The Alchemist • Issue 1 • Winter 2015

Taste what happens when elite Fairmont bartenders team up to craft a new cocktail menu. Visit The Lobby Lounge at Fairmont Pacific Rim to sip on a refreshing new idea.

08 – CULTURE CLUB

Charting the origins of Vancouver’s world-class cocktail culture

by Alexandra Gill

15 – GIN TONIC

How Long Table Distillery is giving gin its due respect by Fiona

Morrow

22 – DO IT YOURSELF

The essentials for creating a great home bar by Justin

Taylor

30 – OUT OF THE PAST

How one determined bartender revived the Vancouver Cocktail

by Joanne Sasvari

38 – WHISKY G ALORE!

Move over vodka and gin, B.C.’s whiskies are coming of age by Shawn

Soole

46 – S MOKE ON THE W ATER

Sipping scotch on the Isle of Islay is a magical affair by Lauren

Mote

52 – T ERMS OF E NDEARMENT

Can’t tell a crusta from a coupe? Learn the lingo with our glossary

57 – B.C. DISTILLERIES

Where they are, and what they do

Laura McGuire photo

Thinkstock photo

Laura McGuire photo

Nothing compliments a great spirit better than a great bartender, and here at The Alchemist, our goal is to celebrate and honour both. From our amazing mixologists and their divine libations, to the new B.C. distilleries bringing passion, care and innovation to their small-batch gins, vodkas, whiskies, liqueurs and more, we respect and salute them all.

This, our first issue, covers a lot of ground: the craft cocktail pioneers who put Vancouver on the map, and the cocktail that took the city’s name; the workings of Vancouver’s original urban distillery, and a look forward to the soon-to-boom B.C. whisky industry. Most importantly perhaps, we have collated a guide to the ever-growing ranks of distillers in the province, to help you in your quest to sample the best of B.C.

Whatever your favourite tipple, please raise your glass and join us in a toast.

Santé. Salute. Prost. Kanpai. Slange Var. Bottoms up.

However you choose to say it: Cheers!

EDITOR: Fiona Morrow

PUBLISHER: Dee Dhaliwal

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Gail Nugent gnugent@glaciermedia.ca

DESIGN: Tara Rafiq, Anja Werner

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Alexandra Gill, Lauren Mote, Joanne Sasvari, Shawn Soole, Justin Taylor

CONTRIBUTING

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Laura

McGuire, Issha Marie and Alison Page

© The Alchemist 2015

Published by:

Glacier Community Media 303 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 604-742-8678

– First issue complimentary $11.99

Laura McGuire photo

Ourwhatsymbol: is this?

Alchemy is, loosely speaking, the act of transforming something of no discernible value into treasure—to the founders of the concept during the Middle Ages, this meant converting base metal to gold.

The philosopher’s stone—the mythical substance that was a cornerstone of ancient alchemy (it was said to, among other things, grant immortality)—was often referred to as the “elixir of life.”

The Alchemist logo you see here and throughout this issue is a subtle, contemporary update of the philosopher’s stone symbol. We don’t mean to imply that the distillers, bartenders and assorted mix-masters found in these pages possess the ability to bestow eternal life (although, on some particularly good nights, they might make you feel they have). But in their small, individual ways, they do achieve a sort of alchemy with every bottle, every glass, every sip…

Culture club

TALENTED BARTENDERS HAVE PUT

V ANCOUVER’S COCKTAIL SCENE ON THE WORLD MAP

by Alexandra Gill

In the mood for a Sazerac? How about a Negroni punch bowl mixed with local gin and vermouth, or a playful spin on Arctic Ungava with a dash of citric acid and spritz of Laphroaig perfume? Whatever your poison, it can be found in Vancouver, home

to one of the most vibrant cocktail scenes in North America.

It wasn’t always this way. The depth and breadth of the city’s spirited talent is all the more remarkable when you consider how far

Fred Fung photo

W E WERE SMASHING DRINKS WITH CLUBS AND LIGHTING THINGS ON FIRE

the community has come in 15 years with scant resources.

Back at the turn of the millennium, when most seemingly sophisticated bars were still shooting Margaritas out of soda guns, two lonely trailblazers stood out from the crowd: Chris Stearns at Lumière and Jay Jones at West (then called Ouest) strove to mix cocktails that were as ambitious as the food coming out of their respective kitchens, incorporating bitters, sourcing then-obscure spirits such as absinthe, and introducing long-forgotten classic recipes.

“It was a challenge at the start, trying to persuade our patrons that a drink experience could be more than just some simple flavours that get you drunk,” recalls Jones, now the beverage manager for Vij’s Restaurant Group.

It didn’t take long for the ball to start rolling. In 2004, the new Belgian-themed Chambar Restaurant, which injected fine

dining with a splash of fun Euro flair, knocked it out of the park immediately upon opening, with a serious cocktail program backed up by its kitchen.

The now-cult classic Blue Fig (gin infused with roasted figs and served with a slice of blue cheese), the lavender syrup for sours, the Campari powder, the paper-thin dried pineapple garnishes—and many other elements that turned Chambar’s cocktail program into a citywide sensation—were cooked up in collaboration with pastry chef Eleanor Chow.

“That was one of the things that helped us take the program to the next level,” says former bar manager Wendy McGuinness. “Eleanor really understood how to utilize fresh ingredients and highlight flavours. She helped us all take the simplicity of a well-made cocktail and make it more of a showpiece.”

Over at George, the city’s first London-style cocktail bar, British transplant Nick Devine was also learning to adapt to the limited supplies on local liquor store shelves by mixing syrups and infusing his own spirits (which wasn’t technically legal).

“People were blown away when they saw all the fresh herbs spread across our big wooden work table,” recalls Devine, who had come from London’s famed Soho House. “We were smashing drinks with clubs and lighting things on fire.”

