08 – BAR BITES
News from the world of cocktails and spirits
16 – VIVA ITALIA!
Our amore for amari in Vancouver’s Italian restaurants by Gail Johnson
20 – MOMENT OF PROOF
Catching up with Whiskey Muse
Reece Sims by Michael White
25 – THE NEW HOME BAR
Tips, tools and techniques for shaking things up at home
26 – BAR TOOLS
Beginner or pro, the gear you need by Charlene Rooke
29 – COCKTAIL SAFE
What you don’t know really can kill you by Charlene Rooke
34 – COCKTAIL KITS
Bring your favourite bar home by Joanne Sasvari
37 – HOME BAR
A step-by-step guide to making vermouth, sweet or dry by Matthew Benevoli
40 – CLASSICS: THE ESSENTIALS
Five cocktails everyone should know by Joanne Sasvari
44 – TASTING PANEL
Bartenders pick their favourite spirits for your bar cart
50-57 – DISTILLERY LISTINGS
Our guide to B.C. distilleries
58 – LAST CALL
Rooms we love: Chicago’s Aviary
it’s beginning to look a lot like cocktails
Joanne Sasvari is the editor of The Alchemist and Vitis magazines. She is a WSET-certified writer-editor who covers food, drink and travel for a variety of publications, and is the author of the Wickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.
Matthew Benevoli is an awardwinning mixologist, industry veteran and mentor. He has a passion for creating custom and unique cocktails and loves storytelling through them.
Charlene Rooke is a certified Specialist of Spirits and a Moonshine University-trained craft distiller who writes for enRoute, Taste and Food & Drink.
Michael White is a veteran magazine editor (Vancouver, FASHION and more) and author of the award-winning music biography Popkiss. He is currently writing his second book.
Gail Johnson is a Vancouverbased writer and broadcaster, fitness instructor, mom and former longtime waiter and bartender.
Vermouth isn’t just a ingredient to add to cocktails. It already is a cocktail—wine that has been fortified with spirits and aromatized with botanicals. The simplest way to enjoy it is with some ice and fragrant garnishes like citrus peel or, as with the dry vermouth on our cover, a sprig of rosemary and a couple of olives.
That said, it’s an essential ingredient in some of the great classic cocktails like the Manhattan, Martini and Vieux Carré, as well as plenty of modern ones, too. It generally comes in two types: dry, white and French, or sweet, red and Italian. In both cultures, it’s enjoyed as an aperitif or aperitivo to whet the appetite. So santé, cin-cin and enjoy!
This coffee cocktail from JOEY Restaurants is velvety rich with Irish cream liqueur and melted chocolate— and it comes in a handy cocktail kit that you can pick up and enjoy at home. For more cocktail kits, see our story on page 34.
Have you been spending a lot more time at home lately? Funny, us, too! That’s why, in this issue of The Alchemist, we look at ways to shake things up in our home bars.
Charlene Rooke rounds up the tools you need—which also happen to make great holiday gifts—and talks to cocktail legend Camper English, founder of cocktailsafe.org, about the dangerous things you really shouldn’t be doing at home or anywhere. We offer the five essential classic cocktail recipes everyone should know and a guide to cocktail kits in Vancouver. Our Tasting Panel shares the bottles they stock at home. And we introduce our new Home Bar columnist, Matthew Benevoli, who shows us how to make homemade vermouth.
But we still want to get out and have some fun sometimes, so Gail Johnson gives us a tour of some of the new(ish) Vancouver restaurants serving Italian cocktails and Michael White checks in with the Whiskey Muse, Reece Sims. Plus we check out all the latest spirited news from here and around the world.
We also have a complete guide to B.C.’s distilleries and enough recipes to warm your soul all winter long. Thirsty yet? For even more, visit thealchemistmagazine.ca.
—Joanne Sasvari, EditorPUBLISHER:
Gail Nugent
gnugent@glaciermedia.ca
EDITOR: Joanne Sasvari
jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
MANAGER: Tara Rafiq
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR:
Kelsey Klassen
TheAlchemistMagazine.ca
@TheAlchemistBC
@TheAlchemistMag
Published by: Glacier Media Group 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 604-742-8678
© The Alchemist 2020
This issue is complimentary.
Here at The Alchemist, we have a bit of a glassware problem. I mean, who can resist a cute coupe or an elegant Nick & Nora or a perfectly cut rocks glass? Not us.
That’s why we’re clearing space in our cupboards for Riedel’s newish range of barware.
Riedel, of course, is the glassware company famous for creating varietyspecific wineglasses. Although they started producing spirit glasses a few years back, they held off on cocktail ware until relatively recently. These sleek vessels are worth the wait.
Elegant, functional and (mostly) dishwasher safe, these might finally convince you to pack up those fragile, hand-wash-only vintage stems. The rocks glass is specially sized for largeformat ice ($89.80 for two with a matching pitcher). The Nick & Nora is designed so you can sip without craning your neck ($29.90 for two) The long drinks glasses will remind you why you love a highball ($34.90 for two). Plus, this being Riedel, there are glasses for specific cocktails—sours, fizzes, gin drinks, rum drinks, champagne cocktails, anything you want to sip.
Find them at riedel.com/en-ca/shop.
Just when you thought bitters companies had created every flavour imaginable for your cocktail-drinking enjoyment, The Japanese Bitters comes along to wake up your palate with something completely new.
For instance, their Umami Bitters, which just won a bronze medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, has all sorts of funky, astringent, savoury notes, thanks to thoughtfully sourced, high-quality ingredients of kelp, shiitake, dried bonito and yuzu. It would be great in a Bloody Mary or Dirty Martini.
Or how about the Shiso Bitters? You probably know the Asian culinary herb from sushi platters—it’s that leaf under the wasabi—but its fresh, minty, spicy, tangy flavour would be delicious in a G&T or Martini. Meanwhile Sakura (cherry blossom) adds a delicate floral note to light, citrusy cocktails, while Hinoki (rattan) adds a woodsy depth to richly flavoured whisky drinks like the Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
In Canada, The Japanese Bitters are imported by Shin Group Corporation (shingroupcorp.com), which also brings in an exciting selection of craft whiskies. They are available retail for $38 at cocktailemporium.com.
Replace murky olive brine with clear bitters in this evolution of the classic Dirty Martini.
1.5 oz gin
0.5 oz dry vermouth
2 dashes The Japanese Bitters Umami Bitters (or to taste)
Garnish: cocktail olives or pickled mushroom (optional)
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir till you reach your ideal dilution. Strain into a chilled coupe. If you like, garnish with an olive or pickled mushroom. Serves 1.
We’re not travelling very far these days, so let these new cocktail books take you on a global adventure this winter
Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival With 60 Recipes, by Chloe Frechette (Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale, $24.99 Frechette, who is a senior editor at PUNCH, tells the story of tropical drink culture’s revival in 60 recipes that simplify the classics like Beachcomber’s Gold and Fog Cutter, as well as offering modern takes on tiki. It’s the best way to get to the islands this winter.
Spirits of Latin America: A Celebration of Culture & Cocktails, with 100 Recipes from Leyenda & Beyond, by Ivy Mix (Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale, $33.99)
In this beautifully photographed book, the multi-award-winning co-founder of Speed Rack takes our palates on a spicy journey through Mexico, the Caribbean, Chile, Peru and Bolivia, with a stop at her own Brooklyn bar, Leyenda.
Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, by David Lebovitz (Potter/Ten Speed/ Harmony/Rodale, $37)
Just because you can’t get to France right now doesn’t mean you can’t create your own Parisian bistro at home. The bestselling author of My Paris Kitchen serves up more than 160 recipes for apéritifs, café favourites, chic cocktails and snacks to go with.
The United States of Cocktails: Recipes, Tales, and Traditions from All 50 States (and The District of Columbia), by Brian Bartels (Abrams Image, $31.99)
With the U.S. border shut and coronavirus numbers rising, we’re not likely to be heading south any time soon. Luckily, we can enjoy a Maryland-style Orange Crush, Jackson Hole Sloshie or Salt Lake City Wray Daq—and the stories that go with them—at home, thanks to this spirited journey across America.
Behind Bars: High Class Cocktails Inspired by Lowlife Gangsters, by Vince Pollard (Prestel Publishing, $19.95) This pocket-sized recipe collection transports you to the speakeasies of Prohibition-era America with anecdotes of the gangsters who frequented them, and the hooch they drank. Each character (some real, some fictional) is illustrated by comic book artist Shawn McManus.
The New Craft of The Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes, by Dale DeGroff (Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/ Rodale, $47)
The cocktail bible that revolutionized drink culture when it was first released in 2002 has been fully revised and updated with more than 100 brand-new recipes, all-new photography, and an up-to-date history of the cocktail. A must for any cocktail aficionado.
The bar program focuses on a few essential things. First, we draw from our Italian-Canadian identity and play a lot with Italian ingredients such as spirits, wine and amari. We also carry a bunch of B.C. wines and spirits to support our local producers. Second is quality and passion. Every single cocktail that comes out from our bar—regardless of whether it is a Cuba Libre or one of our signature cocktails—is made with thought, care and attention to detail. Last but not least, we attempt to always work with seasonal ingredients and make sure that waste is minimized as
For the fall/winter season, I’m looking forward to serving our customers a lot of our winter favourites, including the Kanata Sling, the Espresso Boulevardier and the Nettuno Martini. But I am also looking forward to making cocktails based upon your
1 oz Siete Misterios
mezcal (Doba Yej)
1 oz Aperol
0.75 oz lime juice
0.25 oz simple syrup
Ginger beer
Dash of crème de cassis
Add mezcal, Aperol, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker and shake with ice. Pour into a chilled Champagne ute and top with ginger beer. Drizzle a dash of crème de cassis and garnish with a lime wheel. Serves 1.
1510 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
604-251-7586
4022 Hastings Street, Burnaby
604-251-7586
soprasotto.ca
Sip, celebrate, share and make merry this winter
Botanist Bar in the Fairmont Pacific Rim has a holiday gift for cocktail lovers: an avant garde, off-menu cocktail and food pairing experience that celebrates the flavours of the Pacific Northwest.
It’s a collaboration between head bartender Jeff Savage, Canada’s Bartender of the Year 2020, and executive chef Hector Laguna. Together, this talented team will take guests on a wild flavour journey. “This one is very specific to what I love about the Pacific
Northwest; it’s five savoury courses and one dessert course,” says Savage. “My cocktails are a love letter to Canada— a love letter to the beautiful nature around us.”
