The Alchemist • Issue 14 • Spring 2020

SECRET SIPS

Great cocktails without the hangover

AP É RITIF HOUR

Our tasting panel samples vermouths

08 – BAR BITES

News from the world of cocktails and spirits

14 – 2010

Remembering the year that changed B.C. cocktail culture by

Joanne Sasvari

20 – MO M ENT OF PROOF Catching up with the Eldorado’s Harry Dosanj by Michael White

24 – BARS WITHIN BARS

Discover Vancouver’s secret lounges by Gail Johnson

30 – L OW- P ROOF C OCKTAILS

Losing the booze but keeping the fun by Charlene Rooke

37 – H OM E BAR

A step-by-step guide to making bitters by Justin Taylor

40 – C LASSICS: T HE MARTINI

Bond’s favourite cocktail, and ours, too by Joanne Sasvari

44 – S TILL LIFE

Where are B.C.’s women distillers? by Charlene

Rooke

RECIPES

32– Zero Proof Clover Club

33– Picnic Smash

38– JT’s Chamomile & Orange Bitters

38– JT’s Hula Bitters

39– Cosmosis

–

62 – LAST CALL

Rooms we love: London’s Beaufort Bar

39– Secret Life of the Limbless Pirate

41– Classic Martini

42– Turf Club

Photo courtesy of Shebeen Dan Toulgoet

Contributors

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.

Gail Johnson is a Vancouverbased writer and broadcaster, fitness instructor, mom, and former longtime waiter and bartender.

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.

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.

Charlene Rooke is a WSET Spirits Educator, Certified Specialist of Spirits and a Moonshine University-trained craft distiller who writes for enRoute, Taste and Food & Drink.

ON THE COVER

This pretty-in-pink cocktail from Tableau Bar Bistro is an ideal aperitif before a meal, as well as the perfect spring sipper.

1.5 oz Lillet Rosé

1.5 oz Époque Tradition Sémillon Moelleux (or other aromatic o -dry white wine)

1.0 oz grapefruit juice

2.0 oz club soda

1 dash Bittered Sling Grapefruit & Hops Bitters

Add all the ingredients into a wine glass, stir gently, add ice and garnish with a dried grapefruit half-moon. Serves 1.

Dan Toulgoet photo

Jo Last, senior bartender at the Beaufort Bar at London’s Savoy Hotel, will bring her “Interpreted Magic” cocktail creations—like the Allure, featured here—to Vancouver’s Botanist Bar in April. Find the recipe for Allure at thealchemistmagazine.ca Photo courtesy Beaufort Bar at the Savoy

Feeling healthy and wholesome after a dry January? You’re not alone—the “sober curious” trend is only getting bigger, thanks to some surprisingly tasty zero-proof spirits and cocktails. In this issue, Charlene Rooke drinks in all that’s new—and what’s next—for those who are drinking less liquor these days.

And that’s not all that’s new. We’re also introducing two fresh features: Moment of Proof, in which writer Michael White gets the goods from bartender Harry Dosanj on the moment that changed his career, and Last Call, which offers a snapshot of one of our favourite global bars, the Beaufort Bar at London’s Savoy Hotel.

Closer to home, Gail Johnson explores Vancouver’s semi-secret bars within bars, Justin Taylor shows us how to make bitters at home and Charlene Rooke introduces us to B.C.s’ small sorority of female distillers. Plus we turn back time to 2010, the year that changed Vancouver’s cocktail culture forever, and we pour ourselves a stiff Martini (because we can).

We also have a complete guide to B.C.’s distilleries, the latest spirited news and plenty of thirst-quenching recipes. For even more, 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 ED ITOR: Laura Starr

CONTRIBUTING

PHOTOGRAPHER: Dan Toulgoet

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.

BAR BITES

NEWS A N D N OTES FROM BEHI N D THE BAR A N D AROU N D THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS A N D SPIRITS

S PIRITS OF B.C.

If you love local spirits, mark your calendar for the most important event of the year: the seventh annual BC Distilled festival, which will be held April 4 at Vancouver’s Croatian Cultural Centre.

Meet the makers and sample products from B.C.’s 60-plus artisan distilleries at the main tasting—it’s an incredible opportunity to taste all that’s new and exciting in the world of local artisan spirits. Among them will be several of the winners of the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition, which were announced February 5. (Sheringham Distillery’s cherry-blossom-scented Kazuki Gin was named Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year, the second time the Sooke distillery has taken home the top prize, and of 16

Best in Class awards, nine went to B.C. distilleries. For a full list of winners, go to artisandistillers.ca/2020-results.)

BC Distilled also features a distillers’ dinner at Forage on April 3 and a whisky tasting at Beaumont Studios with author Davin de Kergommeaux—including signed and discounted copies of his new book, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries.

Tickets for the BC Distilled main tasting are $69.99 (plus taxes and fees); to purchase them or for more information about Canada’s largest spirits event reserved exclusively for local distillers, visit bcdistilled.ca.

NH Photography photos

PANTONE C OLO UR OF 2020 D ISTILLE D INTO A TR U E BLU E COCKTAIL

Each year, the experts at the Pantone Color Institute pick a hue that they believe will best represent the year ahead; for 2020, the Colour of the Year is PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, a deep blue that is at once classic, comforting and contemporary, evocative of both the dusk sky and the deep sea.

It’s also the inspiration for a new cocktail that is the result of a partnership between H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore and Tealeaves, and part of the #PaletteforyourPalate campaign.

Twilight Blooming: The Sky at Dusk was created by Premium Bartender Andrew Kong. It gets its blue hue from butterfly pea blossom, just one of the ingredients in the official bespoke tea blend of the Pantone Colour

Recipe by Premium Bartender Andrew Kong at H Tasting Lounge at The Westin Bayshore, in partnership with Tealeaves. The cocktail comes in two parts, an infused-gin-and-tea base and a citrus-soda side. As you pour the citrus into the infused gin, the acidity transforms the deep blue to bright purple. Magic.

2 oz Star of Bombay Gin infused with Tealeaves Classic Blue Blend (see note)

0.5 oz steeped Tealeaves Classic Blue Blend tea

0.75 oz lemon juice

0.75 oz elderflower cordial

2 oz ume (plum wine)

0.5 oz soda water

In a pitcher or small carafe, combine the infused gin with the steeped tea and refrigerate until well chilled. In a separate container, combine the lemon juice, elderflower and ume, and refrigerate until well chilled. Do not add ice or other dilution to either.

When you’re ready to serve the drink, pour the gin-and-tea mixture into a champagne flute. Pour the lemon mixture into a separate small carafe and add soda. Serve the lemon mixture beside the flute and add it gradually. Serves 1.

Note: To infuse the gin, add a handful of loose-leaf Tealeaves Classic Blue Blend to a bottle of gin and allow to infuse. Strain before using.

of the Year 2020, which also includes lemon verbena, lemongrass and rose petals.

Pantone has said that Classic Blue represents dependability, trustworthiness, credibility and constancy, making it an antidote to the myriad stresses of the modern world. A few of these cocktails should do even more to help.

The cocktail is $17 at H Tasting Lounge; for more on Tealeaves’ Pantone collection, visit tealeaves.com.

Photo courtesy of H Tasting Lounge

C OCKTAILS WITH A VIEW IN N ORTH VAN’S S HIPYAR D S DISTRICT

With its skating rink, hotels, restaurants and spectacular view across Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver’s Shipyards District is fast becoming the Lower Mainland’s most social neighbourhood. And now it’s a good place for a cocktail, too.

That’s because JOEY Shipyards has just flung open the stylish doors to its new flagship restaurant. Not only has it introduced several new drinks for a thirsty North Shore, but it has welcomed a bartending icon as the leader of its chain-wide cocktail program.

“[President] Jeff Fuller’s line is ‘We give our guests what they want before they know they want it,’” says Jesse Sahlin, JOEY’s director of bar and lounge. “Beverage culture is growing. Everyone is excited about learning new things and sharing the discovery of it.”

So far, that means crowd-pleasing tweaks to recognizable classics like the Spicy Passionfruit Margarita, Super Sonic G&T or the comeback cocktail of the moment Jungle Bird.

But expect things to get a lot more exciting on the beverage front, and fast. JOEY has just announced its new Bar Development Leader: industry icon Jay Jones, formerly of Pourhouse, the Loden Hotel, Vij’s and Rogers Arena and so far the only bartender ever inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame.

We can’t wait to see what he’ll shake up for JOEY, and how that will trickle down through other chains’ cocktail programs. Meanwhile, we’ve already picked out our spot on the patio, where we plan to drink in that view along with another round.

J OEY ’S J U NGLE BIR D

1.5 oz Appleton Estate Signature Blend rum (formerly Appleton Estate V/X)

0.5 oz Aperol

0.5 oz lime juice

1.5 oz pineapple juice

0.5 oz cane or simple syrup

Garnish: Fresh lime wheel

Place ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. Serves 1.

In this updated tropical classic, Campari is swapped out for subtler Aperol. Recipe from JOEY Restaurants.

Photos courtesy of JOEY Shipyards

SUGAR AN D SPICE AN D ALL THINGS TIKI

Now you can make tropical cocktails at home almost as good as the ones at The Shameful Tiki Room, which was recently named the 2020 Nightclub & Bar Awards’ Best Tiki Bar in North America.

Vancouver’s favourite beachy bar has just released its first bottled “Exotic Cocktail Syrups” for retail sale. The allspice syrup has the sweetly warming flavours of the Caribbean that go so well in rum drinks; falernum is the classic citrus-and-spice sweetener you need for all your swizzles and such. (Both are essential for the tiki classic Three Dots and a Dash; for a recipe go to thealchemistmagazine.com.)

It took Rod Moore and Shea Hogan two years and “many, many back-and-forths” to create The Shameful Tiki syrups. They retail for $18 at The Modern Bartender and The Shameful Tiki Room, with more retailers to come. shamefultikiroom.com, themodernbartender.com

DISTILLERY G UID E CAPT U RES C ANA DA’S SPIRITE D REVOLU TION

Another day, it seems another distillery opens in Canada. But that didn’t stop Davin de Kergommeaux, the award-winning author of Canadian Whisky, from trying to capture them all in a new book. Consider it barley- and juniper-scented lightning in a bottle.

Joined by lifestyle and spirits writer Blair Phillips, he has just produced The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries: The Portable Expert to Over 200 Distilleries and the Spirits They Make (Appetite by Random House).

In it, de Kergommeaux and Phillips have created an indispensable guide to Canada’s most exciting distilleries, big and small, from coast to coast to coast. It’s a remarkable compendium that follows the rapid growth of the craft distilling over the last decade or so and recognizes the vast selection of specialty spirits from amaros to moonshine to flavoured vodka. Readers will also find tasting notes and cocktail recipes, making this an essential guide to Canada’s distilleries.

The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries will be available March 31 at a price of $32.

S HAKING IT U P AT S CIENCE OF C OCKTAILS

There was chemistry, physics and biology, bursts of flames and the occasional explosion. Most of all there were great drinks and snacks, all in the name of a good cause.

