck or paint the bottles with cool designs to take this DIY project to another level.

Here are some of my favourite summer recipes to batch up in style. And next time the crowds roll in, just toss ’em a cold one—minds blown!

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Dan Toulgoet photo Cocktails created by Justin Taylor

FRENCH 75 ROYALE

NEGRONI

Suggested bottle size: 6 oz.

Suggested bottle size: 4oz.

2 cups Victoria Spirits Empress Gin 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

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0.75 cup lavender syrup (see note) 1.5 tsp orange bitters 4 cups dry sparkling wine

Combine ingredients in a large pitcher. Stir gently, then bottle, seal and refrigerate or stash in ice.

To serve: Pour into a chilled champagne flute or drink it straight from the bottle. Makes 8 cups or about 10 servings.

Note: To make lavender syrup, bring 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 4 Tbsp of dried food-safe lavender and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out lavender. Bottle, seal, label and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

2 cups gin 2 cups Campari

2 cups sweet vermouth 2 cups water

Combine ingredients in a large pitcher.

Stir, pour into small bottles, seal, label and refrigerate or stash in ice.

To serve: Pour cocktail over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned glass, garnish with an orange slice or drink it straight out of the bottle.

Makes 8 cups or 16 servings.

MARGARITA

SANGRIA ROSÉ

Suggested bottle size: 6 oz.

Suggested serving size: fountain, pitcher or punch bowl

3 cups reposado tequila 1.5 cups Cointreau 1.5 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

2 cups water 2 pinches sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Stir, pour into bottles, seal, label and refrigerate or stash on ice.

To serve: Pour over fresh ice in a salt-rimmed rocks glass, serve up with a lime wheel or drink it straight out of the bottle. Makes 8 cups or about 10 servings.

3 cups dry rosé wine 0.5 cup brandy 0.5 cup Okanagan Spirits rhubarb liqueur 2 cups white cranberry juice

2 cups sliced strawberries 1 mango, peeled, pitted and cubed 2 cups soda water

In a large container such as a gallon-sized glass jar, combine all ingredients except soda water. Seal container and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. Remove fruit, place in ice moulds or freezer bags and freeze.

Before guests arrive, add soda water to the rosé mix, and pour into a large fountain, pitcher or punch bowl.

To serve: Ladle sangria over frozen fruit in a large wine glass. Makes 8 cups or 6 servings.

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Being on brand BRAND AMBASSADORS HAVE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON WHAT AND HOW WE DRINK. BUT WHO ARE THEY, AND WHAT DO THEY REALLY DO?

by Joanne Sasvari

O

n any given day, Kevin Brownlee drops in at local bars and restaurants to visit with his bartender colleagues.

In the evening, he’ll hit a nightclub or two, or hang out at an event like Dish ’n Dazzle. Or he’ll jet off to some exotic locale, Puerto Rico, say, or maybe Miami.

a living, breathing embodiment of the brand they represent, and they are tasked with espousing enthusiasm for it.” More specifically, they educate consumers, bartenders, retailers, journalists and sales reps with the intention of boosting market share and driving awareness of the brand.

And he’s actually paid to do all this.

You might think Brownlee has a dream job, and he won’t disagree with you. The former bar manager of AnnaLena is now the portfolio ambassador for Bacardi, one of an elite group of people hired to represent spirits on the local and world stage.

“The beauty of this is now I get to support the industry as a whole,” he says. “I love that part of the job.”

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But what does a brand ambassador actually do? And how does one get one of these sweet gigs?

According to the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, “Brand ambassadors are

But that definition contains multitudes.

“There’s a pretty big spectrum of roles that are called ambassadors,” says Ryan Cheverie, the territory sales manager for Brown-Forman. “I’ve always been a sales guy, but I fulfill a lot of ambassadorial roles. There is a job called a brand ambassador. I’ve not technically held that job, but I do a lot of the tasks it entails.

The difference is it’s less transactional.”

A brand ambassador can range from the person handing out samples at an event to someone like Lauren Mote, the Diageo Reserve and World Class Global Cocktailian, as well as co-owner of Bittered Sling. Her influence is vast: Not only is Diageo the largest distributor of portfolio spirits in the world, but since

BRANDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO KEEP AN EYE ON BARTENDERS WHO WIN COMPETITIONS AND/OR PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCTS AT THEIR BARS, THEN HANDPICK THOSE THEY FEEL ARE A GOOD FIT.

TOP: Kevin Brownlee spreads the word of Bacardi while also fostering the next generation of bartenders.

RIGHT: As Diageo World Class and Reserve Global Cocktailian, Lauren Mote promotes the company’s luxury brands and inspires bartenders who compete in the world’s largest cocktail competition.

2009 more than 300,000 bartenders in 60 countries have participated in the World Class program. “I speak corporate and I speak bartender. It’s walking this fine line,” Mote says. “It’s making luxury available, accessible and approachable to all people.”

Other local brand ambassadors include Jacob Sweetapple for Absolut, Kevin Trusler for The Glenlivet, Colin MacDougall for Lot 40, Sabrine Dhaliwal for Belvedere, Shane Ely for Jack Daniels and Shea Hogan for LemonHart Rum. Each in their own way has, as Mote puts it, “embraced the role that the brand is the hero.”

Ambassador jobs don’t come along all that often, and rarely do they cast a wide net. Rather, brands are more likely to keep an eye on bartenders who win

competitions and/or promote their products at their bars, then handpick those they feel are a good fit.

“I was always a big supporter of the Bacardi portfolio,” says Brownlee, who worked at West and Pourhouse before AnnaLena. “In 2014, I competed in the Grey Goose Pourmasters competition and that got my foot in the door.” Then

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BEING AN AMBASSADOR MEANS WORKING REL ATIVELY NORMAL HOURS AND LEADING A HEALTHIER, MORE FAMILYFRIENDLY WAY OF LIFE

“There’s a pretty big spectrum of roles that are called ambassadors,” says Ryan Cheverie, the territory sales manager for Brown-Forman.

in 2017, when he was ready for a change, Bacardi approached him about the job.

“The timing couldn’t have been better.”

Mote got her gig by winning Diageo World Class Canada in 2015 and becoming such a passionate cheerleader for the competition that Diageo created the role. “World Class is a platform, not a brand,” explains Mote. “My job has three parts. The first part is that I am the figurehead of the World Class program globally. The second thing that I do is I work across 13 brands. The third thing, we have 230 reserve ambassadors in 130 countries and I am the aspirational leader of all of them. My job is to inspire the ambassadors.”

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In Cheverie’s case, the job was posted, he applied, and the rest is history. But, he cautions, “Not every bartender is going to make a good brand ambassador, for sure.