There are two seatings each night, each for up to four people, at the VIP table beside the bar. They are available Wednesday through Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Cost is $185 per person. Advance reservations are essential, and can be made through Tock.
Who says Mondays have to be blue? Not the folks at Pourhouse. Every second week this winter they are planning to host a Monday Night Tasting Series that features topshelf libations, snacks to pair with them and a big serving of history. The event might feature whisk(e)y, wine, beer, cooking techniques, local offerings, gins, or more. The experience is available for two to six guests, with two-hour time slots available from 5 to 8 p.m. Cost is $90 for the full experience, $45 for just the liquids. For info, visit pourhousevancouver.com/tasting-series; for tickets, book on Tock.
Nude, the Vancouver-based company that created the first sugar-free hard seltzer drink, is releasing two limited-edition 12-packs just in time for the holidays. Its top-selling Classic Lime and Raspberry Lemon will be available in festive hues of green and red. Even better, though, the company’s popular advent calendar is back and featuring two new limited edition flavours, with a portion of sales going to Food Banks Canada. nudebeverages.com
The past few years have seen plenty of distressing revelations about the poor working conditions for many in the hospitality industry. That’s why the folks at Tacofino launched Shift Change, an industry outreach initiative. Now they’re taking it online for a series of virtual workshops called “Speakers for Change.” The four one-hour Zoom sessions will be held monthly through February 2021, featuring community leaders speaking on topics such as race, diversity and LGBTQ+ issues. Participation is free, though tickets need to be reserved at Eventbrite.com. In addition, Tacofino will donate $1,250 to each speaker’s charity of choice. shiftchangenow.com
For some people, the holidays are not a joyful time of year. Money worries, poor health, loneliness, abuse, addiction—it all hurts worse when it’s cold and dark and everyone around you seems to be celebrating. And this year will be harder than ever for many people. So if you’re in a good situation, consider helping those who aren’t, either by volunteering your time, supporting local businesses or by donating to a good cause. Here are just a few organizations that particularly help those in the hospitality industry.
• BC Hospitality Foundation, bchospitalityfoundation.com
• Mind the Bar, mindthebar.com
• Greater Vancouver Food Bank, foodbank.bc.ca
• Breaking Bread, breakingbreadnow.com
• Vancouver Food and Beverage Community Relief Fund, vanfbc.com
• CPBA Bartenders Relief Measures Program, canadianbartenders.com
• Bartenders Benevolent Fund, bartendersbenevolentfund.ca
ITALIAN COCKTAILS HAVE TAKEN OVER VANCOUVER. HERE ARE FOUR PLACES TO TRY THEM
by Gail Johnson
Cocktail culture may be thriving in North America, but you could say Italy invented it with the aperitivo. Drawn from the Latin aperire, meaning “to open,” the term implies much more than a drink to whet the appetite; it’s a ritual of gathering with friends and unwinding after work over drinks and small bites and opening up conversation.
Here in Vancouver, several Italian hot spots are serving aperitivo-inspired cocktails, putting their own spin on la bella vita.
Tutto Restaurant and Bar, in a 1910 heritage building in Yaletown, is more upscale than casual with exposed brick walls, cream and red leather seats, and hardwood floors. Kitty-corner from the open kitchen’s cherry-red Marra Forni deluxe brick oven is the elongated oval bar where Nico Tognon serves classics like the Americano and his own signature drinks. Take the Playin’ Cello, in which he pairs bright raspberry and citrus flavours with gin and bitter Aperol, the aperitif originating in his hometown of Padua. Distilleria Varnelli L’Anice Secco Speciale Mistra Liqueur—clear, dry and intriguing with flavours of aniseed, cucumber and wild fennel—is the star ingredient in Anise Lips, supported by Flor de Cana 4-year White Rum Extra Seco and blood orange.
Bottled cocktails—Americano, Aperol Spritz, Negroni and Bicicletta—are the thing at Giovane Café, which is in the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel and is now part of the Kitchen Table group of restaurants (which includes Ask for Luigi, Pourhouse and Ristorante di Beppe).
“Our bottled cocktails are based on the tradition of aperitivo,” says chef Alessandro Vianello. “I remember walking the streets of Venice with my family and stopping at all the little bars along the way for a spritz or Prosecco and bitter. It’s about community and conversation, walking around having a quick spritz and saying hi to people you know or people you just meet along the way. Giovane captures the essence of that laid-back appeal.”
Jay Jones, bar development leader of JOEY Restaurant Group, created the beverage program for Artusi, a new, small, family-owned restaurant in New Westminster, where he lives. “I designed the bar program to complement their character of hospitality: simple, stylish cuisine based on traditional recipes and a warm authentic Italian dining experience,” Jones says. “Nothing too fussy, but with beautiful depth of eyeopening character and flavour.”
Signature cocktails are classically based, robust and easy for the team to produce quickly and consistently without a dedicated bartender in house. The tidy selection covers six distinct cocktail styles: spritzer, aperitivo, contemporary Martini, modern tiki, Manhattan and digestivo/Old Fashioned. There are signature renditions of Italian standards; the Artusi Spritz has apricot and St. Germain alongside Aperol, Prosecco and soda, while the Artusi Negroni brings in Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Campari, and Maraschino Liquore.
UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar has been a staple of Vancouver’s cocktail scene for years, and it retains its cosy charm while keeping bartenders at the heart of the action. Most of the cocktails are vermouthor amaro-based, and it offers an extensive Negroni list all its own. L’Essenziale is a spirited concoction of Bombay Sapphire Gin, Lillet Rose, Cocchi Americano and wild orange essential oil, while Stella features star anise-infused Flor de Caña 5 Year Rum Añejo Clásico, mango-infused Campari, and the distinct Bitter Bianco.
A floral variation on the classic Negroni, this pretty “up” drink comes from UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar.
3 sprays crème de violette (violet liqueur)
0.75 oz Bitter Bianco
1 oz Cocchi Americano
Garnish: Dehydrated lemon wheel
Pour all the ingredients except the crème de violette into a mixing glass. Add ice, stiry, and strain into a chilled coupe. Spray the crème de violette on top of the drink, and garnish with a dehydrated lemon.
1.5 oz Tanqueray gin
0.5 oz Luxardo
Limoncello
0.5 oz Aperol
0.5 oz lemon juice
1 oz homemade raspberry syrup
Garnish: lemon twist
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice, shake, and double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.
Garnish with a lemon twist. Serves 1.
RASPBERRY SYRUP:
5 oz fresh raspberries (1.25 cups)
2 cups simple syrup
2.5 g citric acid (0.5 tsp)
1 full lemon peel
Combine all ingredients in a sous vide bag, seal it and steep it in a water circulator at 60°C for 2 hours. Once ready, chill down the bag in an ice bath and finely strain the syrup from the solid part, for a crystal-clear result. Store syrup in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Note: If you don’t have access to a water circulator or citric acid, you can still make a simple version of raspberry syrup. Bring 2 cups each water and sugar to a boil in small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in raspberries. Mash with a fork or potato masher, then leave to steep for at least 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing raspberry pulp with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible, and discard solids. Add juice from half a lemon (or to taste).
As told to Michael White
When Reece Sims graduated from the University of Victoria, in 2009, with a Bachelor of Commerce, she thought she might go on to become a lawyer. Instead, after tenures in marketing for the fashion and architecture industries, a part-time bartending job at a Vancouver pub led to a multifaceted career in which she shares her love of spirits, wine and beer. Under the name the Whiskey Muse, Sims provides accessible education about “the water of life” to curious consumers (especially women) in their 20s and 30s—a demographic typically overlooked by distillers in favour of deep-pocketed older men. Most recently, she launched Stave+Still, a whisky-themed jewelry collection.
“After graduating, I was working as a fashion marketing assistant at the Bay Centre [a shopping mall in downtown Victoria]. After a few years, I thought, ‘Is this it—I’m an adult and I work my full-time job and live in the city I grew up in?’ On a whim, I decided to move to Vancouver at the end of 2012. Literally the day before I arrived, I got two job offers and then I transitioned into architecture marketing, of which I had no experience. I eventually left the company because I wanted to be a [selfemployed] consultant. I thought I knew everything at 25.
“I needed a way to make some consistent income, so I got a weekend job at The
Blarney Stone—my first bartending job. It was great. When I’d moved to Vancouver, one of my girlfriends and I would always go out and drink scotch because we thought it looked impressive, and [the Blarney Stone] had a huge selection of whisky. I thought, ‘How do I learn more about this?’ And having come from a marketing background, I thought, ‘In bartending, how do I brand myself as something unique and different, so I can get more experience and be more knowledgeable behind the bar?’ And also do something fun—I get to teach people about spirits. How cool is that? You get to teach people about something that’s very social and make it educational.
“I started Whiskey Muse in 2016. For me, it was a way to differentiate myself as a bartender but also hold myself accountable to learning as much about whiskey as possible and becoming an expert in it. Education is really important: I’ve done my WSET [Wine & Spirit Education Trust] levels 2 and 3; I’ve gone to Moonshine University in Louisville, Kentucky, and taken their Executive Bourbon Steward certification; I went to the Irish Whiskey Academy [in Cork, Ireland]; I’ve gone to Boston and done a rum-distilling course.
“When people first get into spirits such as whisky, there’s a level of intimidation with tasting and learning. My goal has always been, instead of providing too much information or a lot of very technical information, which I personally really like to learn about, I want to distill that down—pun intended—into smaller, bitesize pieces that are more approachable. Some of the ways I’ve done that is simple cocktail recipes, creating infographics
I STARTED WHISKEY MUSE IN 2016. FOR ME, IT WAS A WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE MYSELF AS A BARTENDER BUT ALSO HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE TO LEARNING AS MUCH ABOUT WHISKEY AS POSSIBLE.
that are shareable, and making analogies to pop culture, so it’s creating triggers in your mind to help you remember.
“There are tons of whiskies that are anywhere from $20 to $20,000. For me, I try to focus on bottles that are under $300, because I want to recommend things where people will, number one, be able to afford them, and number two, they’ll want to continue to purchase them instead of it being a one-time buy. That’s going to help the brand by creating loyalty and have people in their 20s continue to drink it over their lifetime.”
Follow Reece Sims’ adventures in spirits at whiskeymuse.com.
Warm, bright and pleasantly spicy— when the weather turns cool, we crave the flavour of ginger. Luckily, FeverTree has our holiday-spice cravings covered with a range of ginger mixers.