On February 6, the fifth annual Science of Cocktails event surpassed a cumulative milestone of $1.2 million raised for the Class Field Trip Bursary Program. The program allows classes from underserved schools to visit Science World by covering 50 to 100 per cent of their admission and transportation. This year alone, it will help 9,000 kids visit the geodesic dome in False Creek.

Throughout the night, bartenders demonstrated how science makes cocktails delicious at nearly 40 stations set up throughout Telus World of Science.

Matthew Benevoli, formerly of Nomad, won the cocktail competition with his Renovatio cocktail (the name means “rebirth” in Latin), an elegant, subtle and sustainable concoction of grappa, Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth, grapefruit juice, homemade sweetened coconut and blanched almond milk, grapefruit and cardamom bitters, and a grapefruit peel garnish.

The next Science of Cocktails will take place February 4, 2021. For tickets and info, visit scienceworld.ca.

Isabella Sarmiento photo

VANCOUVER CO CK TA IL W EE K 2021 IS O N!

It’s about time Vancouver had a proper cocktail week. And now, at last, the city is going to get one: The first Vancouver Cocktail Week, presented by The Alchemist magazine, will be held March 7 to 10, 2021.

The news was officially announced on Sunday, January 26, 2020, at the first annual Punch Brunch and, later that afternoon, the Barate Kid Throwdown.

Punch Brunch featured cocktails crafted by five of Vancouver’s top bartenders (Sean McGuigan, Sabrine Dhaliwal, Katie Ingram, Jeff Savage and Amber Bruce) and paired with chef Hector Laguna’s gourmet cuisine at the award-winning Botanist restaurant.

Meanwhile, the lively and action-packed Barate Kid Throwdown featured a speedround classic cocktail competition at the Donnelly Group’s Granville Room. Congratulations to the winner, The Keefer Bar’s Dylan Zrobek!

These two marquee events will make a return appearance at VCW 2021, along with a full slate of events including: spirited dinners, cinq à sept happy hours, industry seminars, a trade showcase and a glamorous

closing party. Many of these events will be held in the city’s best bars and restaurants, showcasing Vancouver’s dynamic cocktail scene the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

VCW 2021’s charitable partner is the BC Hospitality Foundation, which supports workers both by offering funds to those facing financial crisis due to a medical condition and scholarships to those building their careers. Already, Punch Brunch 2020 raised an estimated $2,000 for the BCHF, while the Barate Kid Throwdown raised an estimated $7,400 CDN for Australian bush fire relief.

Those interested in learning more should sign up for the VCW newsletter at vancocktailweek.com. Industry partners who wish to propose event ideas or sign up for one of the scheduled events should contact publisher Gail Nugent at gnugent@ glaciermedia.ca.

RYE OF THE TIGER

1 oz Lot No. 40 rye whisky

0.5 oz Hidalgo la Manzanilla sherry

0.5 oz white vermouth

0.75 oz lemon juice

0.75 oz carrot maple juice

2 oz Dickie’s Mango Ginger Beer

2 dashes Bittered Sling Kensington bitters

Place all ingredients except ginger beer and bitters in a shaker with ice; shake, then strain into a Collins glass. Top with ginger beer and bitters, then fill with crushed ice and serve with a reusable straw. If you like, garnish with Amarena cherries and gold flakes. Serves 1.

Recipe by Katie Ingram, bar manager of Elisa Steakhouse, for the Punch Brunch 2020. If you can’t find mango ginger beer, use regular ginger beer mixed 2:1 with mango juice. You can find more Punch Brunch recipes at thealchemistmagazine.ca.

Tara Rafiq photo

2010

L OOKI N G BACK AT THE YEAR THAT CHA N GED VA N COU V ER’S COCKTAIL CULTURE

by Joanne Sasvari

The Olympic flame isn’t the only legacy of 2010—so is Vancouver’s vibrant cocktail scene. Istockphoto.com photo

WhenVancouverites look back at 2010, we think of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a rain-soaked Wayne Gretzky and all those red mittens. But the really big news that year could be found at the bottom of a cocktail glass.

Proper cocktail bars were finally opening all over town. Global spirits brand reps started showing up to dole out samples.

The organizers of Tales of the Cocktail reached out to see if Vancouver would be a good site for Tales on Tour. (Spoiler alert: Yes, in 2011 and 2012.) And Imbibe magazine discovered “a Galapagos of mixology, a place where cocktails have evolved independently from the rest of the drinking world.”

Ten years later, we revisit the year that changed the city’s cocktail culture.

THE SCENE

“Honestly, 10 years, it’s been a bit of a blur,” says David Wolowidnyk, who was bar manager at West Restaurant in 2010 and is now restaurant manager at Homer Street Café.

“George [Ultra Lounge] was still really cool because there weren’t a lot of bars that focused on cocktails,” he recalls. “The Diamond had just opened . . . then Keefer Bar opened in February, and it was exciting because there was another venue focused on cocktails especially.”

“We were in Chinatown before Chinatown had any restaurants, coffee shops or condos,” recalls Danielle Tatarin, who opened The Keefer Bar and based its apothecary-style concept around traditional Chinese medicine. Four years later, The Keefer was the first Canadian bar included in the globe’s top 100 bars by World’s 50 Best; today, Tatarin lives in Mexico where she owns a mezcaleria and distillery. “I really pushed myself and my staff to create a space that was inclusive, interesting and somewhere people loved to sit and enjoy a well-made drink,” she says.

Justin Taylor, who is now general manager at The Cascade Room, but was then the head bartender at the Four Seasons, remembers: “It was the explosion of cocktail culture and a lot of really damn good restaurants opened.” Among them: Bao Bei, Corner Suite Bistro

Deluxe, Revel Room, the Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby Bar, The Refinery, Calabash, Uva, L’Abattoir, The Cascade Room, The Diamond and Pourhouse.

“We opened in September of 2009 so we barely had time to get our shit together before the world descended,” recalls Jay Jones, builder and original bar manager of Gastown’s Pourhouse, now Bar Development Leader at JOEY Restaurant Group. “Pourhouse became that beacon saloon in Gastown.”

“There were six or eight reputable places to go and they were all restaurants,” remembers Josh Pape, who opened The Diamond in June 2009 and is now a partner in Gooseneck Hospitality. “You couldn’t really order cocktails by name. If you ordered a Mojito or a Negroni, you’d never know what you would get.” He adds, “It’s funny to think how far it has come.”

THE PLAYERS

Behind the bar were what Taylor calls “the OGs of bartending,” people like Lauren Mote, Mark Brand, Wendy McGuinness, Cam Bogue and Nick Devine. And they were building a real community.

“A group of dedicated bartenders came together and formed the CPBA [Canadian Professional Bartenders Association] in 2009, but really, it was 2010 that it started

Dani Tatarin pours drinks at the groundbreaking Keefer Bar circa 2010. Facebook.com/TheKeeferBar photo

Justin Taylor brulées a cocktail at Yew Seafood + Bar. Photo courtesy Justin Taylor

T HE IDEA THAT BARTE N DERS COULD BE COOL A N D O N THE CO V ER OF MAGAZI N ES, BUT ALSO MAKE A CAREER OF IT—2010 WAS THE REAL TUR NIN G POI NT

to take root and grow, influencing a larger community and encouraging growth and sharing information,” Tatarin says.

“There were competitions everywhere,” Taylor says. “The Giffard competition was huge; it was the first one that took you somewhere. Those things really helped put us on the map because they really showcased everybody.” The most memorable competition was likely the Bartender Mixlympics, organized by Shaun Layton at George Ultra Lounge, which featured several international bar stars in town for the Winter Games.

“Everybody pushed each other in a positive kind of way. It was a time for us to really build the community,” Wolowidnyk says. “I don’t think any of the key players ever thought, hey, I made it. But we’ve come so far.”

T HE LEGACY

Today, Vancouver’s barkeeps have better access to products, better knowledge behind the bar, better informed consumers and infinitely better access to information via apps and social media.

“The idea that bartenders could be cool and on the cover of magazines, but also make a career of it—2010 was the real turning point,” Jones says. “It took a lot of people and a lot of effort and a lot of camaraderie to establish that culture. It all just led to us being a real family.”

“The people who are opening restaurants today have to go into it understanding a cocktail program,” says Taylor. “That third element of cocktails has to be there. You can even see it in the chain restaurants.”

“It was a time of inspiration, learning what to do and what not to do,” says Wolowidnyk.

“It’s still happening. It’s still vibrant. There is a great rapport between bartenders. It’s about helping each other rather than pushing each other down.”

“I’m reluctant to say that The Diamond changed things, but when we opened the ethos was educational,” Pape says. “We were a good place to train guests and make people understand that this is what a cocktail should be. You can take pride in what you do and still have fun.”

And, he adds, “I think it’s all very exciting now. It feels like it’s in really good hands.”

C HEERS TO 2010’S SIGNAT U RE D RINK

Along with everything else, 2010 ushered in a respect for the classics, but there was one cocktail above all that epitomized the year.

Jay Jones remembers putting the Old Fashioned on the menu at Pourhouse and watching it take o . “At that time and that place whisky was starting to make its mark,” he says. “It’s hard not to argue that the Old Fashioned had a coming out party in 2010.”

Dan Toulgoet photo

BRASS FISH OPEN

TAVERN 385 BURRAD NOW ern

Diageo World Class: More than a competition

H OW THE ESTEEMED BARTE N DI N G CO N TEST IS SHAKI N G UP THE COCKTAIL WORLD

Diageo World Class is more than just the biggest, most prestigious cocktail competition on the planet. It is also a major source of education for bartenders.

“We’re really trying to play our part in driving the industry forward, focusing on educating and giving bartenders the tools they need to achieve their goals, at home and around the globe,” says Michael Armistead, who oversees the Diageo World Class Canada Bartending Competition as National On-premise, Reserve and Sponsorship Manager.

In the months since the Botanist’s Jeff Savage won the 2019 Canadian title and placed second globally, World Class Studio training sessions

have been held in cities across Canada. Some 250 bartenders attended the workshops, which focus not just on the Diageo Reserve brands, but on “the trends within the category and the industry.”

“All of a sudden, it seems to be a trend that cocktail competitions are going away,” Armistead says. “So it’s important that World Class be seen as not just a competition, but as an education platform.”

Of course, it’s also still very much a competition, one that some 10,000 bartenders around the world enter each year. Since Canada joined the World Class family in 2013 (the global competition dates to 2009), it has been a major contender—in each of the last three years alone,

Competitors and previous winners celebrate at the Diageo World Class Canada final 2019 in Whistler. Leila Kwok photo

Canada’s winner has placed in the top 10 globally, with Vancouver’s Kaitlyn Stewart first overall in 2017.

“Canada is a world leader certainly as far as Diageo is concerned,” Armistead says. “The big story this year is that Canada is one of six countries to have a supercharged World Class festival and national final. We’re calling it the World Class Cocktail Festival Toronto 2020. Canada is very much on the global stage.”