The flames fanned, a lively cocktail culture ignited across the city. The diaspora from Chambar, and to a smaller extent George, spread to Gastown and smaller neighbourhood nooks where

LEFT: Wendy McGuinness says local spirits must earn their place on her back bar.

BELOW: A collegial rivalry pushed local mixologists to be ever more innovative.

Laura McGuire photo

T HE RESTRICTIONS FORCED THEM TO BE CREATIVE. A ND THE WORLD BEGAN NOTICING

Yet, for many years, it remained difficult to source certain essential ingredients. When not raiding farm fields for the local fruits and produce that typified Vancouver’s market-fresh kitchen cocktails, local mixologists were making regular runs to Seattle to buy bourbon, bitters and Crème de Violette.

The restrictions forced them to be creative. And the world began noticing.

In the lead up to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Imbibe Magazine welcomed Team Canada onto the international cocktail podium with a glowing two-page feature. In 2011, Tales of the Cocktail chose Vancouver as the site of its first satellite festival outside New Orleans. And, two years ago, the Diageo Reserve World Class invited Canada to compete for the first time. Vancouver’s Grant Sceney (bartender at the Fairmont Pacific Rim) placed fourth.

The explosion of the local spirit industry goes hand in hand with that coming of age.

nothing more ambitious than a highball had previously been served. Boneta, The Diamond, Pourhouse, L’Abattoir, Bao Bei, The Keefer Bar, The Cascade Room, The Refinery, Uva, The Granville Room—the list of serious cocktail spots kept growing.

“Because Vancouver is a small big city we all knew each other and hung out together,” says McGuinness, explaining how the friendly rivalry pushed their competitive edge in a collegial way.

“Not every distillery makes it on to my back bar,” says McGuinness. “They have to earn their place. But the ones that do are really advancing the city. When an international guest sits at your bar, you can proudly pull out a vodka and make a killer Martini and say ‘Hey, we make this here. We don’t just have great cocktail bars, but great spirits as well.’”

Alexandra Gill is the Globe and Mail’s Western Restaurant Critic and a freelance food and drinks writer for numerous publications. She moved to Vancouver at the start of the city’s cocktail renaissance. No wonder she never left.

Jay Jones was one of Vancouver’s first cocktail pioneers.

File photo

T HE

BLUE FIG

Chambar’s Blue Fig has become a Vancouver classic

2 oz roasted fig-infused gin 0.5 oz simple syrup

Add infused gin and simple syrup to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe or Martini glass and serve with a side of blue cheese.

To make fig gin: Slice four roasted figs and add to a bottle of gin. Rest 48 hours and strain through cheesecloth.

—by David Fesq

Scott Little photo

Mix master

T REVOR K ALLIES FINDS INSPIRATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL COCKTAIL COMMUNITY

Leading the beverage program at the Donnelly Group keeps Trevor Kallies on his toes.

With responsibility for lists across the group’s pubs, cocktail taverns and nightclubs, his 15 years of experience behind the bar—10 as a serious cocktail contender— are invaluable.

At the Donnelly Group, Kallies says, it’s all about being able to craft a diverse range of top quality drinks that meet the needs of each room.

“When I first got interested in cocktails, it was all about amari, bourbons and ryes— big, bold, spirit-forward cocktails,” he says. “That’s great for a few bars. It’s not great for others. I’m looking to create a balance.”

The pubs in the group keep similar lists. “The thought process is: What’s fresh? What’s fruity? What’s delicious?”

It’s a different story at flagship pub, The Blackbird, with its 150-strong Scotch list.

“The cocktail menu is designed to showcase that,” Kallies explains. “We want to entice

people to check out the bar, and maybe experience a new single malt they haven’t heard of, or had the chance to try before.”

The Granville Room and Clough Club are where he can take the cocktail list into more spirit-focused, eclectic territory.

“That’s where we really have fun,” he laughs. “The Granville and Clough cocktails are a little bit more exciting, a little bit more innovative.”

While he and his team are busy honing their own signature drinks for lists that change three or four times a year, Kallies always has an eye on what’s happening elsewhere, looking for amazing cocktails—either new, or long-lost recipes—that he can feature.

This “Not Ours” list is not only great for customers, he says, it’s a way for young, upcoming bartenders to learn and experiment.

“For me it’s about bridging the gap between what’s happening in Vancouver and what’s happening around the world,” he smiles. “The global cocktail community is a big deal, and we enjoy being a part of that.”

For more information about Donnelly Group bars and pubs, visit donnellygroup.ca

Gin tonic

L ONG T ABLE, V ANCOUVER’S ORIGINAL MICRO DISTILLERY, IS FUELLED BY PASSION

by Fiona Morrow

Charles Tremewen loves gin. So much so, he hocked his house to start making it himself. He launched Vancouver’s first micro distillery, Long Table, in February 2013, and hasn’t looked back.

Long Table’s first gin was the London Dry-style, and it remains the flagship product, aromatic and punctuated with the distinctive evergreen notes of juniper. Next

came what was meant to be the seasonal Cucumber, with vegetables from Pender Harbour macerated and infused during the distilling process.

“That was intended as a summer fling,” says Tremewen. “It proved so popular, it’s earned a level of permanence.” It also won a gold medal at the 2015 World Spirits Competition (the London Dry took a silver).

Laura McGuire photo

W E DON’T USE ESSENTIAL OILS TO FLAVOUR OUR GIN; WE MACERATE ALL OUR BOTANICALS AS PART OF THE DISTILLATION. W E ARE A SMALL-BATCH, HAND-CRAFTED OPERATION.

The third of Long Table’s gins is the Bourbon Barrel Aged, a caramel-coloured, smooth-as-silk “whisky-man’s gin,” aged for three to four months in small barrels from Woodenville Whisky.