Being a brand ambassador is not a path for a hipster.”

On the positive side, he says, “We’d refer to it as a real job, as opposed to a bartender job. It’s more stable and leads in more directions than a bartender job. It’s a paycheque rather than relying on tips.”

There are other benefits, too.

For instance, there’s all that travel. Mote can be in Iceland one day and Brazil the next; Brownlee regularly jets down to Bacardi headquarters in Miami. “That is a nice perk,” he says. “It can be exhausting.

But I think if you put yourself in the right head space and you travel well, it’s really rewarding.”

And then there’s the lifestyle. “I love bartending. I love the service element.

I love that I’m always meeting people. I love the creative element,” Brownlee says.

But, he adds, “The hours are tough. It’s very demanding.” Being an ambassador instead means working relatively normal hours and leading a healthier, more family-friendly way of life.

Most of all though, Brownlee loves how he can take his passion for cocktails, spirits and service and relay it to a new generation of bartenders. “The job is about the relationships,” he says. “I’m a bartender first and foremost. Now I get to work in a position that fosters that profession. I love it.”

Kevin Brownlee photo

KB’S BANANA DAIQUIRI

Created by Bacardi portfolio ambassador Kevin Brownlee.

1 oz Bacardi Añejo Cuatro rum 1 oz Bacardi Banana flavoured rum 0.75 oz fresh lime juice 0.75 oz cane syrup (2:1; see note) 1 bar spoon fresh pineapple juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and add ice. Shake like the trees on a hot, breezy summer afternoon. Double-strain into a cocktail coupe and enjoy! Serves 1.

Note: To make 2:1 cane syrup, simmer 1 cup cane sugar together with ½ cup water, stirring, until fully dissolved.

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STILL LIFE

Spirit of wine country THE SOUTH OKANAGAN IS A FRUITFUL PL AYGROUND FOR DISTILLERS TO INNOVATE AND COLL ABORATE

by Charlene Rooke

40

S

“

mile, there’s gin,” says the chalked sign. Perched on the Naramata Bench, with a sleek tasting room and sunny patio overlooking Okanagan Lake, Legend Distilling could be mistaken for a hip winery. But a taste of its Doctors Orders gin puts me firmly in the spirit world as I begin my quest to discover what unites the South Okanagan Distillery Trail, a handful of stops mapped on a passportstyle stamp card.

With aromas of mint, lavender and elderflower, Doctors Orders smells like wine country in a glass. Local ingredients infuse Legend’s products: tart sumac berries balance the Manitou orange liqueur, for instance, while its new whisky is partly aged in second-use fortified cherry wine barrels from Elephant Island.

Called Wyatt, it’s named for the son of

owners Dawn and Doug Lennie, who, as former proprietors of The Bench Market in Penticton, are pillars of local food and drinks culture. “We are right around all the wineries, we’re all using local fruit in some way, and that’s part of the story behind the bottle,” says our tasting-room host, Aldo Castagna.

Down the Bench at Maple Leaf Spirits, Jorg and Anette Engel recount how moving their distillery from a Penticton industrial area to a popular wine route attracted more fans to their Old Worldstyle fruit spirits and liqueurs. “We drove from Vancouver just to come here,” says a group of three, who spill into the tasting room for bottles of Lady of the Cask, a grape brandy aged in French oak barrels from a nearby winery. Maple Leaf also has a hand in fortified wines such as

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SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME HERE AT THE END OF WINE TOURS, AND THEY’RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Therapy’s Freudified and Hart from Stag’s Hollow. Wineries bring Jorg the grape pomace, which he distills into spirit that enriches their Port-style wines. “There’s a lot of collaboration,” says Anette, who educates visitors on how pleasurable sipping a complex spirit can be.

“Sometimes people come here at the end of wine tours, and they’re really grateful to try something different,” says the beanied bartender in the cosy downtown Penticton tasting room of Old Order Distilling Co. He serves a tasting flight that includes gin kissed by dried apples from the family orchard of owner Graham Martens, as well as Blessed Bean and Wicked Brew liqueurs made from coffee from nearby Lonetree.

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Local hotspots put craft cocktails on their drinks menus, which is “all a part of a referral network,” says Grant Stevely, the colourful (by character, and by the orange hue that brands his Noteworthy gin) proprietor of the Dubh Glas Distillery, a half-hour drive south. Winetourism research taught him that referrals could bring in more than a third of visitor traffic. “Our best customers are on the winery end of things,” he says of the bistro, patio and restaurant menus that feature Noteworthy gin cocktails, sending a steady stream of intrigued imbibers to his roadside tasting room.

Legend Distilling photo

At Legend Distilling, the flavours of the Okanagan are captured in the bottle.

Tumbleweed Spirits holds the southern frontier of the trail in desert cowboy style. A saloon-style tasting room serves cherry and maple moonshine, barrel-aged brandy and “esprit de vin” distilled from wine grapes. Local rye, fireweed honey, chilies and more find their way into other bottles. “We like to try new things and be creative,” says Mike Green, co-owner with his engineer wife Andrea Zaradic, who designed their copper stills. Inspiration is close at hand in an area this rich with possibility.

“The trail is only going to continue to grow,” says Stevely, with new area distilleries opening soon. The only downside to the Distillery Trail is that with spirits this good and characters this large, I forgot to have my “passport” stamped at each stop, forgoing a shot at the sweet annual draw for a bottle of spirit from each distillery.

Find the South Okanagan Distillery Trail passport at farmers’ markets, distilleries or liquor stores in the Okanagan Valley.

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Shin White Oak Aged Whisky Umeshu plum wine blended with Akashi Whisky

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Find the recipe for Yuzu Meringue Pie, featuring Shin Premium Yuzu Wine at thealchemistmagazine.ca

To learn more about our products, please visit www.tsglobal.ca Briany Tai briany@tsglobal.ca TS Global – Importer of Premium Spirits

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TASTING PANEL

A shift out of neutral THE ALCHEMIST’S TASTING PANEL SAMPLES B.C. VODKAS FOR A TASTE OF THE PROVINCE’S MOST CROWD-PLEASING SPIRIT

Dan Toulgoet photo

Tasters must seek subtle differences in a spirit that is clean, clear, colourless and neutral by definition.

N

azdarovya! With the FIFA World Cup kicking off this month in Russia, our thoughts have turned to vodka. (That and Neymar’s incredible comeback, of course.)

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Vodka is often described as a “colourless, odourless, flavourless” spirit, but its clean subtlety is sometimes just what we crave. And so we asked our Alchemist tasting panel comprising some of Vancouver’s top bartenders—Olivia Povarchook of Vij’s Restaurant, Katie Ingram of Toptable Group and Josh Pape of Gooseneck Hospitality (Wildebeest, Bells and Whistles, Bufala, Lucky Taco)—to sample eight artisanal B.C. vodkas, share their thoughts and suggest cocktails to make with them.