The 2020 national final will be held March 28 to April 2 in Toronto, with all 16 finalists heading to the 6ix to compete. The final four will be announced right before the grand finale on March 31, and the winner will go on to compete in the global finals in Sydney in late September.

But the event will also feature more than the cocktail competition.

“We’re going to be running events across the week in and around Toronto,” Armistead says. “The actual finals will be held upstairs at Real Sports and at Scotiabank Arena. We’re going to be calling it the World Class Hub. It’s going to feel more like a global final, with brand activations, seminars and a futures lab.”

There will be food and drink seminars among other events, many of them featuring previous global and national winners. And the event will welcome consumers, too.

“The public can come in and watch the challenges. It’s going to be a really active environment. We really want consumers and spectators to come in and experience it,” Armistead says, and confides, “The last challenge is going to be spectacular.”

Follow World Class Canada on Facebook and Instagram for all the details.

Aaron Hatchell, ON Madison Homewood, ON

Williston Irvine, NS

Lindsay Jones, NS

Jason McNeely, ON

Jean-Yves Roumieu, ON

Oliver Stern, ON

Thomas Yeo, QC

Chad Coombs, BC

Cedrick Foley, AB

James Grant, AB

Katie Ingram, BC

Dylan Riches, BC

Jared Schmidt, AB

Jesse Werkman, AB

Dylan Zrobek, BC

The 2020 final will expand into a multi-day festival in Toronto. Photo courtesy of Diageo World Class

THE 2020 WORLD CLASS CANADA FINALISTS

From necessity, transformation

As told to Michael White

Harry Dosanj is a multiple-award-winning bartender who has twice ranked among Canada’s best bartenders in the Diageo World Class competition. His accomplishments are especially impressive given that before moving to Canada from Southampton, England, with his family in 2009, his interest in alcohol didn’t extend beyond an occasional beer. Here, Dosanj—who recently celebrated his second anniversary at Kelowna’s Hotel Eldorado—shares the story of his unlikely entry into the bartending profession.

“Inever felt like Southampton was my home. I can’t really explain why, but I thought, ‘I want to move abroad. I need a change.’ And then my parents basically said, ‘That’s a great idea! We should all go!’ And they followed me.

“We really liked Kelowna. There was big, open space—it reminded us of the countryside at home. We saw the potential of this place. We thought, ‘This should be a good starting point for our new life in Canada.’

“I used to have the odd beer. But, honestly, I never used to have a social

life. My family had two convenience stores back home. I ran a post office as well. It was the typical East Indian thing—we just worked our butts off. And in Canada, too, we have a family business [Poppadoms, a popular Indian restaurant] and we’ve always had a family member working every single day.

“For me to become a bartender was a really weird choice. The only reason why I became one is, Poppadoms didn’t have one. He quit. And I didn’t really have a role at that time, when we first opened. So, I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’ I was really mistaken on that!

IN OUR N EW COLUM N , K ELOW N A BARTE N DER H ARRY D OSA N J RE V EALS HOW HIS U N LIKELY CAREER WAS BOR N

I ’M O N E OF THESE PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS WA N TS TO KEEP LEAR NING, ALWAYS WA N TS TO ASK QUESTIO NS, REGARDLESS OF HOW SILLY THE QUESTIO N IS.

Bartender Harry Dosanj pours a cocktail in the well-stocked whisky bar he established at Kelowna’s Hotel Eldorado. Behind him, cocktails age peacefully in oak barrels. Hotel Eldorado photo

Especially when I had requests for, like, Bellinis, Mojitos, and stuff like that. I was thinking, ‘What the hell is this?’ I’d never ordered a cocktail in my life. I made probably the worst Mojitos you could ever make. I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, I want to learn how to do it properly.’ I didn’t want to embarrass myself again.

“I went to Vancouver about three years ago, and I was lucky enough to work with Shaun Layton [formerly of L’Abattoir and Juniper; now co-owner of Como Taperia], who’s probably the greatest bartender in Canada. I worked with him for four months, and that

really helped me understand the geeky side of cocktails, like dilution and how long to shake or stir things. It was like a different level for me. I’m one of these people who always wants to keep learning, always wants to ask questions, regardless of how silly the question is. Fortunately, I have a really good palate, and that came through over time.

“Bartending has made me way more confident. About 10 years ago, I was very quiet, very shy. But now, behind the bar, people say I’m very confident and they feel like I know what I’m talking about—even though I don’t always. And the accent really helps.”

The Golden Frontier of Farm-to-Flask Whisky

Okanagan Spirits, B.C.’s Original Craft Distillery prides itself as being Western Canada’s pioneer of authentic terroir-specific whisky, and now their 2020 Whisky line-up is gilded in Gold after having just been honoured with 5 Gold medals from the prestigious World Spirits Awards in Austria. The Okanagan Spirits family firmly believes that ensuring the local provenance of grains, from field to bottle, is the cornerstone of true craft distillation, and therefore they strive to capture the subtleties of the Okanagan Valley’s fields, and the expression of the region in every single vintage. Their whisky’s journey starts with the harvesting of local grains to ensure that their whiskies present as authentic as their very own Okanagan family

heritage. They aim to capture the very essence of the Okanagan Valley, locally, and naturally, just a tractor ride away from the lands that grow their rye, corn, and barley.

2020 FOR OKANAGAN SPIRITS IS ALL ABOUT GOLD MEDAL WHISKY!

The family at Okanagan Spirits continues to expand their whisky repertoire, which started over a decade ago, with the launch of B.C.’s original Single-Malt Whisky, the Laird of Fintry (vintages achieving Gold medal in 2015, 2017, and 2020 at the World Spirits Awards), and their BC Coldstream Valley Rye Whisky (Gold – 2020 World Spirits Awards). Soon afterwards saw the

innovation of their Final Proof Master Distiller Series Whisky line (Silver Medal 2015 World Spirits Awards), and the birth of B.C.’s original and hugely successful BRBN Bourbon-Style Whisky (Gold at the 2020 World Spirits Awards). The family has dubbed 2020 the “Year of Whisky” with 3 additional whisky releases including Laird of Fintry Black Label Cask Strength (Double-Gold at the 2020 World Spirits Awards), Laird of Fintry Blue Label Rum Barrel Finish (Gold at the 2020 World Spirits Awards), and will round out the line-up with the next release of their beer-inspired, B.C. Hopped Whisky (AppleJack IPA Hopped Whisky).

With B.C.’s largest and now most internationally awarded portfolio of Gold Medal Farm-to-Flask whiskies, and their unparalleled quiver of B.C. craft spirits ranging from Gins, Vodkas, and Traditional Fruit Liqueurs, to Aquavit and even Taboo Genuine Absinthe, what more could a discerning connoisseur ask for?

Shhhh…

by Gail Johnson

Step through the secret entrance to the luxe private room at D/6 Bar & Lounge.

Photo courtesy of D/6 Bar & Lounge

Vancouver is home to countless cool bars, some dive-y, some hip, some themed—and some full of surprises. A few house separate, completely different rooms that you might not even be aware exist. Here’s a handful of the city’s best bars within bars.

D/6 BAR & LOU NGE

Scan the D/6 Bar & Lounge at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver (39 Smithe Street) and at first glance you might notice a massive bookcase beyond the pool table. That wall unit houses vintage tomes like The Solitary Horseman and The Book of Knowledge alongside trophies, vases, and other objects. Push against that bookshelf and look! It’s a secret door, swinging 180 degrees to reveal a hidden

P USH AGAI N ST THAT BOOKSHELF A N D LOOK! I T’S A SECRET DOOR, SWI N GI N G 180 DEGREES TO RE V EAL A HIDDE N ROOM LIKE A SCE N E FROM THE ADD A MS F A MILY MO V IE.

room like a scene from The Addams Family movie. There’s glitz behind that faux front: luxe furniture, modular golden chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling windows. You have to order your drinks at the bar, but that just means more chances to slip in and out of the hideaway. Try the Estate Martini with Belvedere vodka and a blue iceberg cube.

L A G RANA D A C OCKTAIL

At D/6 Bar & Lounge, manager Tianna Brammer combines her appreciation for tequila and lemonade in this elegant drink.

Campari-pomegranate ice cube:

0.5 oz Campari

0.5 oz pomegranate juice

3 oz water

Cocktail:

1 oz Volcan blanco tequila

0.25 oz pisco

0.5 oz orgeat

0.5 oz citric acid

Garnish: dehydrated lemon slice, pomegranate seeds

Make the ice cube: Combine Campari, juice and water and freeze in a large ice cube mould until solid, at least two hours.

Make the cocktail: Stir the tequila, pisco, orgeat and citric acid with ice in a mixing glass until well chilled. Place the Campari-pomegranate ice cube in a rocks glass and strain the cocktail over it. Garnish by placing a dried lemon slice and a few pomegranate seeds on top of the ice cube. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of D/6 Bar & Lounge

UPSTAIRS AT CAM PAGNOLO

In classic speakeasy style, there’s no sign for Upstairs at Campagnolo (1020 Main Street). It’s not difficult, however, to find your way to this cosy, oddball nook with the feel of an old cabin. (It’s popular for dates, too—think low lighting, candles and just a single, small speaker, making conversation possible.) B.C. Sommelier of the Year Peter Van de Reep keeps the cocktail list clever and concise; just when you thought Negronis couldn’t get any more delicious comes Camp Up’s version, aged in and poured from mini oak barrels. His stellar wine list is ever-changing; you’ll find grower Champagnes, orange wines, idiosyncratic B.C. selections and more. Chef Robert Belcham’s all-natural Dirty Burger is non-negotiable. Check out the Fat Dragon sign on your way back down.

F ORGOTTEN TEM PLE

At Camp Up, smoky and bitter flavours combine in an appealingly dark sipper.

0.75 oz Los Siete Misterios Doba Yej mezcal

0.75 oz Cazadores blanco tequila

0.75 oz El Bandarra vermouth

0.3 oz Legend Naramaro

0.3 oz Odd Society Mia Amata amaro

Dash Apothecary Bitters Darkness

Co ee and Cacao Bitters

Garnish: orange twist

Place all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled—this cocktail can handle a decent amount of dilution, so take your time. Strain into a fancy short rocks glass and garnish with an orange twist. Serves 1.

The back bar at Upstairs at Campagnolo boasts intriguing spritis.

Photos courtesy of Campagnolo Upstairs

I T’S N OT DIFFICULT TO FI N D YOUR WAY TO THIS COSY, ODDBALL N OOK WITH THE FEEL OF A N OLD CABI N

The classic—and sessionable—red wine punch from Bodega on Main

1 lemon

1 orange

1/2 apple

Handful blackberries

1 bottle (750 mL) Spanish red wine

1.5 oz Triple Sec or Grand Marnier

1.5 oz brandy

2 oz lemonade

2 oz orange juice

6 to 8 oz soda water or 7Up

Peel orange and lemon carefully. Set aside the peels to use as garnish. Slice apple, orange and lemon, but keep the blackberries whole, and place the fruit in a pitcher.