“People love it,” says Alexis Green, the national brand engagement manager for Fever-Tree. “People are slowly starting to discover the ginger ale range and they really love it. People are going crazy for the smoky and the spicy.”
Fever-Tree is best known for its Premium Indian Tonic Water, which was introduced in 2005, but the UK-based brand is really a mixer company that also produces club soda, sparkling lemonade and the gingers, as well as several flavours of tonic water.
“The mixers were created to mix with a spirit where mainstream sodas were meant to be consumed soft,” Green says. FeverTree mixers have fine bubbles that carry flavours well, instead of commercial sodas’ “big, big bubbles that hurt your mouth,” and are made with cane rather than sicklysweet corn syrup. “There’s also quite a lot of ginger in our ginger ale and ginger beer,” Green adds, noting that Fever-Tree sources its ginger in Nigeria, Cochin, India and the Ivory Coast. “Both use the oils of
the ginger plant, but ginger beer also uses the root of the ginger plant, which gives it that spicy kick.”
In addition to the ginger beer (which also has a “Refreshingly Light” version), in Canada, Fever-Tree offers Premium Ginger Ale, Spiced Orange Ginger Ale, which has flavours of sweet clementines and cinnamon, and Smoky Ginger Ale, with notes of smoked applewood and soft citrus.
Green suggests using the Premium Ginger Beer in classic cocktails like the Moscow Mule or Dark ‘n’ Stormy, and the Premium Ginger Ale in sangria or a “summer cup,” similar to a Pimm’s Cup. “Smoky ginger is really lovely with bourbon. It rounds out the flavours nicely,” she says. “And spicy orange and tequila go really nicely together.”
All are terrific in highballs, the cocktail choice of 2020. “People are looking to treat themselves. They want to drink in a more sophisticated way, but without making it complicated,” Green says.
An elevated experience, made with premium spirit, premium mixer and a nice garnish. Isn’t that just what we’re craving this winter?
Fever-Tree
Fever-Tree mixers are created with the highest quaity ingredients, natural avours and no arti cial sweeteners. Made from ginger of the highest quality sourced from Nigeria, India and the Ivory Coast, our ginger ales and beers have been carefully crafted to complement the varied avours of spirits.
Use our Fever-Tree Ginger Pairing Wheel to create versatile cocktails following the simple philosophy of premium mixer + premium spirit + elevated garnish. While the spirit pairings list here is not exhaustive, we think it provides some excellent examples that any bar can use to create the best drink experience possible, but we also welcome you to explore your own.
Even before we found ourselves hunkering down at home trying to flatten the curve of a global pandemic, home bartending was already a growing trend. Once COVID-19 hit, though, we were all living in a world of cocktail kits and mixology livestreams and tutorials on how to arrange your bar cart.
Of course, we’d always rather hang out at the bar with our favourite ’tenders. And we’re not going to attempt any of their more challenging concoctions anytime soon. (See page 29 for some reasons why.) But circumstances have forced us to learn how to mix our own drinks—and along the way, we’ve discovered that making cocktails
is a fun and sophisticated way to entertain (when we can, of course).
So in this issue of The Alchemist, we’re giving you the tools you need to up your home bartending game, starting with a look at the actual tools you need. We also share some serious “don’ts,” advice on how to make homemade vermouth, a roundup of classic cocktails you should know and our Tasting Panel’s picks for spirits to stock your bar. Plus we’ve created a whole section called “Home Bar” at thealchemistmagazine.ca especially for home bartenders.
Better cocktailing starts right here.
Essential tools include jiggers, barspoons, muddlers and strainers—and these days they come in a variety of finishes such as stainless steel, rose gold and gunmetal. Fifth & Vermouth photo
Ask a pro bartender for their musthaves, and the answer might be practical: bar mops (a cheap pack of these thin, absorbent white towels is smart, even for home) and pens. However, the essentials below look more aspirational on your home bar cart: always chic in stainless steel, they’re especially envy-inspiring in on-point finishes from gold and rose gold to gunmetal and matte black. (For a roundup of additional tools for the advanced bartending pro, visit thealchemistmagazine.ca.)
Beginner: A two-piece shaker (sometimes known as a Boston shaker) consisting of glass and metal halves will give you the most mileage. Make stirred drinks in the glass, or pop it onto the metal piece tfor shaken drinks.
Pro: Three-piece cobbler shakers (the ones with a nipple-like top and built-in strainer), especially in smaller onedrink sizes, are newly hip thanks to the Japanese school of bartending—which
we also have to thank for those cool, cross-etched Yarai mixing glasses stirreddrink aficionados might want. Boston-style shakers composed of two metal pieces, especially when they’re weighted for nospill stability, are next-level useful.
Beginner: A conical two-sided measuring jigger (either 0.75 oz and 1.5 oz, or 0.5 oz and 1 oz) sets the bar high. If you drink in metric seek out a Euro model marked in centilitres—a 2 cL and 4cL combo is most common.
Pro: A rounded bell jigger looks a little like a tiny Stanley Cup, and you can get them with retro-looking handles for quick flipping.
Beginner: The spring-loaded, round Hawthorne strainer will snug into most sizes of shaker and keep the solids nicely out of your drink.
Pro: A round or scallop-edged julep strainer doesn’t have a coil, and is technically the proper style to use with a mixing glass when making stirred drinks.
Beginner: A few bucks will score you a stainless-steel, plastic-tipped spoon with a twisted handle for speedy stirring. These are typically about 10 inches long.
Pro: Take showy extra-long spoons— perhaps with a muddler, a fork-shaped trident or a weighted teardrop on the end—for a spin. Negroni fans can order a Gary “Gaz” Regan stirrer named for the late bartending legend, famous for stirring drinks with his finger.
Beginner: Basic plastic spouts slow the volume coming out of the spirits bottle, and reduce spillage.
Pro: Metered spouts can dispense an approximately quarter- or half-ounce with each tip of the bottle; some have hinged caps so they can (theoretically) stay in your bottles without welcoming a fruit-fly colony.
Beginner: Raise your ice game with a silicone tray that makes half a dozen two-inch-square king cubes, and either individual moulds or a tray for large spheres. One-inch cube trays are a reasonable facsimile of the Kold-Draft cubes many serious bars use.
Pro: For perfectly clear ice, spend some time on alcademics.com or buy an insulated mould system (such as Metrokane, Eparé or Dexas).
Beginner: This odd-looking tool makes quick work of carving long, thin spirals of citrus-peel garnish.
Pro: Some models have additional little finger-like graters at the tip, for fine-zesting citrus.
Beginner: If you have a conical citrus reamer that fits over its own bowl or a measuring cup, you’re all set.
Pro: Heavy, two-handled metal presses—in a couple of sizes, to handle limes, lemons and oranges—live behind most bars.
Beginner: Use the “crushed ice” button on your blender, newbie.
Pro: A sturdy canvas Lewis bag and a mallet—and the cool technique for swinging it around to eliminate excess moisture—is what an ice nerd craves.
Beginner: You probably have a corkscrew, a swivel peeler (like you’d use for vegetables), a paring knife and cutting board, a funnel, a fine sieve or tea strainer, a lighter (if you want to learn to flame citrus peels) plus a blender, all useful for making drinks.
Pro: If you have an iSi canister or similar device typically used for whipping cream, you can turn dry white wine or sherry into an deliciously vermouth-like bevvy infused with herbs, botanicals and citrus. You can infuse liquids with a vacuum sealer and sous-vide immersion circulator, too. A little atomizer filled with dry vermouth or absinthe coats your Martini or Sazerac glasses the fancy way.
Calgary’s Fifth & Vermouth (bartools.ca) is a great online source for bar tools in multiple finishes.
Other resources:
Vancouver’s Modern Bartender, themodernbartender.com
Cocktail Emporium, cocktailemporium.com
The Crafty Bartender, thecraftybartender.com
Alambika, alambika.ca
Cocktail Kingdom Canada, cocktailkingdomcanada.com
Chapters-Indigo, chapters.indigo.ca
Hudson’s Bay, thebay.com
Bed Bath and Beyond, bedbathandbeyond.ca
TheRoof is on Fire! That was the name of a dangerous-drinks seminar that San Francisco writer Camper English (of alcademics.com fame) and Bittermens co-founder Avery Glasser gave in 2016 at Tales of the Cocktail. Their warnings on potentially dangerous bartending ingredients, equipment and techniques were so eye-opening, English later nabbed a grant to develop cocktailsafe.org, a geekily helpful website packed with deeply
researched information and resources.
“Bartenders on Facebook were chatting a lot about potentially dangerous drinks ... and I thought it would be useful to put all this information, and a lot more, in one place as a reference to bartenders everywhere,” he says.
Here are his top 10 red flags for home mixologists—and pros, too.
The danger: Powerful cinchona bark, the bitter quinine-containing ingredient that gives tonic water its astringent bite, can cause nasty symptoms like tinnitus, vertigo and muscle weakness, and levels are hard to control at home.
The solution: If you must have muddybrown homemade tonic, choose solid (not powdered) cinchona bark, filter your tonic syrup very well, and be conservative with consumption. Otherwise, buy safe commercial syrups such as Rootside’s Classic Dry from Vancouver Island, which is clear.
The danger: Not only are tobaccocontaining food and drinks illegal in many places, English says, infusing tobacco into alcohol “can extract an estimated 20 times the nicotine” compared to smoking.
The solution: He recommends getting the same notes from smoky lapsang souchong tea or smoky-tasting bitters that don’t contain any tobacco.
The danger: A slave to Jerry Thomas’ historical 1862 Bar-Tender’s Guide would find recipes calling for ammonia, turpentine and less obviously unsafe ingredients like calamus.
FROM LEFT: Cinchona can have unpleasant side effects; instead, consider a tonic syrup like the ones from Rootside Bitters. Tealeaves’ lapsang souchong tea is an easier—and safer—way to introduce smoky flavours. Vintage recipes are inspiring, but some vintage ingredients are best avoided.
The solution: “Do a quick search to ensure the current legal and safety status of all ingredients,” English says. Cocktailsafe.org is U.S. based, but packed with useful info.
The danger: Bitters or amari makers shopping online for essential oils, tinctures and botanicals should note that “many are designed for scenting beauty products and may not have edible liquid solvents,” English says.
The solution: Look for specific “food safe” designation and labelling.
The danger: The home bartender attempting bacon-fat-washed-bourbon might find out the hard way that “the meat used carries the threat of botulism/bacteria poisoning if handled improperly. The alcohol alone will not sterilize [it] at standard ABVs,” English says.