After losing ground to vodka, gin—always popular with bartenders as a base for a classic cocktail—is enjoying something of a revival.

“I think it is back in favour,” agrees Tremewen. “It holds such character in its essential herbaceousness, and those floral, peppery notes really open up and bring complexity to a cocktail.”

Served in some of Vancouver’s top cocktailforward rooms, Long Table’s product is prized by bartenders for its high quality, complexity, and consistency.

That consistency comes at a price—for Tremewen, at least: like most high-end gins, Long Table uses Neutral Grain Spirit (ethanol that has been distilled five times)

DID YOU KNO W?

Almost half of all the gin consumed in the world is drunk in the Philippines. Their Ginebra San Miguel brand accounts for 43 per cent of the global market, but is unknown outside of the country.

PUTTING THE ‘J’ IN GIN

There is no gin without juniper berries, usually foraged in the wild. Long Table has recently sourced a B.C. wild juniper, and is just waiting for the berries to dry out and become ready for use.

as its base. It’s the same process used by Vancouver Island’s Victoria Gin, acclaimed U.S. small-batch Aviator Gin, and London’s first new hand-crafted gin in 200 years, Sipsmith. It’s also the method used by globally revered Hendrick’s.

“We want people to recognize the quality of the product we are making,” he says. “We don’t use essential oils to flavour our gin; we macerate all our botanicals as part of the distillation. We are a small-batch, handcrafted operation.”

But, in B.C., the moving target known as the province’s liquor laws, currently insists that the “craft” designation (and financial breaks that come with it) can only be applied to those making grain to bottle spirits—creating a base on site from B.C. grown grain, potatoes, or whatever else the distiller chooses to use. (Determined after

Laura McGuire photo

the distillery licences were first granted, the designation has forced at least one small operator to literally pour barrels of handcrafted rum down the drain to meet the regulations; another had to get rid of litres of lovingly-tended pear brandy.)

For Shaun Layton, one of Vancouver’s leading bartenders, and creator of the gin-forward cocktail program at recently opened Juniper restaurant, Long Table is one of B.C.’s best gins, and says the base alcohol is not a concern.

“I’ve toured craft gin distilleries in England and the U.S., and this distinction seems to be a uniquely B.C. approach, and one that doesn’t necessarily make for a better product,” he notes.

“What matters is what comes out of the bottle.”

Tremewen stands by his gin-making process, and remains hopeful that the regulations will eventually be tweaked.

“All of us distillers are at the forefront of a new industry in B.C.,” he says. “There is room for us all, and room to grow.

“We are all alchemists,” he smiles. “And we all share the same passion for our craft.”

Fiona Morrow is a freelance writer and editor. She writes for numerous publications including the Globe and Mail, the Guardian, and Vancouver magazine.

THE LAST W ORD

“A perfect Martini should be made by filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy.”

—Noël Coward

Laura McGuire photo

Long Table has been distilling gin in their German-made copper still since February 2013.

Settingthe bar

Y ACINE SYLLA BRINGS A SPLASH OF E UROPEAN FLAIR TO A V ANCOUVER FAVOURITE

Cocktails have always been serious business at Chambar. The trend-setting French/North African restaurant burst onto the Vancouver scene just over a decade ago, and has been leading the pack ever since.

Last year’s move up the street to expanded premises meant room to build a bartender’s dream: the wood at Chambar is 30 feet long, giving its mixologists plenty of creative freedom to run their distinct section.

“Even though we’re a high volume restaurant, we put out complex, wellpresented cocktails that usually only small restaurants can produce,” notes bar manager Yacine Sylla.

Chambar has never been shy and retiring: this is a room that brings the buzz, and its bartenders know how to create a great atmosphere as much as they do a great drink.

Sylla smiles. “We definitely put on a show.”

Originally from Paris, Sylla came to Canada—and Chambar—nine years ago (he was introduced to owners Karri and Nico Schuermans through a colleague in a top London restaurant).

He says his secret is his palate: his work and

travels across Europe and South East Asia bring, he says, added nuance to his cocktails.

For years he worked behind the scenes, dealing with suppliers and looking for new products that would work with the Chambar philosophy of fresh and local.

“We love being able to use local products,” he says. “Odd Society Spirits in East Vancouver is a great example of a local distillery producing a product we are happy to support.”

The menu at Chambar is seasonally-driven— and that goes for the cocktails, too. Sylla estimates that at least 75 per cent of the house list is completely redone each quarter.

Innovation is always evident, from coconut ice spheres in a new take on an Old Fashioned, to an Angostura bitters ice cream topping the Siegert Float—a heady mix of rye, Drambuie, cinnamon and ginger beer.

Open all day, Chambar offers additional, lighter cocktails at brunch. “And breakfast, too, if people are so inclined,” Sylla adds.

“I love what we do here,” he grins. “High quality, high energy. And lots of fun.”

Chambar, 568 Beatty St., 604-879-7119, Facebook.com/chambarrestaurant, @chambar

Spirited away

B.C .’S OLDEST CRAFT DISTILLERY HAS MADE AN INTERNATIONAL IMPACT

At the grand old age of 11, Okanagan Spirits is the oldest craft distillery in the province. That may make it a relative newbie on the international scene, but it hasn’t stopped the world from paying it serious attention.

Since its inception in 2004, the family-owned and operated Okanagan business has twice been named Distillery of the Year at the annual World Spirits Awards, and two years

ago became the first and only one of its kind in North America to be given a “world class” rating.

“We recognize as a business, we are not really a new business, but as a distillery we are exceptionally young,” says marketing director Rodney Goodchild. “We’re still learning and we’re still growing.”

That growth, including a second, 16,000 square-foot facility in Vernon, came after the notoriously restrictive B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch finally loosened up their rules a bit.