Here’s what they had to say.

Dan Toulgoet photo

LONG TABLE DISTILLERY TEXADA VODKA “We’ve started with a flavoured vodka!” said Pape. This Vancouver vodka is potdistilled with a small amount of fresh lemongrass, which added noticeably citrusy flavours and aromas. Less noticeable, but definitely present, was the minerality of the Texada Island limestone that is also used in its production. “It’s got a sweet bright lemon flavour. It’s very gentle,” Povarchook said. “There’s a lot of lemongrass and Thai aromas,” added Ingram, who also noted the earthy, mineral character of the spirit. “You can smell the lemongrass and you can definitely taste it on the palate.”

Cocktail: “You could play off that lemongrass with coconut milk, chilies and basil,” Ingram suggested. Or, said Povarchook, “A vodka tonic would be beautiful.”

MERRIDALE CRAFT SPIRITS COWICHAN VODKA This distinctive craft vodka from Vancouver Island is made from a fruit base and rested three years in stainless steel. “It smells like an eau de vie right off the bat,” Pape said. “It keeps a lot

The tasting panel gathered at Vij’s Restaurant, from left: Olivia Povarchook, Katie Ingram and Josh Pape.

of character. It’s not a typical vodka.”

Ingram, for one, really liked the unique profile of this craft vodka: “I like the sweetness of the apple. It makes you want more,” she said. Povarchook noted the rich body of the spirit and said, “There’s no question where this is from.”

Cocktail: “If that doesn’t make a great Apple Martini I don’t know what does,” Pape said. “It would cocktail quite well.

It’s got a lot of presence. It would go well with sparkling wine in a Cowichan 75.”

Or, Ingram added, “With ginger beer in a B.C. Mule.”

VICTORIA DISTILLERS VODKA After starting with two atypical vodkas, this new corn-based spirit from the Sidney distillery was the first in the tasting to fit the traditional definition of a vodka.

“It’s super neutral,” Ingram said. “Very clean.” All three bartenders noted a slight alcohol burn on the nose, but, as Povarchook said, “It drinks smoother than you would think from the nose.” Pape added, “It’s very well made. It’s clean and well made.”

Cocktail: “This would make a sweet martini,” Povarchook said, and Pape

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LEFT: Katie Ingram noses the vodka, seeking elusive aromas of grain, fruit,spice and flowers.

BOTTOM: Pouring Sons of Vancouver’s Vodka Vodka Vodka.

character and the clean neutrality expected of vodka.

Cocktail: The bartenders wanted to play on the creamy sweetness of this vodka; Ingram suggested a vodka-based Ramos Fizz, while Pape leaned toward stirred creamy drinks, such as a White Russian.

Povarchook, on the other hand, insisted, “This is a Vesper with a fortified wine base like Lillet.”

Dan Toulgoet photos

agreed. Ingram, on the other hand, had a different idea: “I can picture a vodka Stinger with Menthe Pastille.”

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LIBERTY TRUTH VODKA BATCH #003 The newest release from the Granville Island distillery has a base of organic oats, which gives it an interesting flavour and texture. “It smells very sweet,” Pape said.

“It has a nice creamy feel to it. I like this.”

Ingram, who has made liqueurs from oats in the past, agreed. “Oats add so much texture,” she said, and asked the panel, “Do you get that lactic yogurt flavour?”

Meanwhile, Povarchook detected sakelike characteristics. All three found it had a good balance between a distinctive

G & W DISTILLING SID’S HANDCRAFTED VODKA Sid’s may not be overly familiar to many home bartenders, but the professionals know it well because it is a brand that has been cleverly designed, priced and marketed to them. “At that price point, it’s a great well vodka,” says Pape. “It’s still interesting, though,” Povarchook adds. “It’s not just pour and don’t think about it.” She detected subtle fennel notes; all three noted its clean character and sturdy presence.

Cocktail: “A Caesar!” Ingram said. “Play off that fennel note. And it’s affordable, so you can still do those crazy garnishes and charge $12.”

SONS OF VANCOUVER VODKA VODKA VODKA This craft vodka from North Vancouver

Dan Toulgoet photo

The lineup of vodkas tasted by the panel reflected a range of flavours from clean and neutral to surprisingly lush, fruity, bold and intense.

is notable for 25 per cent of malt barley in its base (the rest is wheat), which all three bartenders liked for the subtly sweet cherry-like flavour it added. “There’s a bit of a red licorice aroma, like Nibs,” Pape said. “But it’s pretty clean.” “It still has a bit of bite, though,” Povarchook added. This is a solid, all-round and versatile vodka.

Cocktail: “Cosmo city,” Povarchook said.

“With that underlying cherry note, I would 100 per cent put this in anything shaken, like a Cosmopolitan.”

OKANAGAN SPIRITS FAMILY RESERVE VODKA This was the second fruit-based vodka the group sampled, in this case made with 100 per cent Okanagan apples. “It’s got that eau de vie quality,” Povarchook noted. “But not as much as the Cowichan.

That jumps off the palate right away,” Pape added. “It’s fruity, it’s floral. I don’t want to say it has feminine qualities, but it’s very delicate,” Ingram said. “When you think of what a vodka is supposed

to be, this is exactly what a B.C. vodka is supposed to be.”

Cocktail: “I’d make a Godmother, vodka and amaretto,” Pape said.

G&W DISTILLING NÜTRL “Its name is literally ‘neutral,’” Povarchook pointed out. And so is the aroma and flavour of this premium spirit.

Povarchook detected a “light citrus and borderline floral quality,” and all three bartenders noted the strong note of alcohol on the nose. Like its brother Sid’s, Nütrl has a strong marketing campaign, although this one is targeted at consumers and the export market rather than bartenders—its bottle is beautiful but heavy, and a bit wide for a professional back bar. “You can’t give it that much space,” Pape said. “But it gives you a sense of value.”

Cocktail: “It’s a well-made spirit. Drink it on the rocks,” Pape said. “Don’t mess around with it. Keep it in the freezer.”

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INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS

Bourbon and beyond IN CONVERSATION WITH BUFFALO TRACE MASTER BLENDER DREW MAYVILLE

by Aileen Lalor

I

t’s rare to find someone who describes their job as “fun,” and even less so if they’ve been in the same business for more than 38 years. But then not everyone has Drew Mayville’s job.

Mayville is the master blender at Buffalo Trace, the world’s most award-winning distillery. He was in Vancouver recently to chat about all things whisky and bourbon.

Buffalo Trace master blender Drew Mayville loves experimenting with bourbon and whisky.