The solution: Only use fully cooked meat, refrigerate or freeze the resulting spirit, wash equipment thoroughly and treat the resulting spirit more like fresh meat than alcohol: use or toss it in a few days.
The danger: Those amazing vintage
crystal decanters or ceramic tiki mugs aren’t a steal if they leach lead or other metals into your alcoholic beverage.
The solution: Buy new barware, such as modern lined-copper mugs for Moscow Mules.
The danger: New tiki enthusiasts with nut allergies might not realize falernum and orgeat contain almonds. Grapefruit can interfere with certain medications, as can the inky activated charcoal sometimes used in black cocktail recipes.
The solution: For black drinks, choose recipes using black sesame, blackcurrant, squid or cuttlefish ink, or a safe black spirit, such as Hounds Vodka, B.C.-made One Foot Crow gin and vodka, or Old Order Black Goat vodka.
The danger: You might be inspired to use flowers like daffodil or hydrangea from your garden as garnish, but both are unsafe for human consumption.
The solution: Look up “flowers” and “plants” (plus “mushrooms” and “resources”) on cocktailsafe.org for a long list of edible and dangerous stuff, plus links to other databases.
FROM LEFT: Health risks include reactions to nuts in tiki drinks, activated charcoal in black ones (use a black spirit like Black Goat Vodka instead) and unwashed citrus in fresh-squeezed sours.
The danger: Surface antibiotics on citrus fruit can be dragged into the fruit’s flesh when you cut into it to squeeze the juice or make a garnish.
The solution: Wash all citrus well before using it in any cocktail preparation.
The danger: Inspired by foodTV chefs using liquid nitrogen, or that dry ice from your grocery delivery, to make a dramatic drink? “When it turns into gas at room temp it displaces oxygen in the air and can cause asphyxiation,” English warns.
The solution: Store and use these substances in well-ventilated areas and always in approved containers. With dry ice, for instance, be careful driving with it in your car with closed windows.
Dry ice sure looks cool— but it can be a tricky substance to work with.
Getty Images photo
Thefifth and largest-ever release of DEVINE Distillery & Winery’s coveted Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky (1,016 bottles) quickly sold out this fall. “Ken [Winchester] and Kevin [Titcomb] put that beautiful whisky into the barrel in 2017,” says general manager Kirsten Titcomb of the ultra-local Saanich Peninsula bottling. Winchester, a trained winemaker and master distiller who founded the Island’s first craft distillery and created Victoria Gin, is a legendary name in B.C. distilling. Although he plans to step down by the end of 2020 at DEVINE, his legacy will endure.
“Glen Saanich was always Ken’s baby,” Titcomb says. Winchester even rescued and refurbished their vintage copper
pot still, Brunhilde, which still makes every drop of DEVINE spirits, as well as producing the hand sanitizer that was crucial to the Saanich health-care community this past spring.
Glen Saanich is double-pot distilled using Scottish-style Concerto barley grown nearby and the property’s own pristine well water. A young-whisky sample that Winchester sent to Whisky Bible author Jim Murray scored a stellar 94 points in the 2017 edition. “Ken was just levitating all day!” Titcomb recalls of the auspicious day when the distillery received Murray’s rating.
Couple that glowing recognition with early batches aged in small 30-litre casks
Here is a simple twist on a spirit that is typically sipped neat. This recipe was developed by Soren Schepkowski, head bartender at Wind Cries Mary in Victoria.
1 cinnamon stick
2 oz DEVINE Glen Saanich
Single Malt Whisky
0.25 oz toasted pumpkin seed orgeat (see note)
10 drops Ms Betters
Chocolate Bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Torch a cinnamon stick and place in an upside-down Old Fashioned glass to entrap the smoke. Place all remaining ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Add a large cube of ice to the smoked glass, and strain the cocktail over it. Garnish with the charred cinnamon stick. Serves 1.
NOTE: To make toasted pumpkin seed orgeat, toast 50g unsalted pumpkin seeds on medium-high heat until golden brown. Next, place toasted pumpkin seeds in a linen cloth and hammer with a mallet—or roll out with a rolling pin—to crush seeds. Combine crushed seeds, 250g of 1:1 simple syrup, and 10 drops of orange flower water in a jar and allow to infuse for 24 hours. Fine strain your final product.
that yielded only 110 to 160 bottles to understand why the rare malt has built a cultish reputation. Today it’s aged in high-quality 200-litre ex-Woodinville Whiskey and Woodford Reserve oak casks. The casks that Winchester filled this past March and minimum three-year aging requirements for Canadian whisky ensure that future releases through 2023 will have his talented touch. In the rich, spicy malt, “there is no doubt with our Glen Saanich that you are tasting the peninsula,” says Titcomb. You are also tasting the finesse of a gifted winemaker and master distiller.
DEVINE Distillery & Winery, 6181B Old West Saanich Road, Saanichton devinevineyards.ca @devinedistilleryandwinery
THERE IS NO DOUBT WITH OUR GLEN SAANICH THAT YOU ARE TASTING THE PENINSULA
It’s been a long day and all you want to do is get into your pyjamas (if you ever got out of them, let’s be real) and settle in with a good cocktail. But it’s just too much effort to make one yourself. Never fear, thirsty reader. The cocktail kit is here to help.
During the pandemic, many Vancouver restaurants have turned to takeout and some have added cocktails to their to-go menus. What you get varies depending on the establishment. Most offer some sort of mixer, bottle of spirits and garnish; some also offer top-quality ice as well as tools and glassware. Not only do these kits quench your thirst, they also make great gifts and, best of all, support your favourite establishments when they need it most.
Here are just some to try. Note that in restaurants sales of alcohol must be accompanied by sales of food; check the websites for details regarding price and availability.
The Bar Cart: The team at Lavish Liquid updates the classics with drinks like the Cedar Sour or Hastings Sunrise. For winter, they’ve also partnered with the
Whisky Wisemen Society on A Word to the Wise, a scotch-based take on the Penicillin, with $10 to $15 from each kit going to the society’s partnered charities. barcart.ca
Dachi Vancouver: This lively East Hastings restaurant offers fun twists on classics like the Strawberry Cream Margarita or Hibiscus Plum Cosmo, which pair nicely with their picnic boxes. The team is also shaking up three special cocktail gift box sets for the holidays. dachivancouver.com
Dachi’s holiday gift boxes include local spirits and elegant glassware.
Dalina: In addition to its coffees and brunch dishes, this elevated café is ready to satisfy your cravings for Kentucky Mules (bourbon and ginger beer) and Mojitos. dalina.ca
The Diamond: The Gastown favourite is serving up a selection of classics, traditional and updated, including the Buck Buck Mule, New Toronto and Jimador’s Punch. Some kits include tools and glassware, and you can order Kodama ice and snacks as well. di6mond.com
Di Beppe Ristorante/Ask for Luigi: In addition to all the hearty pasta dishes these restaurants are known for, they also offer bottled Italian aperitivos such as the Aperol Spritz, Bicicletta and Americano. dibeppe. com, askforluigi.com
Fable Diner: Who doesn’t love a refreshing, easygoing sangria? This kit comes with a bottle of Stone Road red or white wine, a mini bottle of Grand Mariner, mixed fresh fruit juice (orange, cranberry and blueberry), and citrus fruits for garnish. fablediner.com
Honey Salt: In addition to gourmet meals, the Parq Vancouver restaurant offers everything you need for Moscow Mules, Gin & Tonics, Margaritas or Aperol Spritz. parqvancouver.com/food-drink/ honey-salt/
FROM LEFT: Thanks to Di Beppe’s bottled drinks to go, any hour can be aperitivo hour. Fable Diner takes the effort out of sangria. And Keefer Bar offers a huge selection of spirits, tools, ice and kits for cocktails like the Bold Fashioned.
JOEY: The upscale casual chain has the truffle popcorn you need for your weekend binge of The Crown, as well as house-favourite cocktails including their coffee cocktail (complete with Irish cream and indulgent chocolate) and autumnal apple-and-cranberry-scented Red Delicious. joeyrestaurants.com
Juke Fried Chicken/Chickadee: When you order your fried chicken, don’t forget to pick up one of the inventive cocktail mixers like the Raspberry Gimlet or Blue Skies Margarita, all in single servings with optional 50 mL serves of gin, whisky or vodka. jukefriedchicken.com
The Keefer Bar: The perennial Chinatown cocktail destination has gone all out with its cocktail kits and accoutrements. Need a jigger? A bag of Kold Draft ice? A bottle of Bénédictine? They’re on it, and also offer kits for house signature cocktails like the Dragonfly and Forager’s Martini. keeferbar.com
Provence Marinaside: Bring a taste of France home with an oven-roasted chicken Provençal, plus all the fixin’s for Moscow Mules and Caesars. provencerestaurants.ca
0.75 oz Tanqueray No. Ten Gin
0.75 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
.5 oz Aperol
0.5 oz Lime
0.5 oz Honey Ginger Syrup
2 dashes of Lavender Bitters
2 oz Cava
Grapefruit Peel
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake then fine strain into a coupe. Top with Cava and garnish with a grapefruit peel.
and photos by Matthew Benevoli
Let’stalk about the oftenmisunderstood aperitif vermouth. What is it? Where does it come from?
Vermouth is fortified wine with herbs, roots, spices and sometimes sugar added. There are a handful of different styles to choose from: the most common offerings are sweet red, traditionally from Italy; and dry white wormwood-infused from France. The word vermouth is the French pronunciation for “wermut,” which is German for wormwood, the mystical herb that gives absinthe its reputation and provides the distinctive dry, bitter note found in vermouth.
Many producers in Europe still make traditional styles of vermouth, but now companies from all around the world are giving vermouth new life with their own unique approaches using local and international flavours.
Vermouth has become much more than the half-empty bottle in the back of your parents’ liquor cabinet; it’s become a mainstay in pop culture with cocktails like the Martini, Manhattan and Negroni. Vermouth works beautifully on the rocks with a slice of citrus or in a refreshing spritz, as well as in an array of classic
For this white vermouth, you’ll need botanicals such as grapefruit peel, bay leaves, dried apples, chamomile and mint tea, which mimic the earthy flavours of the wormwood that gave vermouth its name.
and contemporary cocktails, and will undoubtedly become a mainstay in your home bar, too.
Despite what you may think, it’s relatively easy to make your own vermouth at home. A bottle of vermouth in the fridge that is tailored to your preferences will accent all the cocktails you enjoy drinking so perfectly you’ll likely notice the bottle drains quickly!