Mix wine, spirits, juice and soda together, then pour over fruit. Stir gently. Add ice cubes. Garnish with orange and lemon peels, allowing them to hang from the pitcher. Makes 6 servings.

G RAN R ESERVA

La Bodega gave birth to Bodega on Main (1014 Main Street), where brother-and-sister duo Paul and Natalie Rivas carry on the legacy of their late father, Francisco. Select remnants from the original tapas bar adorn the main dining room, while downstairs is Gran Reserva, a distinct, sexy space. Intricate Spanish floor tiling offsets the heritage building’s original wooden beams; there’s a DJ booth and VIP room, complete with giant posters of Salvador Dali and a blackand-white wall mural depicting the patriarch’s home city of Madrid. Behind the herringbone bar, you can find all sorts of Spanish cava, wine, beer and sherry. Lustau East India Solera shows up in La Chispa cocktail, assertively swirling with Old Forester Bourbon, Mia Amata Amaro and house-made pacharán. Cerveza Alhambra is on special on Thursdays.

Photo courtesy of Bodega on Main

The cosy Gran Reserva bar downstairs at Bodega on Main. Photo courtesy of Bodega on Main

S HE B EEN

With its authentic representation of all things Emerald Isle, the Irish Heather (210 Carrall Street) is one of a kind in Vancouver—or is it? Stroll through the gastro pub to the very back, out the door, and down a teeny, narrow alleyway to make your way to the Shebeen Whisk(e)y House. An official Ardbeg Embassy—a beacon for devoted fans of the Islay distillery’s spirits—the Shebeen houses proprietor Seán Heather’s private collection of rare, coveted whiskies. Flights are available, including one that focuses on scotch whiskies finished in sherry casks. You can order food (including build-your-own charcuterie boards) and other drinks off the Irish Heather’s regular menu; if you must, make it a Guinness.

C HECK OUT THE BAR BUILT OUT OF A C HE V Y VAN, THE BACK PA N ELS EMBLAZO N ED WITH THE PHRASE “B LACK KN IGHT” A N D A N IMAGE OF A CROW SLICI N G

BOOGIE VAN

You can’t miss the giant neon purple skull looming above the entrance to Cuchillo (261 Powell Street), but you could easily breeze right by the stairs that descend to the “Boogie Van.” Check out the bar built out of a Chevy van, the back panels emblazoned with the phrase “Black Knight” and an image of a crow slicing the night sky in front of a full moon. Rum’s the thing in this party place. Various vintages of Flor de Caña comprise the base of cocktails like the boozy Cormorant (with Laphroaig Select, dry vermouth, Amaro Montenegro and cucumber) or the fruity Shady Acres (brimming with brightness owing to the pear sake, lime and black-pepper syrup). Order the white-bean queso fundido to soak up the alcohol.

It’s all about whisky at the Shebeen, tucked behind the Irish Heather. Photo courtesy of Shebeen

The “Boogie Van” bar downstairs at Cuchillo.

E LK R OO M

Overlooking Gastown’s cobblestone streets from its second-storey heritage-building perch, The Diamond (6 Powell Street) is indeed a sparkling gem: exposed brick walls, vintage windows and craveable creative cocktails. Pass through the sliding doors to the Elk Room, open Wednesday through Sunday, and while away the hours taking in all of its quirky knickknacks. Order a bourbon-based Royalist, a drink dating back to 1937, or a Diamond original like Corpse Rewired (mezcal, Cointreau, Lillet, absinthe, cava and lemon) and ponder the looming presence of Dewey the Deer.

Southeast Asian flavours and a pretty purple hue make this cocktail from The Diamond (and Elk Room) irresistible.

1.5 oz yuzu sake

0.5 oz Wray & Nephew overproof rum

0.5 oz butterfly pea flower syrup

0.75 oz lime juice

Tonic water

Garnish: sprig of mint

Stir all ingredients except tonic water together in a Collins glass. Add ice and top with tonic water. Garnish with the mint. Serves 1.

Dewey the Deer overlooks the Elk Room at The Diamond.

Vairdy Photography photo

Vairdy Photography photo

Zero-sum game

DON ’T CALL THEM MOCKTAILS: #SPIRITFREE A N D #PLACEBO DRI N KS ARE A GROWI N G WELL N ESS TRE ND

by Charlene Rooke

It gathered speed last year with Sober October before the holiday rush. After ringing in 2020, the trend was undeniable: #Dryuary was in full swing on social media and in the bars and living rooms of the nation, as the so-called sober curious or mindful drinking movement reached a new level of maturity.

No longer just a temporary fad, it’s a lifestyle choice that many imbibers are making at any time of year, whether they eschew alcohol completely or simply reduce their consumption. (Note that some sobriety programs caution participants against consuming drinks that mimic alcoholic beverages.)

“People are more aware of what they’re ingesting. Not just how much they’re

Seedlip alcohol-free spirits from the UK revolutionized the market.

drinking, but how much sugar they’re ingesting,” says Sabrine Dhaliwal, bar manager at Juke Fried Chicken and plant-based BeetBox, where—as at most ambitious Vancouver bars these days— beautifully crafted no-alcohol cocktails are on the menu. Guests frequently sessiondrink a few low-alcohol drinks made with vermouth or sherry, versus one spiritforward cocktail, says the Belvedere vodka ambassador and bar pro.

Dhaliwal says she’s reduced her own alcohol consumption, and notes many colleagues

FAR LEFT: Sobrii no-proof “gin” from Ontario.

LEFT: Lumette! alt-gin from Sheringham Distilleries.

P EOPLE ARE MORE AWARE OF WHAT THEY’RE IN GESTI N G. NOT JUST HOW MUCH THEY’RE DRI N KI NG, BUT HOW MUCH SUGAR THEY’RE I N GESTI NG

have been doing the same, as awareness of wellness and mental health in the hospitality industry grows. “You think to yourself, ‘If I want to make a career of this, I have to be more aware of the balance,’” she says.

Some credit Generation Z with popularizing the trend of drinking less.

(“When you’re on social media all the time, you can’t hide anything,” points out Dhaliwal.)

Places like Austin, New York and soon Portland have entirely spirit-free bars. According to a 2019 study by Distill Ventures, the new-brands investment arm of Diageo, 58 per cent of U.S. drinkers reported consuming more no- and lowalcohol drinks than the previous year. In the UK, the no-and-low industry is projected to grow by more than 80 per cent over the next three years, according to industry tracker IWSR. There, a Mindful Drinking Festival and the No & Lo Beverage Summit showcase innovative zero-proof drinks

T HE HOUND

1 or 2 ribbons of fresh ginger root

1.75 oz Sobrii

4 oz grapefruit-flavoured seltzer

Garnish: 2 to 3 large mint leaves or a slice of grapefruit

F REE SPIRITS

Creating a spirit-free cocktail can be as simple as adding tonic, soda or ginger ale to a non-alcoholic spirit (find a comprehensive list at alcademics.com), or as complex as using syrups, shrubs, bitters and bases that range from aloe vera juice and coconut water to yerba mate and other teas to create complex flavours and textures. “So much of what we enjoy in a cocktail is texture: the silkiness or the aeration. It’s a challenge, but who doesn’t like a challenge?” says bartender Sabrine Dhaliwal.

like Kin Euphorics, a brand featuring adaptogens and nootropics, as well as Nine Elms, an aperitif and wine-inspired berry infusion, and Three Spirit plant elixirs.

Even the big alcohol brands are now into the movement. Distill Ventures has invested in Seedlip and its aperitif brand Aecorn, as well as Ritual Zero Proof; Pernod Ricard has Ceder’s alt-gins and Celtic Soul, a no-alcohol brown spirit.

Build drink in a tall glass: layer ginger root ribbons with ice cubes, then pour in Sobrii. Top the glass with grapefruit-flavoured soda water. Garnish generously with mint or grapefruit slices. Serves 1.

Recipe created by Jess Morton at Reid’s Distillery in Toronto. She suggests using a vegetable peeler to create ribbons from the fresh ginger root.

Photo courtesy of Sobrii

T HERE’S THIS I N CREDIBLE MARKET FOR THE ‘LAST DRI N K OF THE N IGHT’ MADE WITH A N O-PROOF SPIRIT

B.C. G OES LOW

Local and Canadian innovators are bringing something else to the party.

Sons of Vancouver was the first to embrace no-alcohol distillates. In late 2018, the North Vancouver craft distillery released two bottlings in an Alt-Spirits Project Series, a citrus-forward Free Gin and a Free Spiced Rum that tastes like the holidays. “We sold 100 bottles in five days, and I still get at least a couple of inquiries a month,” says co-founder James Lester, who ceased production of the alcohol-free products when the employee who was their innovator left. “There’s this incredible market for the ‘last drink of the night’” made with a no-proof spirit, he adds.

Former Keefer Bar tender Dani Tatarin founded the Animas Botica line of botanical distillates during her sojourn in Mexico. And long-time Forage server Darice Page is now starting Inspiritus, a new line of no-proof spirits featuring flavours like rosehip, Asian pear and botanicals.

2 oz Lumette!

0.75 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp raspberry jam

1 oz egg white

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker without ice and vigorously dry shake. Add ice and shake again until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Serves 1.

But the best known is perhaps Lumette! alt-gin, which debuted last year from award-winning Sheringham Distillery in Sooke. It has a fresh evergreen top note and layers of earthly and slightly bitter spice.

“I love cocktails, but don’t enjoy drinking a lot,” says founder Alayne MacIsaac, who notes that making a non-alcoholic spirit in a traditional still is “actually much harder” and requires more fresh botanicals. Like her, the Lumette! drinker “still wants the

Recipe created by Mike Norbury of Veneto Kitchen + Bar in Victoria.

Z ERO P ROOF C LOVER CLUB

Photo courtesy of Lumette!

experience of cocktails with dinner, or pouring cocktails at a party, or simply at home.”

She adds: “Bartenders have been craving a product like this, something they can create and experiment with, allowing them the opportunity to be inclusive and offer everyone at their establishment the same cocktail experience, whether they are drinking alcohol or not.”

G IVING UP N OTHING

Meanwhile, in Ontario, Bob Huitema invented Sobrii 0-Gin, which is made at Junction 56 Distillery in Stratford. Zesty juniper and a zingy blend of botanicals like ginseng, coriander, allspice and star anise are spicy and warming on the palate. Sobrii “gives some consumers a slight ‘buzz’ feeling, which is completely a placebo effect,” he says.

“We’re trying to put some complexity in the non-alcoholic space,” agrees Sarah Parniak, the long-time Toronto bartender who is the Canadian ambassador for pioneering no-alcohol spirit brand Seedlip, available in three tasty and silkytextured bottlings: Garden 108, Grove 42 and Spice 94. “You can still enjoy that contemplative ritual of having a cocktail,” said Parniak, as we sipped a (Sin)hattan at Como Taperia, which subbed Seedlip Spice 94 for the whisky in a brilliant lowalcohol cocktail with vermouth, bitters and honey syrup. “You don’t have to feel like you’re giving up anything.”