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Mayville started as a lab technician at Seagram’s in his native Ontario, then moved into tasting and blending. In 2004, he headed down to Kentucky to join Buffalo Trace, the United States’ oldest continuously operating distillery, and one that’s earned hundreds of awards

and accolades over the last two centuries.

There he’s stayed: He’s now director of quality as well as master blender for Buffalo Trace’s parent company, Sazerac.

These days, in addition to making drinks, Mayville travels the world educating people about them.

Mayville gets his biggest kicks from experimentation. “One recent example is our Colonel EH Taylor Four Grain, which just won best whisky in the world in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible,” says Mayville.

“He said when he tasted it, time stood still. Isn’t that a glorious description? Yet it started as an experiment—there was no grand plan. We just try things out and see what happens, not focus on what the market wants. Our aim is to make what tastes best.”

In fact, the brand currently has thousands of barrels under different conditions.

Some will make it into production and some won’t. “Sometimes we don’t like how something turns out and it’s a failed experiment, but that’s OK, too—it’s just part of the process,” says Mayville.

He likens himself to a veteran orchestra conductor: “It’s about knowing how to bring in all the different instruments.

If you listen when they play together, the sum is always better than the individual parts.”

A small-batch craft distillery in the heart of East Van.

Visit us in our cocktail lounge.

1725 Powell St. • 604-559-6745 oddsocietyspirits.com •

CURATE YOUR HOME BAR COLLECTION WITH OUR SELECTION OF LOCAL WINE, BEER & SPIRITS. 49

open daily 10am-11pm • delivery available 1218 west pender, vancouver • 604.685.1212 coalharbourliquorstore.com

B.C. DISTILLERY LISTINGS

DISTILLERY LEGEND

(on-site services offered)

YOUR GUIDE TO THE SPIRIT MAKERS This province’s 57 artisan distilleries are producing everything from vodka to vermouth. Discover B.C.’s best spirits with our updated guide to the producers, tasting rooms and so much more.

VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS Ampersand Distilling Father and son Stephen and Jeremy Schacht hand-craft their spirits on five acres of organic farmland in the Cowichan Valley, distilling their gin and vodka from B.C. wheat.

Products: Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka, Imperative Dry Vermouth, Nocino (coming Fall 2018)

Tasting room

Cocktail lounge

On-site sales

Food

Tours Many distilleries are small operations. We always recommend calling before your visit to confirm opening hours and product availability.

grand opening event in July.

Products: Coven Vodka, Empiric Gin, Owl’s Screech Vodka, Blue Gin, Baba Yaga Absinthe, Grand Visco Brandy, Espresso Vodka, Forest Dweller Gin, Amaro, Birch Liqueur, Candian Single Malt Whisky 1890 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo 250-714-0027 Arbutus-Distillery.com @ArbutusDistillery @ArbutusDistill

De Vine Spirits

Arbutus Distillery

This Saanich-based distillery is proud to use local fruits, honey and grains in their spirits. Also a winery, they use their own grapes as the base for their Vin Gin. Named B.C. Distillery of the Year at the International Spirit Awards in New York.

Head distiller Michael Pizzitelli brings both a background in science and his experience in brewing to Arbutus Distillery’s ever-growing range of botanicalforward spirits. Look forward to a

Products: Sitka Vodka, Vin Gin, New Tom Barrel-Aged Gin, Genever Gin, Honey Shine Beekeeper’s Reserve, Pomme Barrel-Aged Apple Brandy, Black Ram Blackberry Brandy, Moderna Vermouth, De Vine

4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan, 250-737-1880 AmpersandDistilling.com @AmpDistillingCo

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Kiss Strawberry Vodka, Ancient Grains Spirit.

6181B Old West Saanich Rd., Saanichton, 250-665-6983 DeVineVineyards.ca @DeVineVineyards

Island Spirits Distillery At this Hornby Island distillery, icebreaker Capt. Peter Kimmerly has joined forces with organic chemist Dr. Naz Abdurahman to craft quality spirits, notably gin, using classic and creative botanicals.

Products: Phrog Gin, Phrog Vodka, Aquavit, Vanilla Vodka, Wicked Orange, Raspberry Eau de Vie, fruit brandies (seasonal), Holunderbluten (Elderflower liqueur) 4605 Roburn Rd., Hornby Island, 250-335-0630 IslandSpirits.ca

Fermentorium Distilling Co. Fermentorium, created by Phillips Brewing Company, uses a 1920s British still named Old George to help make its West Coast gin. Its collection of tonic waters elevates even the most basic of highballs.

Products: Stump Coastal Forest Gin, Hop Drop Elixir, Handcrafted Tonics 2010 Government St., Victoria 250-380-1912 Fermentorium.ca @PhillipsBreweryCo @PhillipsBeer

Merridale Craft Spirits This Vancouver Island cider business applied their traditional fruit focus to distilling, creating a range that includes gin, fruit brandies, a rested whisky and even a carbonated vodka.

Products: Cowichan Gin, Cowichan Copper Gin, Cowichan Vodka, Cowichan XXO Brandy, Whisky Jack’s, Cowichan Pear Brandy, Cowichan Cider Brandy, Oaked Harvest Cider, Apple Dessert Cider, Cowichan Rhumb, Spiced Rhumb PO Box 358, 1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill 250-743-4293 MerridaleCider.ca @MerridaleCider

Moon Distillery Ltd. The new distillery from Victoria’s Moon Under Water Brewery has released its first products and plans to open its new lounge by fall 2018.

Products: The Shaft, Vodka, Orange Vodka, Citrus Gin, Espresso Vodka 350 A Bay St., Victoria 250-380-0706 MoonDistillery.ca @MoonBrewery

Pacific Rim Distillery The owner of this Ucluelet distillery is a fourth-generation distiller who uses old family recipes refined for a modern palate. He uses 100 per cent malted barley as his base with a wild yeast culture propagated in Barkley Sound. He promises “something secret” will be released this summer.

Products: Humpback Vodka 2-317 Forbes Rd., Ucluelet @PacificRimDistilling

Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery In January 2017, after managing the Garry Oaks Winery, Cordon Bleu-trained chefs Michael and Rie Papp opened the Gulf Island’s first distillery, where they produce white spirits and are

working on mead and whisky.

Products: Hive Vodka, Sting Gin, Honeycomb Moonshine, Apple Pie Moonshine 194 Kitchen Rd., Salt Spring Island 250-221-0728 @SaltSpringShine

Shelter Point Distillery Self-described “farmpreneur” Patrick Evans and family established a distillery on their 380-acre farm near Campbell River, growing their own barley for their single-malt whisky and vodka.