Now follow along as I teach you how to create your own personalized vermouth.
First, decide which style of vermouth you would like, whether it’s white or red wine based. I highly recommend using a wine you would drink on its own as the base for your personal vermouth. Then gather the ingredients you need for the infusion. (See options below.)
WHITE CHAMOMILE VERMOUTH
1 (750 mL) bottle white wine
(Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for its grapefruit notes and dry finish)
4 dried bay leaves
5 to 6 dried strips of grapefruit peels
4 dried red apple slices
2 Tbsp dried chamomile
1 Tbsp herbal peppermint tea
2 oz brandy
RED HIBISCUS VERMOUTH
1 (750 mL) bottle red wine
(Pinot Noir is ideal for its cherry, red fruit and pepper notes, and warming tannic finish)
3 Tbsp dried hibiscus flowers
5 whole cloves
1 tsp cherrywood chips
1 tsp whole allspice berries
1 whole vanilla bean
2 oz brandy
4 2
Place the dry ingredients into a few layers of cheesecloth, then tie it together. In a sterilized 1 litre (4 cup) jar, add your dried herb pouch, wine and brandy. Stir well, seal and set aside for 48 hours to infuse. Taste. If you feel the vermouth needs to be stronger, let it infuse a few more hours; add sweetener (such as honey or simple syrup) if you need it. Once you’re satisfied with the flavour of your vermouth, strain it through a filter and into a sealable bottle. Store in the fridge until needed—it should last at least three months.
1.5 oz dry gin
1.5 oz White Chamomile
Vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Garnish: Lemon twist
Add gin, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass with ice, then stir well for 15 seconds to chill and dilute. Take the lemon twist and expel essential oils into a chilled Martini glass. Pour Martini over the oils, gently brush the rim of the glass with the skin of the peel and place it into the cocktail. Serves 1.
Recipes by Matthew Benevoli
1 oz brandy
1 oz Red Hibiscus
Vermouth
0.5 oz Sons of Vancouver amaretto
1 oz apple cider
0.25 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish: Cinnamon stick
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin, fill with ice and shake well. Strain cocktail into a short glass filled with ice, garnish with a cracked cinnamon stick. Serves 1.
Now that we’re all spending so much more time at home, this is a good opportunity to brush up on our home-bartending skills. That means learning at least a few recipes to serve to the people in your bubble and, eventually, all the many friends you’re making on Zoom.
The most important drink you should know how to make is the one you like best. That’s also the best advice for stocking your liquor cabinet, though for your sake I hope it’s something simple, like a highball, rather than, say, a Ramos Gin Fizz, which requires egg whites, orange blossom water and a seltzer bottle, among other things.
After that, it’s best to start with classics. They are, after all, classics for a reason—they taste good, and they work—but they are also a good place to start experimenting if you want to get creative. Here are five drinks every home bartender should have in their repertoire.
This is the original “bittered sling,” defined in 1806 as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.”
These days the spirit is usually whisky, either rye or bourbon, though rum or brandy taste pretty fine, too. In the 1950s and ’60s it was fashionable to muddle orange slices and maraschino cherries into Old Fashioneds—this just makes for a sweet, messy drink, so seriously, don’t. What makes the Old Fashioned such an enduring favourite is its simplicity. No need to muddle that up.
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1.5 oz bourbon or rye whisky
Garnish: cocktail cherry, orange slice (optional)
Place the sugar cube in the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass, saturate it with the bitters, then add a few dashes plain water. Muddle until the sugar is dissolved, then add whisky, ice and stir. If you like, garnish with a cherry or a skewered cherry and orange slice. Serves 1.
Sours comprise all those drinks that balance citrus, spirits and sweetener, often in equal measure, and shaken with ice. That covers everything from Margaritas to Clover Clubs, Sidecars, Tom Collinses and, of course, the Whisky Sour. Even that fancy
Ramos Gin Fizz is, at its essence, a sour. Learn how to make one, and you can really make ’em all. This formula is also a great base for experimenting with spirits, sweeteners, citrus and garnish. Think: adding ginger and pineapple to your Margarita, or blood orange juice to a Sidecar.
“Margarita” is Spanish for “daisy,” and this is likely a tequila-based 1930s variation on the even older drink of that name.
1 oz orange liqueur such as Cointreau
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Garnish: Salted rim, optional lime wedge
Rim a rocks glass with salt: Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip into a sauce of salt, preferably coarse salt. Add ice to the glass. Place tequila, Cointreau and lime juice in a shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into the rocks glass. If you like, garnish with a wedge of lime. Serves 1. Note: You can also serve this “up” in a stemmed glass or blended with ice. If you are blending it, add more sweetener otherwise it will taste too tart.
Stirred, spirit forward and underpinned with the bitter bite of vermouth, these elegant cocktails are the sophisticates of the drinks world. The Martini is properly gin based, with a splash of dry (white) vermouth, perhaps a dash of orange bitters and a garnish of olives, lemon zest or pickled onions. The Manhattan is properly rye whisky based, with sweet (red) vermouth, aromatic bitters and a cherry garnish. Both are usually served up in a stemmed glass, though can be served on ice. There are, of course, numerous variations on both.
This savoury take on the Martini dates back to late 1800s San Francisco.
2.5 oz gin or vodka
0.5 oz dry vermouth
Garnish: 2 cocktail onions, skewered
Add gin and vermouth to a mixing glass with ice and stir until you have achieved your ideal dilution. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the onions. Serves 1.
The Italians love their “amari,” potable bitters like Campari, Fernet-Branca, Cynar or Aperol that help with digestion and are the stars in these cocktails. They tend to be built over ice right in the glass (no shaker needed), are relatively low in alcohol and usually served as aperitifs to whet the appetite, or as digestifs to settle the stomach. Among them are the Negroni, Aperol Spritz, Americano and Bicicletta.
One of the world’s oldest cocktails, this dates back to the mid-1800s.
1 sugar cube, preferably cane and brown
1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Splash of Cognac
3 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: lemon zest (optional)
Sprinkle a sugar cube with a dash or 2 of bitters, then place it in the bottom of a flute or coupe. Add the Cognac, then top gently with bubble. If you like, garnish with a slice of lemon peel. Serves 1.
The way the story goes, this mid-20th-century drink was named for the elderly Italian men who swerved all over the road while cycling home after drinking in the local café.
2 oz Campari
1.5 to 2 oz dry white wine, preferably Italian Soda water
Garnish: citrus slice (optional) Add Campari and wine to a wine or other glass and stir. Add ice and top with soda. If you like, garnish with a lemon or orange slice. Serves 1.
Yes, yes, I know the Champagne Cocktail has been called a drink for “hookers and old ladies,” but it was also Dorothy Parker’s favourite cocktail, and I’m with Dorothy on this one. Bubbles make everything a little brighter, and in a classic Champagne Cocktail they are balanced with sweet and bitter elements as well as the depth of Cognac. Still skeptical? Make yours a Mimosa, French 75, Bellini or Seelbach instead.
Measurements: For the most part, our recipes are in imperial volume (fluid ounces, teaspoons and cups). We might occasionally use weight (for instance, an ounce of tea leaves for an infusion); in those cases, it will be noted.
Tools: The essentials are a cocktail shaker (cobbler or Boston), mixing glass, jigger, citrus juicer, Hawthorne and fine-mesh strainers, muddler, bar spoon, sharp knife and vegetable peeler. Any special tools will be noted.
Glassware: You could fill your cupboards with different types of glassware, but you only really need three (aside from wine and beer): a stemmed “cocktail” glass, either the V-shaped martini or curved coupe; the short, stubby rocks or Old Fashioned; and the tall, narrow Collins.
Simple syrup: This is the basic sweetener in many cocktails; because the sugar is already dissolved, you won’t get a gritty, sandy sludge in the bottom of your glass. To make it: Bring equal amounts of sugar and water just to a boil in small pot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat, cool, and place in a clean jar or bottle. Will keep in the fridge for about two weeks.
Not-so-simple syrup: There are a couple of ways to add flavour to the basic simple syrup process. 1. Replace the water with another liquid, such as tea or juice. 2. Simmer the syrup with spices or hardy herbs such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger or rosemary and let them steep as the syrup cools. 3. Add soft herbs, such as mint or basil, to steep for a few minutes in the hot syrup after it is removed from the heat.
Double or fine strain: This means straining your cocktail through both a Hawthorne and fine-mesh strainer to remove ice, pulp, seeds and other small fragments that can muddy the texture of shaken drinks.
Dry shake: Shake without ice; this is often used to increase the froth in egg-based drinks like flips and sours.
Long, tall, lengthened: A drink with soda water and ice added to it, typically served in a Collins glass.
Rim: To rim a glass with salt, sugar or spice mixtures, run a lemon or lime wedge around the lip of the glass, then dip it into the seasoning.
Rocks: Served on ice. Straight, neat: Served without ice.
Twist: A slice of citrus peel, with no pith or flesh attached, used as garnish.
Up: A cocktail served without ice in a stemmed cocktail glass or coupe.
What you need to know for making the recipes in The Alchemist.
Wonder what your favourite barkeep drinks at home? We did, too. Here’s what they had to say. Getty Images photo
For most issues of The Alchemist, we gather our tasting panel and sit in a room somewhere sampling our way through a dozen or so bottles of, say, rye whisky or vermouth. But with a pandemic upending everything, we couldn’t do that this time around. At the same time, since we’ve all been spending so much time chez nous, we wondered what our panelists were
drinking at their own homes. So we asked them to recommend a bottle they consider essential for a home bartender, and what cocktail they’d make with it. This issue, our team comprises bartenders Sabrine Dhaliwal, Adam Domet, J-S Dupuis, Robyn Gray, Jay Jones, Trevor Kallies, Jeff Savage and Kaitlyn Stewart. Here’s what they had to say. Sip and shop accordingly.
SABRINE DHALIWAL: HENNESSY VERY SPECIAL COGNAC
40% ABV, $68.99 (750 mL)
“A lively and fruity Cognac on the nose with a soft vanilla undertone remains a staple on my home bar,” says Dhaliwal, bar manager at Juke Fried Chicken. “This Cognac is anything but vanilla. It’s a fullbodied Cognac explosive with spice, apricots and toasted almonds, with long finishing notes of orange marmalade that leave you wanting more.”
Cocktail: Sidecar, Sazerac and tiki cocktails. “It’s also a great spirit to enjoy neat or over ice,” she says.