“When we first started, the industry just didn’t allow growth or encourage growth,” Good-

child explains. “Back then we didn’t have distribution—we weren’t allowed distribution— because it was controlled purely by the board. We couldn’t get access to the markets so we had to create our market: we had to get people to come to us. We are always making something different and unique, something outside the norm,

and that’s where the creativity and diversity has come from.”

It also helps to be located in farming country with easy access to locally grown fruits and grains for all their base ingredients, allowing them to offer a selection of more than 25 spirits ranging from the province’s first homegrown single malt whisky to various gins, vodkas, liqueurs, fruit brandies, and even aquavit and absinthe.

The biggest seller is their signature Blackcurrant Liqueur, which earned 97.9 out of a possible 100 points to become the highest-rated product ever awarded at the World Spirits Awards.

“It is a product that we’ve really tailored and has worked over the years,” says Goodchild.

“People think of blackcurrant liqueur as crème de cassis, and ours is more cassis than crème. The taste has a real pop, goes really well on its own, or over ice cream, or with soda or vodka in a cocktail. The versatility of it is very broad.”

Do it yourself

A LL THE INGREDIENTS AND TOOLS YOU NEED TO BEGIN SERIOUS BARTENDING IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME

by Justin Taylor

ICE Ice is key to both the temperature and dilution of a drink. Use large, fresh cubes directly from the icebox when shaking or stirring. Ice that’s been out for too long— that is glossy and wet—will over-dilute your drinks, and fast! Invest in a few different shapes and sizes of ice moulds: over-sized,

square, or even spherical moulds are great for spirits on the rocks.

LIQUOR Basic spirits that should be found on any home bar: vodka, rum, gin, Scotch whisky, bourbon, rye, brandy and tequila. Take your time to research and invest in

Issha Marie and Alison Page photo

LEFT: A good home bar should include a few key implements.

BELOW: Quality spirits and bitters make all the difference to a cocktail.

quality spirits, keeping in mind there is no need to overpay. You’ll also need a few liqueurs: I recommend Campari, Cointreau, and both sweet and dry Vermouth. Using quality ingredients will always affect the outcome of your drinks for the better.

TOOLS To tend like a pro, you’ll want: a sharp paring knife, a cork and cap opener, a Japanese bar spoon, a jigger, a juice press, a Hawthorne strainer, a fine-mesh strainer, a muddler, a towel, and a Boston shaker. (See glossary p. 52 for definitions.)

SWEETENERS Start by making your own simple syrup: combine equal parts sugar and boiling water, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Keep refrigerated. Feel free to experiment with different sugars, maple syrup, agave, honey, or even liqueurs.

ACID Freshly squeezed lemons and limes add bite, freshness and complexity to many cocktails. Consider using other citrus fruit and berry juices as well. Just make sure they’re fresh—not from a bottle.

BITTERS Like salt and pepper to a chef, bitters provide subtle but crucial seasoning to so many great drinks. No home bar is complete without Angostura, Peychaud’s and orange bitters.

GARNISH Fresh limes, lemons and oranges are the most important garnishes, appearing in scores of cocktails. You should also source a good brandied or preserved cherry, olives, and cocktail onions.

MIXERS Single-serve portions of carbonated beverages are best for the home bar—no one likes a cocktail made with flat soda. The independent brands of tonic water, ginger beer, soda water and cola found in specialty supermarkets tend to come in smaller containers—and they taste better, too. I recommend Fentimans.

GLASSWARE Different cocktails require different types of glasses. You’ll need three different styles to get started: a stemmed Martini glass for stirred drinks served without ice, an Old Fashioned glass for cocktails and spirits that are served on the rocks, and a highball (or Collins) glass for cocktails that have either juice or soda added to them and tend to be lighter and more refreshing.

REFERENCE GUIDES A good book will help take your skills to the next level. The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique by Jeffrey Morgenthaler is the best on the market, and popular with professionals. It covers all the essentials in depth, and provides recipes for every occasion.

Justin Taylor is bar manager at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Vancouver.

L IKE SALT AND PEPPER TO A CHEF, BITTERS PROVIDE SUBTLE BUT CRUCIAL SEASONING TO SO MANY GREAT DRINKS.

T HE BURRARD GIMLET

A fresh twist on a classic

1.5 oz Gillespie’s Sin Gin

0.5 oz Green Chartreuse

0.5 oz wildflower honey water (1:1 ratio)

0.75 oz fresh lime juice

3 dashes Bittered Sling Lem-Marrakech Bitters

1 pinch Vancouver Island Sea Salt

Mist of Okanagan Spirits Taboo Absinthe

Combine all ingredients (minus Taboo Absinthe) in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously for 15 seconds and fine strain to a half-rimmed

Vancouver Island Sea Salt cocktail glass. Using an atomizer or mister, spray a fine amount of absinthe over the glass for aromatics. Garnish with a lime twist.

—by Justin Taylor

Issha Marie and Alison Page photo

Room at the top

B AR MANAGER P ETER V AN DE R EEP SEEKS OUT SPIRITS THAT ARE A CUT ABOVE

At “Upstairs” at Campagnolo, the intimate restaurant and bar above Campagnolo’s Main Street location, you don’t have to reach for the top shelf to find a choice selection of spirits.

Bar manager Peter Van de Reep prides himself on eschewing the entry level Bourbons that can be found at any lounge or hotel bar—in favour of stocking more complex offerings.

He shares a commitment to supporting local, sustainable products with Campagnolo’s Executive Chef Robert Belcham, and also brings in the best of B.C.’s spirits and aperitifs.

“We’re trying to go a step above,“ says Van de Reep. “So you use spirits that most people aren’t using in their well. And it means you get an obviously better cocktail.”

He began his cocktail education as a serious student of the bar, poring over books and studying the techniques of Vancouver cocktail legends Jay Jones, Chris Mason Sterns and Christopher Flett.