This recipe from Seedlip is ideal for tucking in a picnic basket or insulated backpack for your next outdoor adventure.

2 oz Seedlip Spice 94

0.75 oz pink grapefruit juice

3 tsp strawberry jam

2 basil leaves, plus additional for garnish.

Place all ingredients in a jam jar filled with ice. Tighten lid and shake well. Garnish with an additional basil leaf. Serves 1.

Photo courtesy of Seedlip

Mixing it up

Whetheryou like to sip on a classic cocktail like a Manhattan or prefer to experiment with new, unconventional concoctions, the spirits world has never been more sophisticated or exciting. Yet for the longest time, mixers were overlooked, an afterthought rather than being considered a crucial ingredient in an extraordinary drink.

Often containing additives, sweeteners and other artificial ingredients, these lacklustre liquids drowned out the flavour and nuances of so many finely crafted spirits.

Tim Warrillow and Charles Rolls changed all that in 2005 when they launched Fever-Tree. With today’s presence in more than 70 countries, the British company has become the leader in premium mixers and one of the most awarded, most recently receiving No. 1 Best-Trending Tonics, and No. 1 Best-Selling Tonics awards by Drinks International for the sixth year running.

Warrillow and Rolls felt that mixers are just as important as spirits to a drink, especially long drinks. On a mixer mission, the pair set out to find the best and most authentic ingredients they could, sourcing quinine from Africa and ginger from India.

“We truly believe that if three-quarters of your drink is the mixer, you should use the best,” says Kris Steed, Fever-Tree Country Manager – Canada. “Mixers have such an important role in a drink; and unfortunately, up until recently, people have been mixing carefully crafted spirits with mixers of far less quality. The distiller or blender put their heart, soul and passion into their these spirits and envisioned a brilliant drinking experience. Our mixers give the spirits a true chance to shine in the best way possible, just as they were originally intended.

“We use all-natural ingredients,” Steed adds. “It’s just like with food: to get the best possible taste, you want to use the highest-quality ingredients.”

The company takes its name from the cinchona tree—also known as the fever tree. Its bark contains quinine, which gives tonic water its bitter taste. In the 1800s, quinine was found to help prevent malaria. The British Army gave tonic water to its troops in India, along with sugar, fruit or water to help the dose go down. Always prepared, those soldiers added their daily ration of gin to their morning medicine—hence the gin and tonic was born.

Fever-Tree produces more than a dozen mixers, including a range of tonic waters, ginger ales, ginger beer and club soda, used in some of the most popular drinks in the industry including tonicas, highballs, mules and spritzes, making it easy for any bar to offer a premium product that consumers are willing to pay for.

Its tonic collection ranges from Elderflower to Mediterrannean (flavoured with a blend of essential oils from the flowers, fruits and herbs gathered around the Mediterranean shores), to Fever-Tree’s newest, just in time for spring and summer sipping: Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic Water.

Fresh cucumber extract is derived from a slicing varietal called General Lee, a specialty product grown in the U.S., then blended with Fever-Tree’s signature quinine from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A low-temperature distillation technique captures only the purest cucumber volatiles, yielding a crisp, cooling, delicate tonic.

Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic is made with naturally occurring fruit sugars for fewer calories than Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water.

“What’s unique is that the cucumbers are distilled into the liquid as part of the process, not added afterward,” Steed says. “It’s light and refreshing. It makes for a really great, fresh, floral gin and tonic or vodka tonic. It’s perfect for sitting outside on your patio during spring or summer.”

Fever-Tree

MIX YOUR TONIC

Fever-Tree mixers are created with the highest quaity ingredients, natural avours and no arti cial sweeteners. Made from quinine of the highest quality from the “fever-trees” of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our award-winning tonics have been carefully crafted to complement the varied avours of spirits.

Use our Fever-Tree Tonic 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.

Better with bitters

A DD YOUR OW N U N IQUE FLA V OUR TO COCKTAILS WITH HOMEMADE BITTERS. H ERE’S HOW

Story by Justin Taylor · Photos by Dan Toulgoet

Making your own bitters at home is a lot easier than you may think. However, we need to understand a few things first. Cocktails, by definition, are made up of four essential ingredients: spirits, sugar, water and bitters. Spirits are self-explanatory. The sugar and water elements can be exactly that or they can take on other forms, such as syrups and juices. Bitters are much more complex, though. Bartenders use bitters to bridge the flavours of spirits, sugar and water so they come together. The key to selecting the right bitter is to use one that complements the other three components in the cocktail.

Bitters are made from three essential categories.

• Bittering agents: roots, barks and citrus peels.

• Aromatics and flavouring agents: spices, herbs, fruits, flowers and nuts.

• Alcohol: high-proof neutral grain spirits such as vodka, or more flavourful ones such as over-proof rum and gin.

There are two ways to make your own bitters at home. One is to create a series

of tinctures, a single-ingredient-infused alcohol that is later blended with other tinctures to achieve your final product. The second is batching the ingredients together in one infusion. The latter is the method that we will explore here. I have chosen to make two simple bitters recipes, using easily found ingredients, that you can use in a variety of drinks. As always, I encourage you to use these recipes as a starting point, then experiment and create your own flavours.

D ISCLAI M ER

It’s important to note that many ingredients used in bitters have medicinal properties and can have both negative and positive side e ects. I recommend doing your research and contacting professionals that have experience with ingredients you may be unfamiliar with.

A variety of spices, herbs and other botanicals give bitters their intense flavour.

HOW TO MAKE BITTERS

CHOOSE YOUR FLAVOUR

JT’S ORANGE & CHAMOMILE BITTERS (great with clear spirit cocktails)

Bittering agents:

12 g dried gentian root • 12 g dried licorice root

Dried peels of 8 oranges (white pith removed)

Aromatics and flavouring agents:

12 g dried chamomile flowers • 12 g dried lemongrass

0.5 tsp cardamom seeds • 0.5 tsp coriander seeds

Alcohol:

2 cups high proof vodka (45% ABV minimum)

JT’S HULA BITTERS (perfect for tiki drinks and whisky libations)

Bittering agents:

12 g dried angelica root • 12 g dried licorice root

Dried peels of 4 grapefruits (white pith removed)

Aromatics and flavouring agents:

12 g dried allspice berries • 12 g pink peppercorns

2 cinnamon sticks • 1 dried vanilla bean • 2 star anise pods

Alcohol:

2 cups 151 proof navy rum

METHOD

Place all

The longer you wait, the more flavourful your bitters will be. Makes about 1.5 cups.

ingredients in an airtight jar and let rest for eight weeks at room temperature in a cool dark place. Strain the ingredients through a fine mesh sieve. Bottle, label and seal until ready for use.

1.5 oz vodka

0.5 oz Cointreau

C OS M OSIS

0.25 oz JT’s Orange & Chamomile Bitters

0.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

0.25 oz simple syrup

5 frozen cranberries, thawed

Garnish: fresh orange peel

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the fresh orange peel. Serves 1.

Cocktails created by Justin Taylor

S ECRET L IFE OF THE LI MBLESS P IRATE

1.5 oz amber rum

0.5 oz Fernet Branca

0.25 oz JT’s Hula Bitters

0.5 oz cherry grenadine

1 oz pineapple juice

0.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

2 oz soda water

Garnish: maraschino or brandied cherry and mint leaves

Combine all ingredients except for the soda and fine strain into a hurricane glass with ice. Splash with soda and top with crushed ice. Garnish with the cherry and mint. Serves 1.

The Martini

T HE MURKY PAST OF A CLEAR FA V OURITE

by Joanne Sasvari

Plentya tall tale has crossed the polished oak; after all, bartenders like to dish out lively anecdotes along with the gin and spiced nuts. But when it comes to boozy myths, legends, outright lies and wholesale whoppers, “more cling to the Martini than any other cocktail.”

So writes Robert Simonson in his IACPnominated book The Martini Cocktail (Ten Speed Press). He is fascinated by the outsize role the Martini has played in popular culture ever since its invention in 1849, or maybe it was the 1880s, or possibly 1906, who knows?

Whenever that first barkeep stirred, or shook, or threw that first Martini, he (and it was almost certainly a he) changed the course of drinking history. No other cocktail has gripped the public imagination so firmly and for so long. Even when the Martini fell out of fashion in the 1970s—too bourgeois for the right-on set—mournful essays were penned to its demise.

The Martini has always been enjoyed by elites, intellectuals and sophisticates. It is also enjoyed by the masses, an impressive crossing of cultural and class boundaries. “The drink didn’t stumble into this reputation,” writes an

M ARTINI

The classic, as it has evolved over more than a century of opinionated drinking.

2.5 oz London dry gin

0.25 to 0.5 oz dry vermouth

Garnish: lemon peel twist or olives

Place gin and vermouth in a mixing glass. Add cubed ice and stir for 30 seconds until well chilled. Strain the drink into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon peel, expressing the essential oils over the drink, then dropping it into the liquid. Alternatively, garnish with speared olives. Serves 1.

S HAKEN OR STIRRE D?

The most famous Martini aficionado is, of course, James Bond, the suave spy created by author Ian Fleming. Although Bond is best known for ordering vodka Martinis “shaken, not stirred,” in the books he was actually more likely to drink Champagne or scotch-and-soda highballs. The first mention of a Martini is in Casino Royale, and would come to be known as the Vesper.

admiring Simonson. “It seems to have worn it from the very first.”

That “first” is where things get as murky as a Dirty Martini.

Some trace it back to a cocktail called the Martinez that was allegedly invented in a California Gold Rush town called Martinez in the mid-1800s. Others say Jerry Thomas—the great-grandfather of modern mixology— invented an early version of the Martini in the 1860s. Still others believe a bartender named Martini di Arma di Taggia served the first versions of the botanical-bright drink around 1906 at New York City’s Knickerbocker Hotel. Or maybe the drink was simply named for Martini & Rossi vermouth.

“The boring but most likely story of the birth of the Martini is that a cocktail made of gin and vermouth probably evolved naturally in multiple bars in multiple locations around the same time, once those premises came into possession of vermouth and a barman with a modicum of imagination,” Simonson writes, a little crushingly.

In any case, recipes for both the Martini and Martinez started appearing in the 1880s, though the early Martinis were much sweeter, calling for Old Tom gin, various liqueurs and gum syrup, as well as bitters and vermouth; the “dry” version we know only dates back to the 1920s or ’30s.

Until then, the Martini had been paired in popularity with the whisky-based Manhattan, but access to bathtub gin during the dusty years of Prohibition elevated the Martini’s supremacy. Then in 1934, mere months after repeal, came a gin-soaked movie that ensured it. The first time we see William Powell as Nick Charles in The Thin Man, he’s shaking up a batch of Martinis.

“The important thing is the rhythm,” he says, cobbler in hand. “Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you always shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry Martini you always shake to waltz time.”