Products: Shelter Point Single Malt Artisanal Whisky, Shelter Point Cask Strength Whisky, Montfort District Lot 141 Single Grain Whisky, French Oak Double Barreled Whisky, Canada One Artisanal Vodka, Sunshine Liqueur 4650 Regent Rd., Campbell River 778-420-2200, ShelterPoint.ca @ShelterPointDistillery @ShelterPoint_Distillery @ShelterPoint

Sheringham Distillery Jason MacIsaac was a successful chef before he turned distiller, and he brings his local, sustainable attitude toward food to his small-batch spirits. The distillery’s Akvavit won Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year.

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Products: Akvavit, Seaside Gin, Vodka, Loganberry Vodka, Dark Chocolate Vodka (fall 2018), Whisky (January 2019) 2631 Seaside Dr., Shirley 778-528-1313 SheringhamDistillery.com @SheringhamDistillery @SheringhamBC

Stillhead Distillery Owned by the Colebank family— Brennan and Erica, and his parents Ron and Christal—this craft distillery in the Cowichan Valley ferments and distills all their spirits from B.C.-grown fruits and grains.

Products: Prime 1 Vodka, Prime 23 London Dry Gin, Wild Blackberry Vodka, whisky casks 105-5301 Chaster Rd., Duncan, 250-748-6874 Stillhead.ca @StillheadDistillery

Victoria Caledonian Brewery and Distillery Back in his native Scotland, Graeme Macaloney fell in love with whisky, but it was here in Canada that he realized his dream to make it. While it ages, 52 guests can also enjoy his gin and vodka.

Products: Mac Na Braiche Single Malt Spirit, Macaloney’s Twa Cask Speyside, Macaloney’s Twa Cask Highland, Macaloney’s Twa

Cask Islay, whisky casks 761 Enterprise Crescent, Victoria, 778-401-0410 VCaledonian.com @VictoriaCaledonian @VCaledonian

Victoria Distillers Launched in 2008, Victoria Gin graces bars across the country.

The distillery has since released two more expressions of gin, as well as the Twisted & Bitter range of cocktail bitters. Wood-fired pizza is available on the patio Fridays throughout summer.

Products: Victoria Gin, Oaken Gin, Empress 1908 Gin, Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Sidney Spiced, Chocolate Liqueur, Vodka, Brandy, Twisted & Bitter bitters 9891 Seaport Pl., Sidney 250-544-8217 VictoriaDistillers.com @DrinkVicGin @VicDistillers @EmpressGin1908

Wayward Distillation House Harking bark to the earliest recorded alcohols, Comox-based Wayward starts all its products by first creating mead to form the base, and add a touch of sweetness on the nose.

Products: Drunken Hive Rum, Unruly Vodka, Unruly Gin,

Wayward Order – Depth Charge Espresso & Cacao Bean Liqueur, Wayward Order – Krupnik, Wayward Order – Elixir, Wayward Order – Char #3 Bourbon Barrelled Gin 2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay 250-871-0424 WaywardDistillationHouse.com @WaywardDistillation @WaywardDH

LOWER MAINLAND, FRASER VALLEY & B.C. WEST COAST Anderson Distilleries Ian Anderson had planned to pursue a PhD in physics. Instead, he makes craft vodka, gin, liqueurs and intriguing products such as soju at his Burnaby distillery.

Products: Montague Sunrise, Montague Sunshine, Montague Sunset, Montague Mint, Montague Cinnamon, Crème D’Cassis, Crème D’Menthe, Crème D’Cafe, Limoncello, Lime’cello, Orangecello, Cinnamon Liqueur, London Dry Gin, Golden Gin, Tequila, Soju 106-3011 Underhill Ave., Burnaby, 604-961-0326 AndersonDistilleries.ca @AndersonDistilleries @AndersonDistill

Central City Brewers & Distillers The successful B.C. brewer of the popular Red Racer beers, Central City began distilling after it moved into a giant new facility in North Surrey in 2013.

Products: Lohin McKinnon Single Malt Whisky, Lohin McKinnon Barley & Rye Lightly Peated Whisky, Lohin McKinnon Peated Whisky, Lohin McKinnon Lightly Peated Whisky, Lohin McKinnon Chocolate Malt Whisky, Lohin McKinnon Wine Barrel Finish VQA Collaboration Whisky, Queensborough Gin, Queensborough Gin TWST, Queensborough Gin FZZZ, Peeled Orange Liqueur, Spirit of IPA, Spirit of Merlot 11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey 604-588-2337 CentralCityBrewing.com @CentralCityBrewing @CentralCityBrew

Crow’s Nest Distillery Rekindling the tradition of his Italian ancestors, Daniel Paolone, along with friend Ian Jarvis, is distilling spirits with local ingredients, starting with vodka and rum.

Products: Crow’s Nest Vodka, Crow’s Nest White Rum, Crow’s Nest Spiced Rum 117-667 Sumas Way, Abbotsford 78-251-6002 CrowsNestDistillery.com

@CrowsNestDistillery @Crows.Nest.Distillery @AHigherSpirit

Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers This North Shore distillery augments its rosemary-and-oliveinfused gin and award-winning vodka with a variety of smallbatch seasonal releases.

Products: Rosemary and Olive Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Barrel Aged Mediterranean Gin (limited), Barrel Aged Akvavit (limited) 2270 Dollarton Hwy., North Vancouver, 604-770-1136 DeepCoveCraft.com @DeepCoveBrewers @DeepCoveCraft

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits Friendship, a fun attitude, and a shared love of booze inspired Kelly Woods and John McLellan to start their Squamish-based distillery. Their spirits are designed to be cocktail friendly.

Products: Aphro Chocolate Chili Elixir, Gastown Shine Wheat Vodka, Lemoncello, Sin Gin 8-38918 Progress Way, Squamish 604-390-1122 GillespiesFineSpirits.com @GillespiesFineSpirits @Gillespies

Goodridge & Williams Craft Distillers

Dragon Mist Distillery

Goodridge & Williams is quickly becoming a national player in craft distilling, led by the bestselling Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka and award-winning Nütrl Vodka.

Using wheat from Dawson Creek, Surrey-based Sherry Jiang is producing Canada’s only expressions of traditional Chinese spirit, baijiu.

Products: Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka, Nütrl Vodka, Tempo Renovo Dry Gin, Bitterhouse Aperitifs, Sid’s Something Else!, Nütrl Vodka Soda

Products: Dragon Mist Vodka, Dragon Mist Baijiu, Dragon Mist Gin, Cranberry Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Limoncello

7167 Vantage Way #8, Delta 604-376-0630 gwdistilling.com

213-19138 26th Ave., Surrey 604-803-2226 DragonMistDistillery.com @DragonMistDistillery @DragonMistVodka

The Liberty Distillery With prime real estate on Granville Island, Liberty is open for tours, tastings and daily cocktails showcasing their vodka,

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different expressions of gin, and various whiskies.