Van de Reep now keeps upwards of 100

different cocktail recipes swirling around in his head, drawing on them to get to the root of what each customer wants when they walk through the door.

“It’s like a flow chart,” he says with a grin. “You ask somebody if they want a boozy and rich drink, or if they want something more refreshing or easy going, and you sort of narrow it down from there.”

Or, you can just ask him for a recommendation.

This winter, he’s excited about the Amaro Abano bitters from Italian liqueur company Luxardo. He built his Mile Zero, a wintry take on a Boulevardier, around them, incorporating American rye, and vermouth from Vancouver’s Odd Society Spirits.

“It almost smells like a really high-end cologne,” he laughs. “It has really complex aromas of cedar and other fragrant woods and spices. I don’t wear colognes, but every once in a while you come across one where you’re like, “Wow, that’s an incredible scent.’ This is one that you can actually drink, and it’s delicious.”

Upstairs at Campagnolo, 1020 Main St., 604-484-6018, Facebook.com/CampUpstairs, @CampUpstairs

Delta rising

A T G&W D ISTILLING, S TEPHEN G OODRIDGE HAS BIG PLANS

Stephen Goodridge built G&W Distilling’s Delta-based distillery himself. From scratch.

“I’m a mechanical engineer by training. I wanted to do it myself,” he says, as if nothing could be easier.

He moved to Vancouver 14 years ago, leaving his native Barbados—and the rum distillery he had built and run—behind. When

the B.C. distilling laws changed in 2013, he left a senior position with the Mark Anthony Group to start making his own liquor.

His first product, Sid’s Vodka, was ready by early 2014 and, 18 months later, is stocked at some 50 retail stores across Vancouver. It’s also the house pouring vodka at Vancouver’s Pidgin and Mission restaurants.

He followed Sid’s with Silverdawn, a higher end vodka that hit the ground running, picking up a silver award at the 2014 International Wine and Spirits Competition. It’s served at several hotel bars including Hawksworth and the Fairmont’s Pacific Rim and Chateau Whistler.

Years of developing brands with mass-market appeal have given Goodridge a nose for what works. So he wasn’t certain when liquor store owners started encouraging him to move into gin.

“I had this sense that while, if asked, people will say they like the idea of drinking gin, they don’t actually like the taste.”

For G&W’s first gin, Tempo Renovo, he decided to tweak the recipe, holding the juniper back and pushing the fruit forward.

“Renovo means refreshment,” he explains. “I wanted to make a gin that was a little more drinkable.”

Connoisseurs fear not: Goodridge is already planning further variations on his Tempo line—one with a more aggressive, high juniper content, and another, more laid back, cucumber-style.

For his first move into brown liquor, he called on his experience making rum: G&W’s Mapleshade

Repose is an artisanal rested spirit aged in American and French oak—basically a young whisky, popped from the cask earlier than the requisite three years.

“We can’t call it a whisky, but even real Scotch drinkers are liking it—it’s similar in style to an Irish whiskey,” he notes.

With a supplier of rye confirmed, he says there will be a Sid’s Rye coming later and, potentially, a “very high end” rye vodka.

“Hopefully we can really grow this business,” he says. “I’m out doing tastings every week, and I know our products are hitting the mark.”

G&W Distilling, Unit 8-7167 Vantage Way, Delta, 604-376-0630, sidsvodka.com, silverdawn.ca

Out of the past

RAISE A GLASS TO THE RESURRECTION OF THE V ANCOUVER COCKTAIL

by Joanne Sasvari

Gin, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine and orange bitters. It sounds simple, but so do many of the world’s legendary cocktails. And the Vancouver Cocktail deserves to be recognized among the classics.

Hotel Georgia photo

What’s that, you say? Never heard of YVR’s hometown cocktail? You’re not alone. The Vancouver Cocktail joins a legion of forgotten drinks that have recently been rediscovered by dogged cocktail historians. In this case, that historian was bartender-turnedconsultant Steve Da Cruz.

“It actually found me,” he recalls. In 2006, Da Cruz was working in a Gastown bar, back when Vancouver’s most historic neighbourhood was pretty much a wasteland for anyone searching for a proper drink.

Then, one day, Josiah Bates walked in.

Bates, now in his 80s, had grown up in Scotland. In the 1950s, he moved to Vancouver, where he joined the fire department, then was ordained as a prison minister, and eventually became a partner in the OK Boot Corral store near

Gastown’s Gassy Jack statue.

“He’s a character,” Da Cruz says. “He’s got this thick Scottish brogue, and dresses like a cowboy.”

He also knows his spirits. He found a kindred soul in Da Cruz, and would bring him gifts of vintage spirits and equally vintage stories. Among them was the tale of the Vancouver Cocktail.

“He brought me the recipe one day on a napkin and said, ‘This is what we used to drink at the Sylvia Hotel,’” Da Cruz recalls. “So I made it, and it was delicious.”

Intrigued, Da Cruz dropped by the West End’s iconic hotel to ask about the cocktail. “And nobody knew what I was talking about,” he says. So he headed over to City Hall, where he found that, in 1954, the Sylvia Hotel was the first establishment in Vancouver

T HE V ANCOUVER C OCKTAIL JOINS A LEGION OF FORGOTTEN DRINKS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REDISCOVERED BY DOGGED COCKTAIL HISTORIANS

LEFT: The Hotel Georgia (pictured), the Sylvia and the Waldorf all created signature cocktails in the 1940s and ’50s.

ABOVE: Steve Da Cruz dug into city archives to find the Vancouver Cocktail recipe.

RIGHT: The Sylvia Hotel was granted Vancouver’s first cocktail lounge licence in 1954.