ADAM DOMET: ANGEL’S ENVY KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON
43.3% ABV, $79.99 (750 mL) “Locked down at home, COVID zombies are taking over, there is only one bottle I could possibly think of having—Lincoln Henderson’s own Angel’s Envy,” Domet, bar manager of Pourhouse, says of this whiskey finished in Port wine barrels. “The soothing, intricate aromas of pecan, toasted bread and raisins calm the dread of being stuck inside, while the mouth-warming palate notes of bitter chocolate, ripe fruit and Madeira inspire us for the world waiting for us on the other side.”
Cocktails: Old Fashioned, Bourbon and Bubbles (see recipe page 45).
21% ABV, $34.65 (1 L)
“Cynar is an Italian amaro, deriving its main flavour from artichoke (Cynara scolymus), hence the name,” says Dupuis, the beverage director of Wentworth Hospitality Group. “It has a total of 13 ingredients, giving it very earthy aromas and flavours of caramel, toffee, coffee, dried leaves, menthol, aloe and of course artichoke. Cynar differentiates itself by being more on the earthy side of amaros, still providing richness, sweetness and a drying bitterness. If I had to choose one amaro for the rest of my life, it would be Cynar.”
Cocktails: “It can be used as a substitute for Campari, but due to its earthy and caramel tones, as opposed to bright and citrusy flavours, I prefer using Cynar with barrelaged and spicy spirits such as rye whisky, bourbon or a sharp Canadian whisky,” Dupuis says. “I use it instead of adding sugar and bitters to an Old Fashioned.”
ROBYN GRAY:
CINZANO ROSSO VERMOUTH
15% ABV, $11.99 (1L)
“Vermouth takes its name from vermut, the German word for wormwood, its defining ingredient,” says Gray, bar manager of Homer Street Cafe and Bar. “Cinzano Rosso, in my opinion, is the most versatile sweet vermouth for a myriad of classic cocktails. Not too sweet or overpowering, it has just the right amount of herbal complexity and cherry vanilla persistence to lend itself to a Negroni as well as it does to a Manhattan—while not breaking the bank at only $12.”
Cocktails: “My favourite way to enjoy Cinzano is with a splash of soda water and a slice of orange,” Gray says.
LOCKED DOWN AT HOME, COVID ZOMBIES ARE TAKING OVER, THERE IS ONLY ONE BOTTLE I COULD POSSIBLY THINK OF HAVING
40% ABV, $29.99 (750 ML)
“I remember fearing this bottle in my teens, that dust-caked green potion lurking in the back of my parents’ liquor cabinet,” says Jones, the bar development leader for JOEY Restaurants. “Once I started bartending, it continued to haunt me from its neglected corner of the back bar. I curiously cracked it open one day, many years ago, to be rewarded with spicy aromas and sweet tastes of my childhood.
“While not made of licorice, Pernod’s anise persona is kindredly warm with robust personality—sparking memories of candy and ice cream treats. (I was a weird kid that loved big quirky flavours. Still am.) Though distinctly sweet with shameless aniseed and hot with spirit, it reveals layers of depth, bitter structure and a drying finish—equally nostalgic and modern in tone; a legendary taste that is inimitably delicious. Whether in a lead or supporting role, the personality Pernod Anise brings is indistinguishably captivating.”
Cocktails: “Pernod bottles do not collect dust in my home bar as a nightly indulgence of a generous pour mixed with ice and water is simply perfect,” says Jones. That said, he also enjoys Pernod in his own take on a Swizzle or a rum-based drink he calls Nautical Disaster.
40% ABV, $23.99 (750 mL)
“Citrus! The nose of Beefeater is essentially citrus,” says Kallies, the bar and beverage director at Donnelly Group and president of the CPBA. “Think of a bowl of Fruit Loops cereal and you’re on the right track. Juniper shines mid-palate, both late on the nose and majority of flavour. The back end is where the playful botanicals come out: anise, coriander and more citrus. It is a versatile gin without an over-the-top juniper hit. There’s rarely a time I don't have some variation of Beefeater on the home bar, be it London Dry, Market, Garden, Beefeater 24, Burroughs, Crown Jewel or any of the other variations.”
Cocktail: “The Freezer Martini has dominated the past few months for homedrinking and Zoom calls. I like mine wet with a bit less dilution than you’d typically receive at a bar,” Kallies says. To make it, he fills a swing-top bottle with three parts gin, one part dry vermouth, a bit of water for dilution and a small splash of orange bitters, tucks it in the freezer, then enjoys as needed.
55% ABV, $40.99 (375 mL)
“I’ve chosen our household staple: Green Chartreuse. This seriously famous spirit likely needs little introduction, but is endlessly fun to discuss,” says Savage, head bartender at Botanist Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. “In the glass, the spirit reveals itself in its namesake colour, shimmering with a hint of opalescence. What I most love
I REMEMBER FEARING THIS BOTTLE IN MY TEENS, THAT DUST-CAKED GREEN POTION LURKING IN THE BACK OF MY PARENTS’ LIQUOR CABINET
about Chartreuse is that both on the nose and on the palate, I always find something different each time I return to it. At first, it’s wild mint, rosemary and alpine wormwood, but then those flavours give way to honey, mountain flowers, baking spice and vanilla. For me, Chartreuse stands on the razor’s edge between elegance and nuance on one side, and untamed wildness on the other.”
Cocktail: “Apart from drinking it after dinner,” Savage says, “I absolutely love it in a rich hot chocolate to warm up in the wintertime, or a play on a Tom Collins using your favourite gin, Green Chartreuse, lime juice, a little sugar and either soda or tonic.”
40% ABV, $79.99 (750 mL)
“Tequila is most definitely essential to my home bar, being that it is my favourite
spirit,” says Stewart, consultant, educator and 2017 Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year. “I think tequila automatically gets a bad rap because either you yourself have had a bad experience or have heard horror stories about other people’s experiences. Well, I’ll happily vouch for tequila any day of the week. A well-crafted blanco tequila like Don Julio typically has such nice bright green, refreshing notes to it. Bright, green, green pepper, slightly grassy, small back note of white pepper, always fresh.”
Cocktail: Batanga (tequila, lime, cola—a Cuba Libre with tequila instead of rum) or Margarita. “When used properly, tequila can lend such a nice balance to a refreshing style cocktail,” Stewart says. “Don’t be afraid of this delicious spirit!”
Recipe by Adam Domet, bar manager, Pourhouse.
1 oz Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon
0.5 oz Gonzales Byass Oloroso sherry
0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
2 tsp simple syrup (1:1)
5 raspberries
1 oz sparkling wine
Place all ingredients except the bubble in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake. Fine strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and top with sparkling wine. Serves 1.
These gift ideas will warm the hearts and glasses of every cocktail lover on your list.
26% ABV, $58 (750 mL)
A rare release from Sons of Vancouver. Their classic No.82 Amaretto aged in bourbon, single malt, and hogshead sherry casks. Perfect fireside sipper. Get it at sonsofvancouver.ca
42% ABV, $75 (750 mL)
Matured in premium oak barrels using the finest BC rye and malted barley. The aroma is rich with butterscotch, and toffee with subtle hints of honey.
$5 from every bottle is donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Order at deepcovecraft.com
40% ABV, $50 (750 mL)
Their own secret recipe from South Africa earned them a gold medal at the 2020 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition for this slightly sweet and smokey brandy. Order at wynndelcraftdistilleries.ca
Prices from $149
Whether you like craft beer, cocktails or Cold brew coffee, GrowlerWerks Canada has the gift you need under your tree this year.
Beverage snob on your gift list? Why not put one of their pressurized uKeg growlers under the tree this year?
Available at growlerwerkscanada.com
Ridiculously good, local groceries, alcohol, and home essentials delivered to your door. 7 days a week across the Lower Mainland, up the Sea to Sky, and to Bowen Island. Order at shop.legendshaul.com
*Delivering alcohol for Austin Station Liquor Store.
40% ABV, $38 (750 mL)
$44.99
Just in time for Christmas, the Esquimalt Wine Company Gift Set is a cocktail lovers dream!
Featuring mini bottles of their Gold Medal winning Rosso Vermouth, Kina-Rouge and Dry Vermouth. Made on Vancouver Island.
Order at esquimaltwine.com
Treat the spirit lover in your life with Per Se Vodka. Winner of the 2020 World’s Best Varietal Vodka. Buy at ampersanddistilling.com
18% ABV, $22 (375 mL)
Based on an old Italian recipe, Odd Society’s reimagined vermouth combines 25 botanicals and fine BC wine fortified with Odd Society’s malted barley spirit. Its rich and intense flavours will add subtle complexity to your favourite cocktails or stand alone as a strong apéritif. Cin Cin! Get it at a liquor store near you or at oddsocietyspirits.com
Sponsored content
YOUR GUIDE TO THE SPIRIT MAKERS
This province’s 71 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.
Ampersand Distilling
Products: Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka, Imperative Dry Vermouth, Nocino!
4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan 250-737-1880
AmpersandDistilling.com
Arbutus Distillery
Products: Coven Vodka, Owl’s Screech Vodka, Empiric Gin, Blue Gin, Forest Dweller Gin, Baba Yaga Absinthe, Grand Visco Brandy, Vanilla Liqueur, Birch
Liqueur, Lavender Liqueur, Elderflower Liqueur, Amaro, Canadian Single Malt Whisky
1890 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo 250-714-0027
Arbutus-Distillery.com
(on-site services offered)
Tasting roomCocktail 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.
Bespoke Spirits House
Products: Virtue Vodka, Jezebel Gin
425 Stanford Ave., Parksville BespokeSpiritsHouse.com
ClearCut Distilling Company
Products: Botanically Incorrect Gin
319 Sutil Rd., Quadra Island 250-285-2257
SouthEnd.ca/Distillery
Products: Genever Gin, Dutch Courage Barrel-aged Genever, Vin Gin, Sloe Gin, Glen Saanich
Single Malt Whisky, Ancient Grains Alternative Whisky, Honey Shine Silver, Honey Shine Amber, Black Bear Spiced Honey Rum, Slivovitz Plum Brandy,
Bianca Vermouth, Moderna Vermouth
6181B Old West Saanich Rd., Saanichton
250-665-6983
DeVineVineyards.ca
Fermentorium
Distilling Co.
Products: Stump Coastal Forest Gin, handcrafted tonics
2010 Government St., Victoria 250-380-1912
Fermentorium.ca
Goldstream Distillery
Products: Goldstream Vodka, Goldstream Gin
4A-4715 Trans-Canada Hwy., Whippletree Junction, Duncan 250-213-8476
GoldstreamDistillery.com
Island Spirits Distillery
Moon Distillery Ltd.