Products: Truth Vodka, Truth Oat Vodka (Distiller’s Reserve), Endeavour Gin, Endeavour Old Tom Gin, Endeavour Gin Origins, Endeavour Pink, Railspur No. 1 – White, Railspur No. 2 – Wildflower Honey, Railspur No. 3 – Switch, Trust Whiskey – Single Grain, Trust Whiskey – Single Cask – Madeira, Trust Whiskey – Single Cask – Burgundy, Trust Whiskey – Canadian Rye (coming soon) 1494 Old Bridge St., Vancouver 604-558-1998 TheLibertyDistillery.com @TLDistillery

Long Table Distillery Gin is at the heart of Long Table, with London dry-style, cucumber and barrel-aged varieties fuelling its many awards. This downtown Vancouver distillery also produces vodka, as well as seasonal liqueurs.

Products: London Dry Gin, Cucumber Gin, Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin, Texada Vodka, Långbord Akvavit, Barrel Aged Akvavit, VSOP Reserve ‘Pairs Of Pears’ Brandy, Amaro No. 1 – Linnaeus, Tradizionale Limoncello 1451 Hornby St., Vancouver 54 604-266-0177 LongTableDistillery.com @LongTableDistillery @LT_Distillery

Lucid Spirits This Delta-based distillery uses only local agricultural products in its spirits, which include a wheat-based whisky.

Products: Northern Vodka, Northern Gin, Autonomy Whisky, Apple Whisky, Rye Whisky 105B 8257 92nd St, Delta, 604-349-3316 LucidSpirits.ca @Lucid-Spirits @LucidSpiritHouse

Mad Laboratory Distillery 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.

Products: Mad Lab Vodka, Mad Lab Gin, Mad Dog Single Malt White Spirit 119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver @MadLabDistilling @MadLabSpirits

North West Distilling Co. Using winter wheat, Maple Ridge-based North West creates its signature vodka by distilling it 10 times and cold-filtering eight times through charcoal.

Products: North West Vodka

104-20120 Stewart Cres., Maple Ridge 604-818-6972 NorthWestDistillingCo.ca @NWDistilling @NW_Distilling

Odd Society Spirits This East Vancouver distillery’s three founding self-described “odd” owners are busy producing different expressions of gin, vodka and both white (unaged) and single malt whiskies.

Products: East Van Vodka, Wallflower Gin, Mongrel Unaged Spirit, Oaken Wallflower Gin, Crème de Cassis, Bittersweet Vermouth, Whisky, Canadian Single Malt Casks 1725 Powell St., Vancouver 604-559-6745 OddSocietySpirits.com @OddSocietySpirits @OddSpirits

Pemberton Distillery Master distiller Tyler Schramm uses local organic Pemberton potatoes as the base for his extensive range of spirits and liqueurs. The distillery anticipates its first release of eight-year-old organic single malt whisky this fall.

Products: Schramm Organic Gin, Schramm Organic Potato Vodka, Pemberton Valley Organic Single Malt Whisky, The Devil’s Club – Organic Absinthe,

Organic Hemp Vodka, Organic Kartoffelschnaps, Byron’s Organic Coffee Liqueur, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy, Elderflower Liqueur (seasonal) 1954 Venture Pl., Pemberton 604-894-0222 PembertonDistillery.ca @Pemberton.Distillery @PembyDistillery

Resurrection Spirits Created by bartenders for bartenders. At this stylish East Van distillery, a team led by bartender-turned-distiller Brian Grant crafts rye-based spirits and other cocktail-friendly products.

Products: White Rye 1672 Franklin St., Vancouver ResurrectionSpirits.ca @ResurrectionSpiritsInc @ResurrectionSpirits

Roots and Wings Distillery 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.

Products: Vital Vodka, Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka, Rebel, Jackknife Gin 7897 240th St., Langley 778-246-5247 RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca @RawStillHouse

Sons of Vancouver James Lester and Richard Klaus are basking in the glow of global attention, following Kaitlyn Stewart’s use of their amaretto during the 2017 Diageo World Class Final.

Products: No. 82 Amaretto, Vodka Vodka Vodka, Chili Vodka 1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388 SonsOfVancouver.ca @SonsOfVancouver

Stealth Distilleries

604-619-9615 TailoredSpirits.com @TailoredSpirits

The 101 Brewhouse & Distillery Shawn Milsted is the master distiller at this young spirits house and brewhouse in Gibsons.

He’s making premium white spirits that play beautifully in the pub’s classic-inspired cocktails.

Products: 101 Gin, 101 Vodka 1009 Gibsons Way, Gibsons 778-462-2011 The101.ca @The101Gibsons

Master distiller Randy Poulin and Stealth president John Pocekovic specialize in vodka made from field-dried Okanagan corn.

Von Albrecht & Associates

Products: Stealth Vodka, Stealth Vodka No. 9

The award-winning XFour vodka range is distilled from rye and corn in Vernon; the lemonade base for their coolers is made from founder Marcus Von Albrecht’s great-grandfather’s recipe.

#3-20 Orwell St. North Vancouver 604-916-4103 StealthVodka.com @StealthDistilleries

Tailored Spirits The team of Christopher Konarski, Max Smith and Taylor Dewar left careers in food, drink and hospitality to open this Vancouver distillery where they produce handcrafted spirits.

Products: Gin, Vodka Vancouver

Products: XFour Handcrafted Vodka, XFour Bremner’s Blueberry Infused Vodka, XFour Xoxolat Chocolate Martini, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Infused Vodka, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Vodka 55 Cooler, Percy’s Punch Vodka Cooler 2220 Vauxhall Pl., Richmond 604-249-0003 VonAlbrecht.com

@XFourVodka @XFour_ @XFour_Vodka

The Woods Spirit Co.

OKANAGAN, KOOTENAYS & INTERIOR After Dark Distillery

At last, Joel Myers and Fabio Martini have begun distilling at their own space. The tasting room is now open and a lounge is soon to follow. Their new gin takes a similar West Coast spin on a classic as their amaro does.

Products: Amaro, Cascadian Dry Gin 1450 Rupert Street, North Vancouver 778-996-7637 TheWoodsSpiritCo.com @WoodsSpiritCo

Yaletown Distilling Company A successful brewpub in the heart of the city, Yaletown moved into spirits in 2013, distilling gin and vodka from B.C. barley.

Tours and tastings are available.