Katie Huisman photo

Rob Newell photo

to be granted a cocktail lounge licence. The Vancouver Cocktail was created in celebration: a fragrant, fruity-spicyherbaceous white-spirit concoction that was surprisingly deep, rich and complex. A contradictory affair, it was indeed a bit like Vancouver itself.

The Sylvia wasn’t the only hotel in the city with a signature cocktail. A decade earlier, the Hotel Georgia had created a delicately aromatic sour as its namesake tipple. The Waldorf Hotel, too, had a house cocktail

that was so popular customers would phone in and have it delivered to them when they were out on the town. What people loved, Da Cruz notes, were its six extravagant garnishes. “It was more about the snacks.”

By the early 1960s, last call had rung for these classic cocktails. What killed them is up for debate. Trendy Tiki culture took its toll. So did the increasing popularity of vodka and wine. It didn’t help that the rebellious mood of the 1960s rejected anything that went before as square and, worst of all, old. In the case of the Vancouver Cocktail, perhaps it was the rumour that an excess of the drink may have contributed to the mysterious 1959 death of actor Errol Flynn.

Luckily for us, the Vancouver Cocktail has been dusted off again, just like the long-lost Vieux Carré in New Orleans and the Hanky Panky at London’s Savoy Hotel. Today, all these classic cocktails can once again be enjoyed in the cities where they were invented.

The Vancouver Cocktail is a terrific drink. But more than that, it is a taste of history in a glass—no small thing in a city that tends to forget it even has a past worth preserving. As Da Cruz says happily, “It’s an interesting story, filled with ill repute.”

SWEET GEORGIA

The recipe for the Hotel Georgia Cocktail was discovered in the hotel archives during renovations in 2011.

Joanne Sasvari is a Vancouver-based writer who covers food, drink and travel for a variety of publications, including a weekly drinks column for the Vancouver Sun.

T HE VANCOUVER COCKTAIL WAS RUMOURED TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MYSTERIOUS 1959 DEATH OF ACTOR E RROL F LYNN

T HE VANCOU V ER C OCKTAIL

The Sylvia Hotel’s signature cocktail was created in 1954

1.5 oz London Dry style gin such as Victoria Gin or Long Table Gin

0.75 oz sweet vermouth such as Punte E Mes or Odd Society Bittersweet Vermouth

0.25 oz or “a good splash” of Benedictine liqueur

2 dashes of orange bitters

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir well. Strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

—Original recipe from the Sylvia Hotel

Laura McGuire photo

The cocktail concierge

For bar manager Justin Taylor, a cocktail list should be, “fun, approachable, and unpretentious.”

After seven years at Yew Restaurant in the Four Seasons, Taylor took a short hop across town to take charge of the bar at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar in the Sutton Place Hotel—jumping at the chance to build a drinks program from the ground up.

Putting together his signature list, Taylor decided to tell the story of Vancouver through cocktails: from the Lost Lagoon to the Van Dusen Sour, his creations are designed to take his customers on a journey.

“I’m like another concierge in the hotel,” he smiles. “And the conversation around the bar becomes organic. It’s a great way to introduce guests to what the city has to offer, and hopefully entice them to try something new. ”

For him, a new cocktail begins with a good name: “It’s always the name first— does it make sense? Then I hit on the spirit, and from there I build the rest of the components.”

He’s most proud of the Gerard—named after the Sutton Place’s iconic bar—called one of the 101 best new cocktails by worldrenowned authority, Gary Regan. With an Islay Scotch base, the Gerard also boasts maraschino liqueur, Fernet-Branca and cherry bitters.

“It was challenging to build,” Taylor admits. “It’s hard to mix Islay whisky because the smokiness is so deep and strong.”

They may offer a way in to the city’s streets, but these are hardly pedestrian drinks: the Chief Skugaid—named for an infamous rum ship that ran out of Vancouver—utilizes forest tea tincture and chai and lavenderinfused maple syrup; the savoury Chinook features dill, celery bitters and a toasted caper garnish.

Taylor’s dream is to take his list on the road.

“Imagine if we rented a trolley bus and mixed and served the cocktails as we hit each destination,” he grins. “Now, that would be cool.”

J USTIN T AYLOR HAS CREATED A SERIES OF DRINKS DESIGNED TO CELEBRATE V ANCOUVER

Urban legend

HOW ONE OKANAGAN MAN’S HOBBY BECAME A SERIOUS BUSINESS

Mike Urban had a booze habit. Making it, that is. After tinkering with homemade beer and wine, he felt that the next logical step could be distilling.

The big leap came in 2009 when, on a trip to France, he happened to visit a Cognac distillery. He immediately identified an opportunity in the Okanagan. At the time, there were plenty of wineries and breweries but no distilleries. Within eight months of returning, he had British Columbia’s first

craft distillery up and running. The lightning speed timing was crucial. “If I figure out something good, I go for it quickly before can talk myself out of it,” Urban admits. The licensing only took a couple of months. Now it takes over a year.

Despite a fairly easy start, the challenges have come since. He has to deal with six different tax agents in Canada, and all the associated paperwork. He also has a lot more competition. While there are only 60

distilleries in Canada, twothirds of these are in B.C.

Another game changer: the craft distillery license now stipulates that the base alcohol must be made exclusively with raw ingredients grown in B.C. That meant Urban had to drop producing his own favourite tipple—rum.

With plenty of local grains and fruit available in the Okanagan, Urban Distilleries offers a range of vodka, gin, whisky and fruit brandies. None are intended to be carbon copies of better-known brands, but to make their own mark. In particular, his infused vodkas, with natural flavourings such as vanilla bean, lemon grass and habanero pepper, are putting the distillery on the map. The Spirit Bear Gin is also a hot seller. It’s a unique combination of floral, citrus, lavender and apple. “I wanted to make a gin that was very much the flavours and aromas of the Okanagan.”