Of course, we all know that a Martini should always be stirred, not shaken. (“Bruises the gin,” Auntie Mame would say.) But that is just about all we know about the Martini, except that we would very much like one right about now.

TU RF C OCKTAIL

The Turf Cocktail emerged around the same time as the Martini, and some believe it was an early version of it (not likely, but you never know).

1.5 oz Plymouth gin

1.5 oz dry vermouth, preferably Noilly Prat

2 dashes orange bitters

2 dashes maraschino liqueur

2 dashes absinthe

Garnish: olive

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an olive. Serves 1.

MARTINI V ARIATIONS

Vodka Martini (aka Kangaroo): Replace gin with vodka.

Gibson: Garnish with two pickled onions instead of the lemon or olive.

Dirty: Add a splash of olive brine before stirring with ice.

Perfect Martini: Use equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.

Burnt Martini: Rinse the glass with a peated scotch first.

Churchill Martini (aka Desert Martini): Wave the vermouth in the general direction of the mixing glass, but don’t actually add it to the drink.

istockphoto.com photo

Introducing Beaufort Vermouth

A small batch Vancouver Island craft vermouth, fortified with Sheringham vodka and infused with a secret blend of 11 botanicals.

SOPRA SOTTO

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS, A PLAYFUL ATTITUDE, AND QUALITY THAT LASTS THE TEST OF TIME.

1510 Commercial Dr., Vancouver 604-251-7586

4022 Hastings St., Burnaby 604-251-7586 soprasotto.ca

HAPPY HOUR S PECIAL S DAILY

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake for 10 seconds, then fine strain into a coupe. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.

Female spirit

M EET SOME OF B.C

WOME N DISTILLERS, A GROUP SO SMALL IT BEGS THE QUESTIO N : W HY ARE THERE STILL ARE SO FEW?

.’S

by Charlene Rooke

March 8, 2020, likely passed in a blur for Shelly Heppner. Around International Women’s Day, she was firing up her brand-new stills to produce Virtue Vodka and Jezebel Gin at Bespoke Spirit House in Parksville, which received its distilling green light in February. “Gin is such a vixen! I do want to have a couple of different gins that will have femaleoriented names,” says Heppner, who also plans to make small-batch eaux-de-vie from Vancouver Island fruit.

Though women play essential roles in running, promoting and developing products at dozens of B.C. distilleries, Heppner is only the second woman distiller currently working in the province. (When Kirsten Jensen opens Jensen Spirits with George Kondor, she will likely become the third.)

Bespoke Spirit House has been more than two years in development—even given Heppner’s elite compliance and red-tape-

Shelly Heppner, founder and distiller of Bespoke Spirit House in Parksville.

Photo by Dayman-Langen Photography

T HE HI N DRA N CE FOR WOME N STARTI N G UP A DISTILLERY DOES N ’T HA V E TO DO WITH GE N DER. I T IS FI NAN CIAL.

cutting skills, honed as a mortgage broker and insurance agent. But her right-brain skills are equally proficient, and artistic studies and pursuits have always been part of her career and life. “I have an inherent need to express my creativity. Distilling is just a different canvas,” says Heppner, who claims tenacity has been her most valuable skill set in this endeavour.

During her research, Heppner came across references to women as the original alchemists and distillers in medieval times, and she rejoiced at meeting modern mentors like the Freeland Spirits team from Portland at the first Women’s Summit at the American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Convention in 2018. She’s received “nothing but support” from fellow distillers and her local community— plus crucial funding assistance from Community Futures. “The hindrance for women starting up a distillery doesn’t have to do with gender. It is financial,” says Heppner. That’s because women don’t have universal pay and economic equity.

“Take distilling out of it and think about entrepreneurship,” agrees Jillian Rutherford, the distiller and co-founder at Fernie Distillers, winner of the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Fernie Chamber of Commerce. “You are literally putting your livelihood on the line and running a business.”

When Rutherford and her husband moved their family from Calgary to Fernie to start the distillery, which opened in 2018, the

division of labour happened naturally. “I come from a technical, engineering kind of background, and Andrew had worked in sales. We were both equally involved in setting up a business plan,” says Rutherford. “I come from an oil-and-gas background and that’s a field that’s also male dominated. But I didn’t go into it thinking that, and it’s the same with opening the distillery.” She describes herself as process-oriented, good at problem-solving and not afraid to ask questions.

A recent gold medal winner in the Canadian Artisan Spirit Awards for her Prospector Gin, Rutherford plans to become the face of the brand, travelling around the Kootenays to distribute Fernie Distillers products. In addition, she’s hired a woman front-of-house manager for the tasting room and bar, and a Fernietransplanted Australian woman winemaker to assist in the distillery. “It just happens

Jillian Rutherford, the distiller and co-founder at Fernie Distillers, with her husband and co-founder Andrew Hayden.

Photo by Kyle Hamilton of birr

that three women are now the main people in this business,” Rutherford says proudly.

It’s well recognized in the global spirits industry that women can have genetically superior nosing and tasting skills, and though some hold top master blender or distiller positions, women are still in the minority. “Women in the production side of the process are usually less common, but blending, sales and marketing have a strong female presence,” says Charisse Woods, the B.C.-born distiller who’s now making small-batch spirits at Mine Hill Distillery in Roxbury, Connecticut. With six years of experience already at age 27, starting at Endless Summer in Kelowna when she was still a Bachelor of Science student, Woods is likely the OG of B.C. women distillers.

To that hands-on experience she earned an online Diploma in Distillation through the UK-based Institute of Brewing and Distilling, while she worked for Diageo at the Crown Royal distillery in Manitoba (and later for one of its distilleries in Kentucky). “I have met some other young women at my level, and as the years have gone, I have noticed an increase of women as the industry has grown,” says Woods, adding that people are more often thrown off by her age than her gender.

Though there’s very little these women can’t do, “Heaving a 25-kilogram bag of wheat in to the still won’t be at the top of my list,” says Heppner, with a laugh. “I can hire help. And I am fine with that.”

T HE FEM ININE MYSTIQ UE

These international spirits brands all have women at the helm.

Appleton Rum: Joy Spence, Master Blender

Bloom, Greenall’s, Opihr Gins: Joanne Moore, Master Distiller

Brugal Rum: Jassil Villaneuva Quintana, Master Blender

Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse: Kirsteen Campbell, Master Blender

Glendronach, Glenglassash and BenRiach: Rachel Barrie, Master Blender

Hendrick’s Gin: Leslie Gracie, Master Distiller

Michter’s Bourbon: Pam Heilmann, Master Distiller Emerita

Mount Gay Rum: Trudiann Branker, Master Blender

Rémy Cointreau: Carole Quinton, Master Distiller

St-Rémy: Cecile Roudout, Master Blender

Zacapa Rum: Lorena Vasquez, Master Blender

Appleton Estate master blender Joy Spence.

W OME N I N THE PRODUCTIO N SIDE OF THE PROCESS ARE USUALLY LESS COMMO N , BUT BLE N DI N G, SALES A N D MARKETI N G HA V E A STRO N G FEMALE PRESE N CE

TASTING PANEL

Demystifyingvermouth

THE ALCHEMIS T TASTI N G PA N EL SAMPLES THE FORTIFIED, AROMATIZED ELIXIR

Vermouth is not just an essential ingredient in many cocktails, it is already a cocktail, a wine fortified with spirits and flavoured with herbs, spices and other botanicals. And it’s enjoying a major comeback right now.

Five of Vancouver’s top bartenders gathered on a rainy afternoon at Tableau Bar Bistro to taste this beguiling product: Sabrine Dhaliwal, bar manager of Juke Fried Chicken and Beetbox; Adam Domet, bar manager at Pourhouse; J-S Dupuis, beverage director of

Wentworth Hospitality; Robyn Gray of Elisa Steakhouse; and Katie Ingram, bar manager at Elisa Steakhouse.

They all love vermouth. “It’s rich in flavour and lower in alcohol,” Ingram said. “And we’re all flavour junkies. So we get that fix of citrus and bitterness and everything you’re looking for.” Besides, with prices as low as $12 for a litre bottle, vermouth is also a complete bargain.

The panel tasted 16 local and international vermouths. Here’s what they had to say.

Vermouth ranges from palest straw to deep ruby red, with flavours to match. Dan Toulgoet photo

NOILLY PRAT EXTRA DRY

$12.99, 18% ABV (750 mL)

“It’s a long, dry vermouth, tasty and nutty,” Dupuis said of this classic from France. “Floral,” Dhaliwal said. Domet detected a “nice fino finish,” while Gray and Ingram commented on its appealing oxidized notes.

Cocktail: “I use it in my Picklebacks,” said Dupuis. Other suggestions were to serve it in a highball with ginger ale, or in a dry Martini.

IMPERATIVE DRY VERMOUTH

$36, 18% ABV (750 mL)

Imperative is a dry vermouth from Ampersand Distilling on Vancouver Island, made with Rathjen Cellars organic Ortega and Petite Milo wines. Opinions were divided, with some unsure of its burnt-almond and quinine-like notes. Domet thought it tasted a bit like the gentian-flavoured aperitif Suze and said, “I want to drink this standing at the bar at Como.”

Cocktail: “It would make a great tonic sort of thing, but with vermouth and soda. This and soda on the patio,” Dhaliwal suggested. Dupuis added: “With three olives.”

MAIDENNI KINA

$57.28, 17.5% ABV (750 mL)

This vermouth comes, unusually, from Australia, created by winemaker Gilles Lapalus and bartender Shaun Byrne, authors of a book on vermouth. It has a Viognier base, and its key botanical is cinchona bark, the bitter ingredient from which quinine is extracted.

The first notes were “popcorn— unbuttered,” Ingram said, and then the cinchona came flooding through.

“It’s definitely medicinal,” Domet said,

THAT SALINITY IS REALLY NICE WHEN YOU PUT IT INTO COCKTAILS

adding, “She lingers. She dances on the tongue.”

Cocktail: “A French 75 with orgeat instead of simple syrup,” said Domet.

MARTINI BIANCO

$11.99, 18% ABV (1L)

This light, delicately complex Italian vermouth (not to be confused with Martini Dry) was not only the best bargain of the bunch, but an all-round favourite for its subtly sweet citrus, floral and spice notes. “I love it,” Gray said. “Yum yum yum.”

Cocktail: “We used to use it at The Diamond in our Martinez. There are nice vanilla and fruity notes to it,” said Domet. Dupuis preferred it with soda on ice. As for Ingram, “Just a nice lemon twist.”

MIRO VERMUT BIANCO

$35, 18% ABV (1L)

We think of vermouth as hailing from Italy or France, but for more than a century Spain has also been producing exceptional vermouths from houses like Miro, which is one of the country’s oldest. “It’s tasty,” Dhaliwal said. “Citrus peel and vanilla undertones. It’s got a really nice silky texture.” Dupuis liked its subtle baking spice flavours, while Ingram enjoyed its appealing salty note.

“That salinity is really nice when you put it into cocktails,” she said.