Products: Yaletown Small Batch Craft Vodka, Cranberry Vodka, Mandarin Vodka, Tequila Barrel Aged Vodka, Espresso Vodka, Artisan Honey Spirit, Yaletown Small Batch BC Gin, Cucumber Gin, Hopped Gin, Tequila Barrel 56 Aged Hopped Gin, Yaletown Single Malt Canadian Whisky 1132 Hamilton St., Vancouver 604-669-2266 YTDistilling.com @Yaletown-Distilling-Company @YTDistilling

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.

Products: Copper Mountain Gin, Monashee Mountain Vodka, After Dark Burner Vodka, Monoshee Mountain Whiskey, Loud Mouth Soup, Monashee Mountain Espresso Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Mango Peach Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Maple Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Peach Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Mountain Dew Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Ginger & Honey Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Lemonade Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Iced Tea Moonshine, Monashee Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine 1201 Shuswap Ave., Sicamous 250-836-5187 AfterDarkDistillery.com @AfterDarkDistilleryLtd @After_Dark_Distillery @After_Dark_Dist

Bohemian Spirits Using botanicals foraged in the mountains around Kimberley,

Bohemian produces small-batch hand-crafted vodka and gin.

Products: Vagabond Vodka, Limited Gin, Colossal Gin, Eclipse Coffee Liqueur, Forester Single Malt Oak Aged Gin 417A 304 St., Kimberley BohemianSpirits.com @GoodCheerHere

Dubh Glas Distillery Though whisky is owner Grant Stevely’s true passion, the first signature release from this Oliverbased operation was the smallbatch Noteworthy Gin, distilled from B.C. barley.

Products: Noteworthy Gin, Virgin Spirits Barley, Noteworthy Barrel Rested gin, Noteworthy Navy Strength Gin, Age-Your-Own Spirits Kits 8486 Gallagher Lake Frontage Rd., Oliver, 778-439-3580 TheDubhGlasDistillery.com @TheDubhGlasD

Endless Summer Distillery Located in sunny Kelowna, this distillery triple-distills its small-batch vodka, which is then filtered six times for a pure, clean spirit.

Products: Skaha Vodka, Okanagan Apple Pie Moonshine, Okanagan Peach Pie Moonshine Kelowna EndlessSummerDistillery.com

Estate Thurn Distillery A farm winery, vinegary and craft distillery producing fruit brandies and other handmade spirits, located on Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive.

Products: Gin, fruit eaux de vie 5214 Monro Ave. Summerland 250-809-2077 Bodega1117.com

Jones Distilling Located in Revelstoke’s historic Mountain View School, this new distillery uses high-quality local products in its handcrafted spirits.

Products: Mr. Jones Vodka 616 Third St. West, Revelstoke JonesDistilling.com @JonesDistilling

Kootenay Country Craft Distillery Lora and Kevin Goodwin strive to keep to the100-mile philosophy in their spirit production, using organic heirloom wheat, seasonal flowers and fruits, and spring water from the Selkirk Mountains.

Products: Valhalla Vodka, Kootenay Country Gin, Kootenay Country Honey Vodka 7263 Gustafson Rd., Slocan 250-355-2702 kootenaycountry.ca

@Kootenay-Country-CraftDistillery-Ltd

Legend Distilling In a former doctor’s office on the Naramata Bench, Dawn and Doug Lennie created Legend together, drawing on the local bounty of the Okanagan for the base and flavours of their gin and vodkas.

Products: Doctor’s Orders Gin, Shadow in the Lake Vodka, Black Moon Gin, Silver Moon Gin (Summer 2018), Harvest Moon Gin (Summer 2018), Slowpoke Farmberry Vodka, Slowpoke Sour Cherry Vodka, Blasted Brew Spiked Coffee, Manitou Orange and Sumac Liqueur, Naramaro, Wyatt Whisky (Summer 2018) 3005 Naramata Rd., Naramata 778-514-1010 LegendDistilling.com @LegendNaramata

Maple Leaf Spirits Originally from Germany and now based in the Okanagan, Jorg Engel has created a range of fruit-based liqueurs, brandies and grappas, produced from distilling 100-per-cent B.C. fruit.

Products: Maple Liqueur, Pear Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur, Canadian Kirsch, Pear Williams, Italian Prune, Aged Italian Prune, Skinny Gewürztraminer, Aged Skinny Syrah, Lady of the Cask Brandy 948 Naramata Rd., Penticton

250-493-0180 MapleLeafSpirits.ca @MapleLeafSpirits @Maple_Leaf_Spirits_Inc @MapleLeafSpirit

Monashee Spirits After Josh McLafferty shattered two legs, he had to give up his career as an underwater welder.

Naturally, he turned to distilling instead, making craft vodka and liqueurs on Revelstoke’s main strip.

Products: Vulcan’s Fire Cinnamon Liqueur, Big Mountain Creamer, Vodka 307 Mackenzie Ave., Revelstoke 250-463-5678 MonasheeSpirits.com @MonasheeSpirits @Monashee_Spirit

Okanagan Crush Pad The Summerland winery makes two expressions of gin (one of them for Vij’s restaurant), and a grappa-style spirit.

Products: Narrative 12 Botanical Gin, Narrative Spirit of the Vineyard 16576 Fosbery Rd., Summerland 250-494-4445 okanagancrushpad.com @OKCrushPad

Okanagan Spirits

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A family-owned, award-winning distillery with a wide range of products to its name, including an absinthe and both rye and single malt whiskies. Tours and tastings are available in both its locations.

Products: Essential Vodka, Family Reserve Vodka, Essential Gin, Family Reserve Gin, BRBN Bourbon-Style Corn Whisky, Laird of Fintry Single Malk Whisky, Okanagan Shine Unaged BRBN Whisky, Taboo Genuine Absinthe, Aquavitus, Bartlett Pear (Poire Williams), Canados, Kirsch Danube, Bradshaw Plum (Old Italian Prune), Raspberry Framboise, Blackcurrant Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur, Cranberry Liqueur, Haskap Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Rhubarb Liqueur, Sea Buckthorn Liqueur 5204 24th St., Vernon 267 Bernard Ave., Kelowna 250-549-3120 | 778-484-5174 OkanaganSpirits.com @OkanaganSpirits

Old Order Distilling Company

Raspberry Liqueur, Single Cask/ Single Malt Limited Release Canadian Whisky 270 Martin St., Penticton 778-476-2210 OldOrderDistilling.ca @OldOrderDistilling @Old_Order_Distilling @OldOrder_Spirit

Taynton Bay Distillers Using grains from Peace River country and Armstrong barley, this distillery based in Invermere creates clean, well-made spirits including a cheeky Canadian take on tequila.