The Urban Single Malt Whisky is especially novel.

It’s actually bottled with a chunk of oak barrel to encourage further development of the spirit in the bottle. “Being a craft distiller we can do things that you can’t do at a big commercial distillery.”

As if making the stuff isn’t enough, Urban Distilleries also offers five-day workshops for people who want to open their own distillery. They just received a winery license as well and have plans to produce mead, the original honey wine. Based on Urban’s track record, it’ll be ready for sale in no time.

Urban Distilleries, #6-325 Bay Avenue, Kelowna, 778-478-0939, urbandistilleries.ca, @spiritbearvodka

Whiskygalore!

B.C .’S FLEDGLING INDUSTRY PREPARES FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE

by Shawn Soole

Thinkstock photo

Afterjust five years in business, British Columbia’s distillers have already confronted some mighty challenges. For one, it takes years of practice to make a quality product. Plus, craft liquor is expensive—not only for consumers at the till but for makers at the still.

From the moment the barley seed is planted to the time it’s poured from the barrel and bottled, small batch spirits are time and labour intensive.

It’s especially tough in this province for craft distillers to make a buck. Government regulations use the “craft distillery” designation to add value to agricultural products; in this way, these liquors are no different from cottage-crafted cheese or farm-gate preserves. To employ the “craft” designation, provincial legislation requires distillers to use only local ingredients. “This creates some challenges,” says Matt Phillips, of Victoria’s Phillips Fermentorium Distilling Co. The upside,

he’s quick to point out, is that accompanying tax breaks “give distillers the incentive to create an authentic local product.”

Phillips has been receiving praise for his locally sourced craft beers for years, but less well known is that he’s also held a distilling licence since 2007. After some small-scale experiments, he’s put down a first batch of whisky, which raises yet another challenge: aging. Whisky is one of the most revered and varied drinks in the world, but only a handful of local makers has had the opportunity to produce enough to bottle for the market, or to age it long enough to capture high industry praise. (The handful of artisans making gin and vodka—first on Vancouver Island and in the Interior, now throughout the province—don’t experience quite the same time pressure.)

Phillips Fermentorium is now part of a larger country-wide trend. Small-production single malt and blended whiskies as a whole have surged in the last

LEFT: Whisky is set to be the next boom in B.C. spirits.

BELOW: The small batch Laird of Fintry single malt is distributed by annual lottery.

W HISKY IS ONE OF THE MOST REVERED AND VARIED DRINKS IN THE WORLD, BUT ONLY A HANDFUL OF LOCAL MAKERS HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE ENOUGH TO BOTTLE FOR THE MARKET

THE DIRECTION OF WHISKY COMING FROM THE F ERMENTORIUM IN THE NEXT DECADE IS GOING TO BE EXCITING. E XCITING, TOO, WILL BE THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF ITS COMPETITION

few years in Canada, thanks in part to forgiving rules such as having to age for only three years. Nonetheless, the whiskies made by some of the oldest distilleries in the province—among them Okanagan Spirits, Merridale Estate Cidery, Victoria Spirits and Urban Distilleries (the first to market)—are very good, varying in style from Pemberton’s Organic Single Malt, the lightest in B.C., through to the deep and nuanced Merridale Whisky Jack’s, finished in apple cider brandy casks.

The latter is made by Merridale Estate Cidery, which, despite having only been open since 2007, is one of the Island’s oldest distilleries—an advantage of time that has allowed proprietor Rick Pipes to experiment with a classic eau de vie, the colourless fruit brandy distilled from fruit other than grapes. He incorporated that experiment with organic barley— from B.C., of course—producing a small run (only 333 bottles) of Whisky Jack’s.

Malting grain has always been a major expense, and was a big

reason behind Phillips recently installing a malting plant onsite in Victoria. “Well, it dovetails well into our whisky plans, as it allows us to use grains grown here on the island, giving us a real connection to place,” he says. Along with a wide assortment of barrels, the direction of whisky coming from the Fermentorium in the next decade is going to be exciting. Exciting, too, will be the breadth and depth of its competition.

From Sheringham in Sooke laying down a red fife whisky and Granville Island’s Liberty releasing its first aged whisky this year, to the yearly releases of Laird of Fintry from Okanagan Spirits and Pemberton Distillery’s Organic Single Malt, to Shelter Point’s upcoming releases, the British Columbian whisky trade is only gaining momentum. It won’t be long before the rest of Canada is tasting the full breadth of our terroir and style.

Shawn Soole is an award-winning bartender. Based in Victoria, he’s also a writer and consultant.

Urban Distilleries’ single malt was B.C’.s first.

TELL ME W HAT YOU W ILL

Showcasing local ingredients in a classic style

50ml Merridale Whisky Jack

20ml Odd Society Bitter Sweet Vermouth

10ml Merridale Apple Cider Brandy

Dash of Bittered Sling Suius Cherry Bitters

Stir all ingredients and strain into a small coupe glass.

Garnish with a lemon twist.

—by Shawn Soole

Shawn Soole photo

In the latter half of 2014 over 100 licensed establishments across the province were fined or suspended by the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, resulting in over 300 business days lost to suspensions and almost $400,000 in monetary penalties. Many of these contraventions could have been avoided if staff and management were better informed and trained on BC’s liquor laws.

Alcohol & Advocacy is a web-based resource for hospitality and distilling industry professionals who need to stay current on the laws and policies that affect the way liquor is manufactured and sold in British Columbia.

British Columbia has a checkered and complex history with the regulation and sale of alcohol. It is a history punctuated by plebiscites, government commissions and reports. 2015 was no exception: some 73 “new” recommendations that will change the way alcohol is sold were endorsed by the government, and a new Liquor Control and Licensing Act was passed.