Sheringham Distillery
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
Merridale Craft Spirits
Products: Cowichan Gin, Cowichan Copper Gin, Cowichan Vodka, Cowichan XXO Brandy, Cowichan Rhumb, Cowichan
Spiced Rhumb, Whisky Jack’s, Cowichan Pear Brandy, Cowichan Cider Brandy, Oaked Harvest Fortified Cider, Apple Dessert Fortified Cider
1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill
250-743-4293
MerridaleCider.ca
Misguided Spirits
Products: Brother XII Vodka
18-1343 Alberni Hwy., Parksville
250-616-8386
MisguidedSpirits.ca
Products: Island Grown Pure Grain Vodka, Orange Vodka, Espresso Vodka, Lime Vodka, Moon Shaft Liqueur, Citrus Gin
350 A Bay St., Victoria
250-380-0706
MoonDistillery.ca
Pacific Rim Distilling
Products: Humpback Vodka, Lighthouse Gin
2-317 Forbes Rd., Ucluelet PacificRimDistilling.ca
Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery
Products: Sting Gin, Hive Vodka, Honeycomb Moonshine, Apple Pie Moonshine
194 Kitchen Rd., Salt Spring Island 250-221-0728
SaltSpringShine.com
Shelter Point Distillery
Products: Kazuki Gin, Akvavit, Seaside Gin, Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Lumette! zero-proof gin
252-6731 West Coast Rd., Sooke 778-528-1313
SheringhamDistillery.com
Spinnakers
Products: Spinnakers Classic Vodka, Spinnakers London Dry Gin, Au Currant Crème de Cassis, Chocoholic Crème de Cacao, Cranberry Gin, Pink
Grapefruit Gin
308 Catherine St., Victoria 250-386-2739
Spinnakers.com
Stillhead Distillery
Products: Vodka, London Dry Gin, Wild Blackberry Infused Vodka, Kirsch, Aged Apple Brandy 105-5301 Chaster Rd., Duncan 250-748-6874
Stillhead.ca
Products: Shelter Point Single Malt Artisanal Whisky, Shelter Point The Collective Whisky, Shelter Point Taste The Grainbow Single Cask Whisky, Canada One Artisan Vodka, Hand-Foraged Botanical Gin, Sunshine Liqueur
4650 Regent Rd., Campbell River
778-420-2200
ShelterPoint.ca
House
Bruinwood Estate
Distillery
Products: Vodka, Jalapeño
Vodka, Espresso Vodka, West Coast Gin, Old Growth Cedar Gin, Rose Hibiscus Gin, Lavender Mint Gin, Beach Fire
Cinnamon Spirit, Limoncello, Psychedelic Jellyfish Absinthe
Unit G & H, 681 Indutrial Way, Tofino, 250-725-2182 TofinoCraftDistillery.com
Victoria Caledonian Brewery and Distillery
Products: Mac Na Braiche Single
Malt Spirit, Oaken Poitín Single
Malt Spirit, Peated Darach
Braiche Single Malt Spirit, Peated Mac Na Braiche Single
Malt Spirit, whisky casks
761 Enterprise Cres., Victoria 778-401-0410
VictoriaCaledonian.com
Victoria Distillers
Products: Victoria Gin, Oaken
Gin, Empress 1908 Gin, Vodka, Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Sidney
Spiced, Brandy, Chocolate
Liqueur, The Strait and Narrow
Gin Cocktails, Twisted & Bitter
bitters
9891 Seaport Pl., Sidney 250-544-8217
VictoriaDistillers.com
Products: Unruly Vodka, Unruly Gin, Wayward Order – Krupnik
Spiced Honey Liqueur, Wayward Order – Depth Charge Espresso & Cacao Bean Liqueur, Wayward Order – Drunken Hive Rum, Wayward Order – Cocktail Elixir 151
2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay 250-871-0424
WaywardDistillationHouse.com
Anderson Distilleries
Products: Mare Serenitatis Creme d’ Cafe, Serenitatis Golden Gin, Serenitatis London Dry Gin, Serenitatis Smoked Rosemary
Gin Serenitatis Silver Liquorice, Sweet Serenitatis Cinnamon, Sweet Serenitatis Muddled Mint, Sweet Serenitatis Limoncello, Sweet Serenitatis Lime’cello, Sweet Serenitatis Orangello
106-3011 Underhill Ave., Burnaby
604-961-0326
AndersonDistilleries.ca
Products: Aquasen Vodka, Mandarin Orange Vodka, Espresso Vodka, Plains Vodka, Bruinwood Gin, Earl Grey Gin, Rhubarb Gin, Advocaat, Pumpkin Spice Cream Liqueur, Mocha Cream Liqueur, Spirited Horchata, Pechuga Espiritu, Crème de Cassis, Akvavit
2040 Porter Rd., Roberts Creek 604-886-1371
Bruinwood.com
Central City Brewers & Distillers
Products: Lohin McKinnon
Whiskies, Queensborough
Gin, Queensborough Omakase
Japanese Gin, Queensborough
Wine Barrel Aged Gin, Queensborough Pink Raspberry
Gin, Sparrow Rum, Peeled Orange Liqueur, Fit Hard Soda, Bitters by Christos
11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey 604-588-2337
CentralCityBrewing.com
Copper Spirit Distillery
Products: Presence Vodka, Harmony Dry Gin, Verity Rye Spirit
441 Bowen Island Trunk Rd., Bowen Island 778-895-9622
CopperSpirit.ca
Crow’s Nest Distillery
Products: Crow’s Nest Vodka, Crow’s Nest White Rum, Crow’s Nest Spiced Rum
117-667 Sumas Way, Abbotsford
778-251-6002
CrowsNestDistillery.com
Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers
Grains Whisky, Northern Grains Whisky, Bitterhouse Aperitifs, Nütrl Vodka Soda, Highball
Whisky Soda, Tempo Gin
Smash, Tempo Gin Soda Lime, Bitterhouse Spritz
8-7167 Vantage Way, Delta 604-376-0630
gwdistilling.com
The Liberty Distillery
Products: Truth Vodka, Truth
Lucid Spirits
Products: Northern Vodka, Northern Gin, Oaked Gin, Apple Spirit, B.C. Rye, Blueberry
Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Lemon Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur
105B-8257 92nd St., Delta 604-349-3316
LucidSpirits.ca
Mad Laboratory
Distilling
Products: Rosemary and Olive
Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Canadian Rye Whisky (limited)
2270 Dollarton Hwy., North Vancouver
604-770-1136
DeepCoveCraft.com
Dragon Mist Distillery
Products: Dragon Mist Vodka, Dragon Mist Baijiu, Dragon Mist
Gin, Cranberry Liqueur, Coffee
Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Limoncello
213-19138 26th Ave., Surrey
604-803-2226
DragonMistDistillery.com
Goodridge & Williams
Craft Distillers
Products: Nütrl Vodka, Tempo Renovo Gin, Tempo
Fresa Strawberry Gin, Tempo
Arándano Blueberry Gin, Sid
The Handcrafted Vodka, Western
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 – Canadian Rye, Trust
Whiskey – Southern, Trust
Whisky – Ancient Grains
1494 Old Bridge St., Vancouver
604-558-1998
TheLibertyDistillery.com
Long Table Distillery
Products: London Dry Gin, Cucumber Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, Texada Vodka, Långbord Akvavit, Barrel Aged Akvavit, Amaro No. 1 – Linnaeus, Tradizionale
Limoncello, Curacao Orange
Liqueur, Absinthe
1451 Hornby St., Vancouver 604-266-0177
LongTableDistillery.com
Products: ULKERaki, Mad Lab
Vodka, Viking Vodka, Mad Lab
Gin6, Mad Dog Single Malt
White Spirit, Chocolate Spiced
Mad Dog Single Malt, Kombucha
Cordials, Pre-mixed Cocktails
119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver
MadLabDistilling.com
Mainland Whisky
Products: Corn Whisky, Cinnamon Whisky, Wildrose
Whisky Liqueur, Cherry Whisky
Cordial
107-3425 189th St, South Surrey
MainlandWhisky.com
Montis Distilling
Products: North Vodka, Alpine Gin, Alpenglow Gin, Winter Spirit
1062 Millar Creek Rd., Whistler
MontisDistilling.com
Products: Illusion Spirit, Rexford Rum, Disillusion Gin, Cliffhanger
Spiced Apple Cinnamon Spirit, Alpenglow Honey Cacao Nib Spirit, Summit Fever Blueberry Spirit, Dawn Patrol Honey Pecan Spirit, Riptide Mango Spirit, Lunar Gin, Cascade Hopped
Elderflower Gin, Valley Nectar, Elderflower Citrus Liqueur, Absinthe Minded, Brides Tears
Liqueur, Silver Linings Liqueur
3387 Tolmie Rd., Abbotsford 604-864-1033
@NewWaveDistilling
Products: North West Vodka
104-20120 Stewart Cres., Maple Ridge 604-818-6972
NorthWestDistillingCo.ca
Odd Society Spirits
Products: East Van Vodka, Wallflower Gin, Mongrel Unaged Spirit, Oaken Wallflower Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, Crème de Cassis, Bittersweet Vermouth, Mia
Amata Amaro, Salal Gin, Maple
Canadian Whisky, Commodore
Canadian Single Malt Whisky, Prospector Canadian Rye Whisky, Canadian single malt casks
1725 Powell St., Vancouver 604-559-6745
OddSocietySpirits.com
One Foot Crow
Fashioned Spirit, 5th Element
Absinthe
Products: Mineral-Infused Vodka, Vodka, Mineral-Infused Gunpowder Gin, Lavender Gin
1050 Venture Way, Gibsons
OneFootCrow.com
Pemberton Distillery
Products: Schramm Organic Gin, Schramm Organic Potato Vodka, Pemberton Valley Organic Single Malt Whisky, The Devil’s Club – Organic Absinthe, Organic Hemp Vodka, Whisky Liqueur, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy
1954 Venture Pl., Pemberton 604-894-0222
PembertonDistillery.ca
Resurrection Spirits
Products: White Rye, Pale Rye, BC Dry Gin, Rosé Gin
1672 Franklin St., Vancouver 604-253-0059
ResurrectionSpirits.ca
Distillery
Products: Vital Vodka, Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka, Renegade (horseradish-infused vodka), Dill Pickled Vodka, Peachy Keen Vodka, Jackknife Gin, Encore Gin, Rebel, Sidekick, Johnny Handsome, Old