Cocktail: “A really cool Bamboo cocktail,” said Ingram. Or, Dhaliwal suggested, “That would be a really good dry bourbon Manhattan—rye would be too austere.”

DE VINE BIANCA VERMOUTH

$24, 18% ABV (375 mL)

From Vancouver Island comes a French-style vermouth made from local white wine grapes, fortified with honey-based spirit and flavoured with apricot, cinnamon, jasmine and chamomile. “It took me by surprise because it’s not a bianco even though the name is Bianca,” said Dupuis, who detected a hint of marzipan, and said, “It’s got a lot of oxidative notes, which isn’t bad.” Added Domet: “The nose has a lemon zest, candy corn note to it. And the palate is super metallic.”

Cocktail: “A Japanese highball with Suntory Toki,” Domet insisted. “I think adding it to a high-flavoured spirit is the way to go. It should not be the star. I don’t think it wants to be the star, either.”

NOILLY PRAT AMBRÉ

$15, 16% ABV (750 mL)

A relative newcomer to the B.C. market, the French Ambré hits that sweet spot between

sweet and dry vermouth, but richer and more complex than either, with 49 herbs and spices in the botanical blend. “Noilly Prat Ambré, delicious as always,” said Dhaliwal. “Delightful.” Gray detected “cardamom, cinnamon, lavender.” “And it’s barrel-aged. It’s nutty, it’s rich, it’s oxidative,” Dupuis said. “It’s cheap, too, 15 bucks,” added Domet, “Oh, yeah.”

Cocktail: “I think this in a bourbon Manhattan, or if you floated this on a Fog Cutter instead of the sherry,” said Domet. Or enjoy it on its own, “with some chocolate on the side,” Dhaliwal suggested.

CINZANO ORANCIO

$14, 15% ABV (1 L)

Is this a vermouth or an orange-flavoured aperitif? No matter, it’s delicious. As Gray said, “I can’t keep it in the fridge. I go through it too fast. I just crush it on the rocks.” “It’s great in a low-alcohol cocktail,” added Dupuis. “I love this shit. It’s got baking spice, lots of orange obviously, lots

The tasting panel, from left: Adam Domet, Robyn Gray, Sabrine Dhaliwal, J-S Dupuis and Katie Ingram. Dan Toulgoet photo

of oxidative notes. I would literally use it in everything.”

Cocktail: Use it as a low-alcohol substitute for any drink that requires Cointreau, such as a Margarita. “It’s great in Manhattans. It’s great in any drink you want to stretch out and lower the heat,” Dupuis said.

DEVINE MODERNA VERMOUTH

$24, 18% ABV (375 mL)

The darker, deeper sister to the DeVine Bianca is based on the original vermouth recipe from Turin, and made with more than 30 different botanicals including orange, clove, cardamom, rose, juniper, wormwood and gentian. “It’s like tamarind—or like those little gummy Coke bottles,” Domet said. “Medicinal,” Gray added. “It feels like it should be good for you.” Dhaliwal noted its long bitter finish and Dupuis agreed: “I think it needs sugar, honestly. It’s got a very herbal finish.”

Cocktail: “I kind of want to make a Last Word with this,” Dhaliwal said. “But I’d add sugar to balance it out.”

ODD SOCIETY BITTERSWEET VERMOUTH

$20.99, 18% ABV (375 mL)

This is B.C.’s oldest vermouth, produced by Vancouver’s Odd Society Spirits. Based on an ancient vermouth recipe, it’s fortified with the distiller’s own malted barley spirit and flavoured with 25 botanicals. It’s a craft product that varies from batch to batch; this one, the bartenders felt, had pronounced complex, bitter and woody notes.

Cocktail: “This would be good with tonic, a sweeter tonic like Schweppes,” Ingram said. “A highball. Two parts vermouth, one part simple syrup, four parts tonic or soda.”

MARTINI & ROSSI RISERVA AMBRATO

$33, 17% ABV (750 mL)

This floral and honeyed amber Vermouth di Torino is new to the market, and inspired by the earliest vermouth recipes. “It’s got a petrol nose to it. It smells wonderful,” Dupuis said, while Domet detected something almost prosciutto-like. “It’s a better version of Martini Bianco,” Dhaliwal said. “I get tons of thyme.” Dupuis summed it up: “This is quite delightful.”

Cocktail: “This would be really nice in a Martini with salty aspects,” Ingram said.

CINZANO VERMOUTH ROSSO

$11.99, 15% ABV (1 L)

“This is workhorse vermouth,” Domet said, and where this classic Italian vermouth works hardest is in a Negroni. “I need Cinzano in my Negroni,” Gray said. Or an Americano, someone suggests. Gray points out that the Americano was originally called the Torino “but it was all the Americans would drink, so, OK, fine, Americano.” “Honestly,” Domet says, “it’s so good, and it’s what, $11.99?”

Cocktail: Negroni or, as Domet said, “This with Campari in anything.”

I CAN’T KEEP IT IN THE FRIDGE. I GO THROUGH IT TOO FAST. I JUST CRUSH IT ON THE ROCKS.

PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND. YOU DON’T NEED A COCKTAIL TO DRINK VERMOUTH. IT WAS MEANT TO BE DRUNK ON ITS OWN. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL, LIGHT, SLIGHTLY BITTER, AMAZING THING.

MARTINI & ROSSI RISERVA RUBINO

$33, 17% ABV (750 mL)

Also new to the market is this rich, dark, complex Vermouth di Torino, flavoured with rare botanicals such as red sandalwood and three varieties of artemisia, aka wormwood or vermut, from which vermouth gets its name. Surprisingly, it wasn’t very bitter at all; instead, the predominate flavour was “winey.” “I think it’s delicious,” Dupuis said. “Yeah,” Dhaliwal replied, “but it needs a little more bitterness though.”

Cocktail: “Throw that in some sangria with blueberry juice,” Domet suggested. Ingram agreed: “A vermouth sangria!”

GIUSEPPE CARPANO ANTICA FORMULA VERMOUTH

$18.99, 16.5% ABV (375 mL) One of the first vermouths to attempt to recreate the original recipe created by Antonio Benedetto Carpano in 1786, this sweet vermouth is flavoured with three different vanillas, as well as saffron and wormwood, among other botanicals. It is a popular choice among all the bartenders, because of all that natural vanilla.

Cocktail: “A rye Manhattan would be my preferred cocktail,” Gray said.

DOPO TEATRO COCCHI VERMOUTH AMARO

$52, 16% ABV (750 mL)

Inspired by Piemontese tradition of sipping chilled vermouth with lemon zest after watching a theatrical performance, this “evening vermouth” is based on Barolo wine and flavoured with rhubarb, quassia wood, chiretta and a double infusion of cinchona.

“I get dusty cocoa nibs,” Dhaliwal said. “It’s got a candied note,” Dupuis said. “I love that Cocchi. It’s real good,” Domet added.

Cocktail: “I’d like this in a rum Manhattan, something dessert-y,” Domet said. Or, Gray suggested, “In a Harvard cocktail, with a rich, round cognac.”

PUNT E MES

$29.15, 16% ABV, (750 mL)

Gray noted that in the 1870s, the Carpano family “created an entirely new category called ‘Vermouth Amari.’ Stockbrokers would drink vermouth mixed with amaro in the local bars, and Carpano decided to capitalize on it.”

The name Punt e Mes means a point and a half in stockbroker slang. It actually straddles the line between vermouth and amaro, with an extra bitter kick.

Cocktail: “Drank on the rocks as it was designed to be,” Gray said.

Dupuis concluded, “People don’t understand. You don’t need a cocktail to drink vermouth. It was meant to be drunk on its own. It’s a beautiful, light, slightly bitter, amazing thing.”

B.C. DISTILLERY LISTINGS

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.

VANCOUVER

ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS

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

D ISTILLER Y LE GEND

(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: Gin, Vodka

425 Stanford Ave., Parksville BespokeSpiritsHouse.com

De Vine Spirits

Products: Genever Gin, Vin Gin, New Tom Barrel-Aged Gin, Sloe Gin, Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky, Ancient Grains

Alternative Whisky, Honey Shine Silver, Honey Shine Amber, Black Bear Spiced Honey Rum, Bianca Vermouth, Moderna Vermouth, De Vine Kiss Strawberry Eau de Vie

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

DeVineVineyards.ca

Fermentorium

Distilling Co.

Products: Stump Coastal Forest Gin, Hop Drop Elixir, handcrafted tonics

2010 Government St., Victoria 250-380-1912

Fermentorium.ca

Island Spirits 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

PO Box 358, 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

Moon Distillery Ltd.

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 Distillery

Products: Humpback Vodka, Lighthouse Gin

2-317 Forbes Rd., Ucluelet @PacificRimDistilling

Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery

Malt Artisanal Whisky, Shelter Point Cask Strength Whisky, Montfort District Lot 141 Single Grain Whisky, French Oak Double Barreled Whisky, Single Cask Rye, Canada One Artisan Vodka, Hand-Foraged Botanical Gin, Sunshine Liqueur

4650 Regent Rd., Campbell River 778-420-2200

ShelterPoint.ca

Sheringham Distillery

Products: Kazuki Gin, Akvavit, Seaside Gin, Vodka, Red Fife Whisky, Lumette! zero-proof gin

252-6731 West Coast Rd., Sooke 778-528-1313

SheringhamDistillery.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

Tofino Distillery

Products: Sting Gin, Hive Vodka, Honeycomb Moonshine, Apple Pie Moonshine

194 Kitchen Rd., Salt Spring Island

250-221-0728

@SaltSpringShine

Shelter Point Distillery

Products: Shelter Point Single

Products: Vodka, Jalapeño Vodka, Espresso Vodka, West Coast Gin, Old Growth Cedar Gin, Rose Hibiscus Gin, Beach Fire Cinnamon Spirit, 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, whisky casks

761 Enterprise Cres., Victoria 778-401-0410

VictoriaCaledonian.com

Victoria Distillers

Products: Victoria Gin, Oaken Gin, Empress 1908 Gin, Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Sidney Spiced, Chocolate Liqueur, Craigdarroch Whisky, Twisted & Bitter bitters

9891 Seaport Pl., Sidney 250-544-8217

VictoriaDistillers.com

Wayward Distillation

House

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 – Elixir 151, Raspberry & Ginger Vodka

Infusion, Wayward Order – Char #3 Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin

2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay 250-871-0424

WaywardDistillationHouse.com

LOWER M AINL AN D, FRASER VALL EY & B.C. W EST COAST

Anderson Distilleries

Products: Mare Serenitatis Creme

d’ Cafe, Serenitatis Golden Gin, Serenitatis London Dry Gin, Serenitatis Silver Liquorice, Sweet Serenitatis Cinnamon, Sweet Serenitatis Muddled Mint, Sweet Serenitatis Limoncello, Sweet Serenitatis Lime’cello, Sweet Serenitatis Orangello, Montague Sunset, Serenitatis