Products: Vodka, Gin, TekilaEh, Pickled Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Gringo’s Revenge, Ginger Matcha Tea Infused Cocktail, Strawberry Herbal Tea Infused Cocktail 1701B 6th Avenue, Invermere 250-342-5271 TayntonBaySpirits.com @TayntonBaySpirits @TayntonBay

True North Distilleries At their Penticton distillery, Graham Martens and Naomi Gabriel take barley from Vanderhoof, malt it in Armstrong, then distill it with spring water 58 from Anarchist Mountain.

Products: Heritage Vodka, Legacy Gin, Black Goat Vodka, Blessed Bean Coffee Vanilla Liqueur, Wicked Brew Chocolate Coffee Liqueur, Harvest

This carbon-neutral distillery based in Grand Forks produces vodka, gin and other products, much of it flavoured with local organic fruit. This is the only distillery in Canada that grows sugar cane for making rum.

Products: Djinnnneh Elderberry Gin, Plum Brandy, Crescent Vodka, Hulda Rum, Cherry

Muscat, Hecate Spice Rum, Astarte Espresso Vodka, Area D 54-40 Irish, Dominion Rye, After Dark White Rye, Sunshine Moonshine, Single Malt Scotch Whiskey-Style Spirit (August 2018) 1460 Central Ave., Grand Forks 778-879-4420 TrueNorthDistilleries.com @TNDistillery

Tumbleweed Spirits Based in Osoyoos, this craft distillery makes a wide range of products including whisky, brandy, vodka and fruit-based moonshine.

Products: Buckie’s Apple Pie Moonshine, Cherry Moonshine, Fireweed Whiskey, Gin, Maple Moonshine, Midnite Brandy, Nine Mile Creek “Shine,” Rock Creek Rye, Sophia Esprit-de-Vin, Vodka #7-6001 Lakeshore Dr., Osoyoos, 778-437-2221 TumbleweedSpirits.com @TWCraftSpirits @TumbleweedSpirits

Urban Distilleries A trip to France and an unplanned tour of a Cognac distillery put Mike Urban on the path to making his own liquor.

He now owns the largest craft whisky distillery in the province.

Products: Paul’s Tomb Gin, Spirit Bear Espresso Vodka, Spirit Bear

Gin, Spirit Bear Naturally Infused Vodkas, Spirit Bear Vodka, Urban Single Malt Whisky, White Bear Spirit, Apricot Schnapps, Blackberry Liqueur, Blackcurrant Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Calvados, Cherry Liqueur, Peach Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Kirsch, Okanagan Muscat Grappa, Sweet Mead Honey Wine, Oaked Mead Honey Wine 325 Bay Ave., #6, Kelowna 778-478-0939 UrbanDistilleries.ca @UrbanDistilleries @SpiritBearVodka

Vernon Craft Distillery

Wynndel Craft Distillery

Under the direction of master distiller Kyle Watts, this new distillery in the north Okanagan is producing three different vodkas and is working on an apple pie moonshine.

Master Distiller Pat Meerholz and his wife Jeanette produce schnapps and other spirits made from Creston Valley fruit at Wynndel Craft Distilleries.

Products: Vodka Vernon 250-306-4455 VernonCraftDistilleries.com @VernonCraft Distillery

Products: Saskatoon Schnapps, Apple Brandy, Cherry Liqueur, Cherry Schnapps, Apricot Liqueur, Saskatoon Liqueur, Old Tom Apple Gin 1331 Channel Road, Wynndel, WynndelCraftDistilleries.com

COMING SOON VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS Copper Kettle Spirits Ladysmith James Bay Distillers Victoria Western Red Distilling Company Victoria

LOWER MAINLAND, FRASER VALLEY & B.C. WEST COAST Copper Spirit Distillery Snug Cove New Wave Distilling Abbotsford Tallant Distillery Vancouver

OKANAGAN, KOOTENAYS & INTERIOR Alchemist Distiller Summerland Distillery 95 Radium Hot Springs Elder Bros Farms Distillery Wycliffe Fernie Distillers Fernie Forbidden Spirits Kelowna Lost Boys Distillery Fernie

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Trench Brewing & Distilling Prince George Wiseacre Farm Distillery Kelowna

Fermentorium Distilling Co. photo

ON THE TOWN EVERY THING FROM VODKA TO VERMOUTH WAS ON THE TABLE AT BC DISTILLED, THE PROVINCE’S PREMIER ARTISAN DISTILLERY FESTIVAL.

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1 Monashee Distilling’s Jenn and Josh McLafferty kept things spicy with their Vulcan’s Fire liqueur.

2 Caroline and Fabio Martini of The Woods Distilling Co. poured their homegrown amaro. 3 Andrea Zaradic and Mike Green brought a taste of the Okanagan with them from the Osoyoosbased Tumbleweed Spirits Craft Distillery. 4 Denise Martinson and Tyler Dyck of Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery showcased the most recent additions to their extensive lineup, notably their whiskies. 5 Taylor and Jessica Dewar of Vancouver’s Tailored Spirits offered tastes of their gin and vodka. 6 Steve Kuffler and Justin Atterbury of Taynton Bay Spirits brought the clean, cool taste of the Rockies from Invermere to Vancouver. Byron Smith/Tank Five photos

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A RT OF THE

OCTOBER 13

EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

A R T O F T H E C O C K TA I L . C O M WINNER B.C. DISTILLED AUDIENCE FAVOURITE AWARDS Other White Spirit

APPLE PIE MOONSHINE Vodka

HIVE VODKA Visit us at: 194 Kitchen Road, Salt Spring Island • (250) 221-0728 @saltspringshine

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THE LAST WORD A GREAT PATIO DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN A GREAT COCKTAIL—EXCEPT ON THESE DANDY DECKS.

THE THIRD HALF Ancora’s bartender Nicolò Tognon recently won the BC Hospitality Foundation’s Dish ’n Dazzle cocktail competition with this rugby-inspired punch.

Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio • D/6 Bar and Lounge at Parq Vancouver • Earls Ambleside Beach • Gotham Steakhouse and Bar • H2 Rotisserie and Bar at The Westin Bayshore • Homer Street Café • Keefer Bar • Reflections: The Garden Terrace at Rosewood Hotel Georgia • Vij’s Restaurant

1 bottle (750 mL) Sombra Mezcal Joven 1 cup Branca Menta 9 cups brewed and chilled mate tea 1 cup lemon honey 0.5 cup Malbec wine reduction Garnish: Lemon wheels Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and chill well before serving. Just before serving add ice and garnish with lemon wheels. Makes 15 cups, enough for about 30 servings.

Notes: To make the lemon honey, grate lemon zest into honey to your taste. To make the red wine reduction, mix 4 cups red wine and 1.25 oz honey (about 1.5 Tbsp) into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.

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Dan Toulgoet photo

MAKE YOUR

DRINKS WORLD CLASS

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.