7897 240th St., Langley 778-246-5247
RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca
Sons of Vancouver
Products: No. 82 Amaretto, Barrel Aged No. 82 Amaretto, Vodka Vodka Vodka, Chili Vodka, Coffee Liqueur Sucks, Craft Blue
Curacao, Craft Tiki Creamer, Craft Coconut Liqueur
1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388
SonsOfVancouver.ca
Stealth Distilleries
Products: Stealth Corn Vodka, Stealth Wheat Vodka
#3-20 Orwell St., North Vancouver 604-916-4103
StealthVodka.com
The 101 Brewhouse & Distillery
Products: 101 Gin, 101 Vodka
1009 Gibsons Way, Gibsons
778-462-2011
The101.ca
Products: Amaro, Barrel Aged Amaro, Cascadian Dry Gin, Limoncello, Nocino
1450 Rupert St., North Vancouver
778-996-7637
TheWoodsSpiritCo.com
Yaletown Distilling
Company
After Dark Distillery
Products: Copper Island Gin, Monashee Mountain Vodka, After Dark Burner Vodka, Monashee Mountain Whiskey, Cinnamous Whiskey, Loud Mouth Soup, Monashee Mountain Moonshines
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
Aged Hopped Gin, Yaletown
Single Malt Canadian Whisky
1132 Hamilton St., Vancouver
604-669-2266
YTDistilling.com
1201 Shuswap Ave., Sicamous
250-836-5187
AfterDarkDistillery.com
Alchemist Distiller
Products: Libellule Gin, Nectar
Apple Liqueur, Green Frog Absynthe, Mr. Fox Vodka
101-18006 Bentley Rd, Summerland
250-317-6454
AlchemistDistiller.ca
Bohemian Spirits
Products: Vagabond Vodka, Limited Gin, Colossal Gin, Eclipse Coffee Liqueur, Forester
Single Malt Oak Aged Gin, Harmony Herbal Liqueur, Hearth Cherry Apple Liqueur, Honeycomb Cream Liqueur, Rose Rhubarb Ginger Gin
Liqueur, Single Grain Red Fife
Wheat Whisky, bottled cocktails
417A 304 St., Kimberley
BohemianSpirits.com
Dubh Glas Distillery
Products: Noteworthy Gin – New Western Dry, Noteworthy Gin –Barrel Rested, Noteworthy Gin
– Navy Strength, Virgin Spirits
– Barley, Social Distance Single Malt Whisky
8486 Gallagher Lake Frontage Rd., Oliver
778-439-3580
TheDubhGlasDistillery.com
Elder Bros Farm Distillery
Products: Elderflower & Honey
Schnapps, Elderflower & Cherry Schnapps, Cherry & Honey
Schnapps, Elderberry Shnapps, Apple Strudel Schnapps
3121 Mission Wycliffe Rd., Cranbrook
250-581-2300
ElderBrosFarms.com
Endless Summer Distillery
Products: Skaha Vodka, Okanagan Apple Pie Moonshine, Okanagan Peach Pie Moonshine
Kelowna
EndlessSummerDistillery.com
Fernie Distillers
Distillery
Monashee Spirits
Products: No. 9 Mine Vodka, Fernie Fog (Earl Grey Liqueur), Prospector Gin, Seasonal Spirits (limited)
531 1st Ave., Fernie FernieDistillers.com
Forbidden Spirits
Distilling
Products: Rebel Vodka, Forbidden Vodka, Eve’s Original Gin, Adam’s Apple Brandy
4400 Wallace Hill Rd., Kelowna
250-764-6011
ForbiddenSpirits.ca
Indigenous World Spirits
Products: Vodka, Gin
2218 Horizon Dr., Kelowna
250-769-2824
IndigenousWorldWinery.com
Jones Distilling
Products: Mr. Jones Vodka, Revelstoke Gin, Bathtub Gin No.
3 – Strawberry, Bathtub Gin No.
6 – Raspberry, Bathtub Gin No.
8 – Mixed Berry
616 Third St. West, Revelstoke JonesDistilling.com
Products: Valhalla Vodka, Kootenay Country Gin, Kootenay
Country Honey Vodka
7263 Gustafson Rd., Slocan 250-355-2702
kootenaycountry.ca
Legend Distilling
Products: Doctor’s Orders Gin, Shadow in the Lake Vodka, Blasted Brew Spiked Coffee Liqueur, Manitou Orange and Sumac Liqueur, Naramaro, Wyatt Whisky, Black Moon Gin, Silver Moon Gin, Harvest Moon Gin, Honeymoon Gin, Slowpoke Farmberry Vodka, Slowpoke Sour
Cherry Vodka
3005 Naramata Rd., Naramata 778-514-1010
LegendDistilling.com
Maple Leaf Spirits
Products: Lady of the Cask Wine Brandy, Canadian Kirsch, Pear Williams, Italian Prune Schnapps, Wild Apple Brandy, Skinny Pinot Noir, Maple Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur, Pear Liqueur, Peach Liqueur
948 Naramata Rd., Penticton
250-493-0180
MapleLeafSpirits.ca
Products: Vodka, Vulcan’s Fire Cinnamon Liqueur, Big Mountain Creamer, Ethos Gin
307 Mackenzie Ave., Revelstoke
250-463-5678
MonasheeSpirits.com
Okanagan Crush Pad
Products: Narrative 12 Botanical Gin, Narrative Brandy Single Cask, Narrative Fortified
16576 Fosbery Rd., Summerland
250-494-4445
okanagancrushpad.com
Okanagan Spirits
Products: Essential Vodka, Family Reserve Vodka, Essential Gin, Evolve Gin, Family Reserve Gin, BC Rye Whisky, BRBN
Bourbon-Style Corn Whisky, BLK BRBN Cask-Strength BourbonStyle Corn Whisky, BC Hopped Whisky, Laird of Fintry Single
Malt Whisky, Laird of Fintry
Rum Barrel Whisky, Applejack
IPA Whisky, Okanagan Shine
Unaged BRBN Whisky, Taboo
Genuine Absinthe, Aquavitus, fruit liqueurs, Bartlett Pear (Poire Williams), Bradshaw Plum (Old Italian Prune), Canados (Aged Apple), Kirsch Danube, Raspberry
Framboise, Gewürztraminer Marc
5204 24th St., Vernon
267 Bernard Ave., Kelowna
250-549-3120 | 778-484-5174
OkanaganSpirits.com
Products: Heritage Vodka, Legacy Gin, Black Goat Vodka, Blessed Bean Coffee Vanilla Liqueur, Wicked Brew Chocolate Coffee Liqueur, Harvest Raspberry Liqueur, Limited Release Canadian Whisky
270 Martin St., Penticton
778-476-2210
OldOrderDistilling.ca
Taynton Bay Distillers
Products: Vodka, Gin, Pickled Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Sinferno Cinnamon Spirit, TeaInfused Cocktails, Bitters
1701B 6th Ave., Invermere 250-342-5271
TayntonBaySpirits.com
True North Distilleries
Tumbleweed Spirits
Products: Gin, Rock Creek Rye, Fireweed Whiskey, Mindnite Brandy, Nine Mile Creek “Shine,” Sophia Esprit de Vin, Vodka, moonshine
#7-6001 Lakeshore Dr., Osoyoos 778-437-2221
TumbleweedSpirits.com
Vernon Craft Distillery
Products: Vodka Vernon, 250-306-4455
VernonCraftDistilleries.com
Wiseacre Farm Distillery
Products: Prologue Vodka, Single Malt Vodka, Lazy Ass Vodka, R&D Gin, Lavender Gin, Rhubarb Gin Liqueur
4275 Goodison Rd., Kelowna 250-469-2203
WiseacreFarmDistillery.com
Copper Kettle Spirits (Ladysmith)
James Bay Distillers (Victoria)
Western Red Distilling Company (Victoria)
Wild Coast Distilling (Cobble Hill)
WEST COAST
Copperpenny Distilling (North Vancouver)
Tallant Distillery (Vancouver)
Products: Area D 54-50 Spirit, Scots Choice Whiskey, Dominion Rye, Green Hit, Black Dog – After Dark, Hecate Spice Rum, Hulda Rum, Djinneh Elderberry Gin, Plum Brandy, Muscat Liqueur
1460 Central Ave., Grand Forks
778-879-4420
TrueNorthDistilleries.com
Wynndel Craft
Distilleries
Products: Fruit brandies, fruit liqueurs, moonshine, schnapps, Chili Cherry Vodka, Creme de la Carribbean, Floral Gin, Old Tom Apple Gin, Butterfly Blue Gin, Cape Brandy
1331 Channel Rd., Wynndel 250-866-5226
WynndelCraftDistilleries.ca
CrossRoads Craft (Prince George)
Distillery 95 (Radium Hot Springs)
Lost Boys Distillery (Fernie)
Mount 7 Spirits Craft Distillery (Golden)
Rakija Kings Distillery (Rossland)
Trench Brewing & Distilling (Prince George)
Fromthe outside, it doesn’t look like much. An awning over a discreet door in a West Loop industrial neighbourhood is the only sign that some of the world’s most exciting cocktails await. But step inside The Aviary, and it’s all subtle opulence, not that you can really tell because it’s so moodily lit.
Besides, your eyes are mesmerized by the team of mixologists hard at work behind the barred windows of the cocktail kitchen, as if captured in a sort of gilded cage.
This is the inventive realm of owner Grant Achatz, the chef who pioneered molecular cuisine at his celebrated restaurant Alinea, as well as bar director Alexis Tinoco and Micha Melton, the beverage director who worked his way up from “Ice Chef,” responsible for creating over 30 types of ice for the bar program.
Cocktails are deconstructed and reconstructed. Liquids become solids become airs become something else entirely. Flames flicker, smoke curls toward the ceiling—or is it dry ice? Garnishes are whimsical. Flavours even moreso. This is the highest form of cocktail art. Needless to say, these are luxurious drinks at equally luxurious prices.
But it’s the travel restrictions that’s really put them out of reach for Canadians. Which is why we’re so glad The Aviary has published a series of cocktail books. The original, The Aviary Cocktail Book, comes in a fancy 440page, 115-recipe reserve edition that weighs over eight pounds and costs a cool US$135. (The standard edition is US$85.) The most recent is The Office: Classic Cocktails, US$39.95. Any of these would make a great gift. Ahem. theaviarybook.com, theaviary.com
Please Enjoy Responsibly.