Smoked Rosemary Gin

106-3011 Underhill Ave., Burnaby

604-961-0326

AndersonDistilleries.ca

Bruinwood Estate

Distillery

Products: Aquasen Vodka, Vanilla Vodka, Chocolate Vodka, Gin, Heavenly Honey Liqueur, Nucino

2040 Porter Rd., Roberts Creek 604-886-1371

Bruinwood.com

Central City Brewers & Distillers

Queensborough Pink Raspberry Gin, Sparrow Rum, Peeled Orange Liqueur, Queensborough Gin TWST, Queensborough Gin

FZZZ, 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

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

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits

Products: Sin Gin, Raspberry

Gin, VTwin Rye Vodka, Gastown

Shine Wheat Vodka, Lemoncello, Café Crema, Booze Witch Shurbs & Elixirs

8-38918 Progress Way, Squamish 604-390-1122

GillespiesFineSpirits.com

Goodridge & Williams

Craft Distillers

Products: Nütrl Vodka, Tempo Renovo Gin, Tempo Fresa Strawberry Gin, Tempo

Arándano Blueberry Gin, Sid

Products: Lohin McKinnon Whiskies, Queensborough Gin, Queensborough Omakase

Japanese Gin, Queensborough Wine Barrel Aged Gin,

Products: Rosemary and Olive

Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Barrel Aged Akvavit (limited), Red Fife Whisky (limited)

2270 Dollarton Hwy., North Vancouver 604-770-1136

DeepCoveCraft.com

The Handcrafted Vodka, Sid Made Some Root Beer Schnapps, Western Grains Whisky, Northern Grains Whisky, Bitterhouse

Aperitifs, Nütrl Vodka Soda, Highball Whisky Soda, Tempo Gin Smash, Tempo Gin Soda

Lime, Sid Made Something Else, Bitterhouse Spritz

8-7167 Vantage Way, Delta 604-376-0630

gwdistilling.com

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canadianbartenders.com

BartenderBC@gmail.com

@BCBartender @BCBartender /BCCPBA

CELEBRATING GIN, VODKA, WHISKY & OTHER SPIRITS FROM 39 LOCAL DISTILLERIES

SATURDAY APR. 4, 6-9PM bcdistilled.ca

The Liberty Distillery

Mad Laboratory

Distilling

North West Distilling Co.

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 – Canadian Rye, Trust

Whiskey – Southern, Trust

Whisky – Single Cask

1494 Old Bridge St., Vancouver 604-558-1998

TheLibertyDistillery.com

Long Table Distillery

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, Marc Du Soleil

1451 Hornby St., Vancouver 604-266-0177

LongTableDistillery.com

Lucid Spirits

Products: Northern Vodka, Northern Gin, Apple Spirit, B.C. Rye Whisky

105B-8257 92nd St., Delta 604-349-3316

LucidSpirits.ca

Products: ULKERaki, Mad Lab Vodka, Mad Lab Gin6, Mad Dog Single Malt White Spirit, Kombucha Cordial, Viking Vodka

119-618 East Kent Ave., Vancouver MadLabDistilling.com

Mainland Whisky

Products: Corn Whisky, Cinnamon Whisky, Wildrose Whisky Liqueur, Straight Whisky

107-3425 189th St, South Surrey MainlandWhisky.com

Montis Distilling

Products: Alpine Gin, North Vodka

1062 Millar Creek Rd., Whistler MontisDistilling.com

New Wave Distilling

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

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, Crème de Cassis, Bittersweet Vermouth, Mia Amata Amaro, 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

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, Organic Kartoffelschnaps, Organic Coffee

Liqueur, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy, Elderflower Liqueur

1954 Venture Pl., Pemberton 604-894-0222

PembertonDistillery.ca

Resurrection Spirits

Products: White Rye, Pale Rye, Gin, Rosé Gin

1672 Franklin St., Vancouver 604-253-0059

ResurrectionSpirits.ca

Roots and Wings

Distillery

Products: Vital Vodka, Double Vice Coffee Infused Vodka, Renegade (horseradish-infused vodka), Jackknife Gin, Rebel, Sidekick

7897 240th St., Langley 778-246-5247

RootsAndWingsDistillery.ca

Sons of Vancouver

Stealth Wheat Vodka

#3-20 Orwell St., North Vancouver 604-916-4103

StealthVodka.com

Tailored Spirits

Products: Gin, Vodka

Vancouver 604-619-9615

TailoredSpirits.com

The 101 Brewhouse & Distillery

Products: 101 Gin, 101 Vodka

1009 Gibsons Way, Gibsons 778-462-2011

The101.ca

The Woods Spirit Co.

Products: Amaro, Cascadian Dry Gin, Limoncello, Barrel Aged Amaro

1450 Rupert St., North Vancouver 778-996-7637

TheWoodsSpiritCo.com

Aged Hopped Gin, Yaletown

Single Malt Canadian Whisky

1132 Hamilton St., Vancouver

604-669-2266

YTDistilling.com

O KA NAGAN, KOOTE NAYS & INTERIOR After Dark Distillery

Products: Copper Island Gin, Monashee Mountain Vodka, After Dark Burner Vodka, Monashee Mountain Whiskey, Monashee Mountain Moonshines

1201 Shuswap Ave., Sicamous 250-836-5187

AfterDarkDistillery.com

Alchemist Distiller

Products: Libellule Gin, Nectar Apple Liqueur, Green Frog Absynthe

101-18006 Bentley Rd, Summerland 250-317-6454

AlchemistDistiller.ca

Products: No. 82 Amaretto, Vodka Vodka Vodka, Chili Vodka, Coffee Liqueur Sucks, Craft Blue Curacao

1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388

SonsOfVancouver.ca

Stealth Distilleries

Products: Stealth Corn Vodka,

Yaletown Distilling Company

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

Bohemian Spirits

Products: Vagabond Vodka, Limited Gin, Colossal Gin, Eclipse Coffee Liqueur, Forester

Single Malt Oak Aged Gin

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

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

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

531 1st Ave., Fernie FernieDistillers.com

Forbidden Spirits

Distilling

Products: Rebel Vodka, Forbidden Vodka

4400 Wallace Hill Rd., Kelowna 250-764-6011

ForbiddenSpirits.ca

Jones Distilling

Products: Mr. Jones Vodka, The Revelstoke Series – Gin No. 1, Sweet Spot Alcoholic Cordial

616 Third St. West, Revelstoke JonesDistilling.com

Kootenay Country Craft

Distillery

Products: Valhalla Vodka, Kootenay Country Gin, Kootenay Country Honey Vodka

7263 Gustafson Rd., Slocan 250-355-2702 kootenaycountry.ca

Legend Distilling

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, Skinny Pinot Noir, Skinny Gewürztraminer, Maple Liqueur, Cherry Liqueur

948 Naramata Rd., Penticton 250-493-0180

MapleLeafSpirits.ca

Monashee Spirits

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 Spirit of the Vineyard, Narrative Fortified

16576 Fosbery Rd., Summerland 250-494-4445

okanagancrushpad.com

Products: No. 9 Mine Vodka, Fernie Fog (Earl Grey Liqueur), Prospector Gin

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,

Okanagan Spirits

Products: Essential Vodka, Family Reserve Vodka, Essential

Gin, Evolve Gin, Family Reserve Gin, BC Rye Whisky, BRBN

Bourbon-Style Corn Whisky, Final Proof BC Hopped Whisky, Laird of Fintry Single Malk Whisky, Okanagan Shine Unaged

BRBN Whisky, Taboo Genuine

Absinthe, Aquavitus, fruit liqueurs, Bartlett Pear (Poire Williams), Bradshaw Plum (Old Italian Prune), Canados, Kirsch

Danube, Raspberry Framboise, Gewürztraminer Marc

5204 24th St., Vernon

267 Bernard Ave., Kelowna

250-549-3120 | 778-484-5174

OkanaganSpirits.com

Old Order Distilling Company

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

True North Distilleries

Wynndel Craft Distilleries

Products: Vodka, Gin, Pickled

Vodka, Raspberry Vodka, Gringo’s Revenge, Sinferno

Cinnamon Spirit, Tea-Infused

Cocktails, Bitters

1701B 6th Ave., Invermere

250-342-5271

TayntonBaySpirits.com

Products: Dominion Rye, Black Dog – After Dark, Hecate Spice Rum, Hulda Rum, Red Plum

Brandy, Muscat

1460 Central Ave., Grand Forks

778-879-4420

TrueNorthDistilleries.com

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

4275 Goodison Rd., Kelowna 250-469-2203

WiseacreFarmDistillery.com

Products: Fruit brandies, fruit liqueurs, schnapps, Chili Cherry Vodka, Spicy Peach Vodka, Floral Gin, Old Tom Apple Gin, Butterfly Blue Gin

1331 Channel Rd., Wynndel 250-866-5226

WynndelCraftDistilleries.ca

D ISTILLERIES

C OMI NG SOO N

VANCOUVER ISLAND & GULF ISLANDS

Copper Kettle Spirits (Ladysmith)

James Bay Distillers (Victoria)

Western Red Distilling Company (Victoria)

Wild Coast Distilling (Cobble Hill)

LOWER M AINL AN D, FRASER VALL EY & B.C. W EST COAST

Tallant Distillery (Vancouver)

OKA N AG AN, KOOTE NAYS & INTERIOR

Distillery 95 (Radium Hot Springs)

Lost Boys Distillery (Fernie)

Mount 7 Spirits Craft Distillery (Golden)

Rakija Kings Distillery (Rossland)

Trench Brewing & Distilling (Prince George)

LAST CALL

GREAT WORLD BARS WE LOVE: BEAUFORT BAR AT THE SAVOY

Thereis always an element of theatre in a good bar, the dazzle of lights bouncing off a mixing glass, the rows of bottles lining the back bar like so many punters, the deft drama of the barkeep shaking a cocktail to his own overture. But the Beaufort Bar actually is a theatre, or was, back when it was the renowned cabaret stage at The Savoy, where the composer George Gershwin was known to strike up the band from time to time. When the hotel was renovated and reopened a decade ago, it was transformed into this glamorous Art Deco bar, all darkly gleaming in black and gold, perhaps the most romantic saloon in all of London.

The Beaufort Bar is known for its selection of vintage Champagne, its nightly live music and its gorgeous cocktail menu, a limited-edition pop-up book of hand-drawn illustrations.

Led by head bartender Elon Soddu and senior bartender Jo Last, the entire team creates imaginative drinks that are all about the drama, and not a little magic.

Vancouverites can sip of these dark arts April 14 through 18, when the Beaufort Bar brings its Interpreted Magic menu to the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Last will be on hand for an exquisite cocktail-paired sensory dinner created by executive chef Hector Laguna (April 15 and 16, $148 per person), while Botanist Bar will offer a special menu of Beaufort Bar and other Savoy cocktails.

For tickets and info, visit botanistrestaurant. com; for more on the Beaufort Bar, go to fairmont.com/savoy-london/dining/ beaufortbar.

Photo courtesy Beaufort Bar at the Savoy

MAKE

MAKE YOUR DRINKS WORLD CL ASS

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.