Alcohol & Advocacy is written by Dan Coles, a lawyer and retired bartender with Owen Bird Law Corporation. His blog offers readers

analysis and commentary on British Columbia’s shifting liquor law landscape. Alcohol & Advocacy helps owners and operators stay informed on the laws that affect them most.

Understanding British Columbia’s dynamic legal landscape requires perspective. Prior to 1900, B.C. had a notorious saloon culture—bars were open 24/7. British Columbians’ fondness for beer and the more potent ardent spirits prompted the drafting of rules and regulations designed to maintain order.

Prohibition came into force on October 1, 1917. The ineffective regime quickly became corrupt, and barely three years later British Columbians rejected prohibition in a plebiscite that resulted in the creation of the system of government control over liquor, which continues today.

If you or your establishment is facing regulatory action by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, or if you require assistance with contracts, leases or employment matters, contact Dan Coles at Owen Bird. Owen Bird is a full service law firm based in Vancouver that regularly assists clients with all of their corporate and litigation needs.

Balancing act

S IMON OGDEN ENCOURAGES HIS CUSTOMERS TO PUT THEIR DRINKS IN HIS HANDS

Balance. Whether it’s blending the elements of the perfect cocktail or juggling work and play, balance is key.

It’s a philosophy bartender Simon Ogden takes to heart, both behind the bar and in life.

Ogden left the bright lights of Vancouver behind five years ago for Victoria’s Veneto Tapa Lounge at the Hotel Rialto. There he discovered not only a friendlier, more relaxed pace of life, but the creative freedom to design his own signature cocktail program.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” he says.

At Veneto, Victoria’s premier cocktail bar, Ogden strives to put the perfect drink in front of his guests every night, inviting them to “spin the wheel” and allow him and his team to create original cocktails based around the guest’s preferred flavour profile.

“When I came up with the idea, I had no idea how it would take off,” he says. “Eighty per cent of the drinks off my bar now are made that way.”

The concept not only allows guests to try something they’ve never had before, but it encourages Ogden and his staff to get creative with the drinks they concoct.

“It helps the bartenders from getting bored, and there’s some real flashes of brilliance,” says Ogden. “If I had to make the same 10 drinks over and over again, I’d go insane.”

When it comes to making the perfect cocktail, balance takes on many forms. There’s the balance between the flavours of sweet, tart and bitter, between temperature and water dilution, and between spirits and mix.

While Ogden relishes the opportunity to create new and innovative cocktails every night, he’s cognizant of the fact that the classics will likely never be improved upon.

“They’re classic for a reason,” he says. “For example, I don’t think we’ll ever top the Manhattan. All the flavours are present and accounted for, all of them perfectly balanced.”

Veneto Tapa Lounge, Hotel Rialto, 1450 Douglas Street, Victoria, 250-383-7310 venetodining.com

Smoke on the water

E XPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF ISLAY, ONE S COTCH AT A TIME

by Lauren Mote

Theromantic Isle of Islay in Scotland’s southern Hebrides is best known for its moors, treacherous weather, high seas, early Viking settlements—and, yes, its whisky. For, buried within that dramatic landscape, exists rich soil redolent with peat, and a water supply heavy with briny minerals. No wonder, then, that Islay is home to some of the finest and most distinctive single malts in the world, among them, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin.

The unique style and character of Islay’s complex, smoky Scotch attracts aficionados from far and wide, keen to visit the island’s eight distilleries. They come to understand the true meaning of the Gaelic uisge beatha (“water of life”) firsthand.

After a quick and blustery flight from Glasgow to Islay, on our way to tour the island’s famous distilleries, we sported coffee-stained shirts and wide eyes. The air turbulence underscored Islay’s remote location and added an incredible roller-coaster-like excitement to the journey. Soiled clothing notwithstanding, we felt we had traversed a rite of passage in order to reach this far-flung and magical place.

Islay represents the alpha and omega of smoked-out spirits, the specialized style originating from the peat bogs—an ancient collection of decayed heather, plants and fungi that nurture the land. Discovering the process of making these unique single malts, connects Islay—and its ancient industry—indelibly with its people.

We had the opportunity to discuss this deep connection between the Ileach community and their land at a local wedding. Not only did every man, woman and child from hither and yon attend the nuptials—Islay’s

TOP: Islay is known for its dramatic scenery and changeable weather.

MIDDLE: Ardbeg produces the ‘peatiest’ of the Island’s whiskies.

BOTTOM: Whisky is the lifeblood of the island.

population is roughly 3,000 (plus 6,000 sheep)—but some of the more sincere and significant conversations I had about whisky during my visit happened here. Teenagers discussed the generations of their families who have been working in Scotch-related industries. Here, the “water of life” is as cherished as the stories that accompany it.

On Islay, no two distilleries are the same. Whether it’s the shape of the stills, the water source, or the amount of time the barley spends in a cloud of peat smoke, each expression of whisky here is unique. In the southern Port Ellen area alone, the three 19th century Kildalton Distilleries—Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin—although geographically similar, couldn’t be more different.

Laphroaig uses heavily peated water from the Kilbride River for its production, along with peat bricks culled from their own bogs on the Glenmachrie Peat Moss. The whisky is cold peat-smoked, and never chill-filtered.

Stock photo

Stock photo

Lauren Mote photo

Be sure to carry a flask with a wee dram of the local ‘water of life’ on your adventures.

CHIP S AHOY

If I had to describe each of the three Kildalton whiskies as chip flavours (and why not?) Laphroaig would be the Dill Pickle, Ardbeg, the Sour Cream & Bacon, and Lagavulin, the Smoky BBQ. Pair a dram with its respective chip and you’ll see. —LM

Ardbeg’s lifeline has been a storied affair: epic highs and foreclosure, acquisition, demolition and rebirth. Using the most heavily peated malt than any other Scotch distiller, their “peatiest of all the peats” moniker is worn with pride.

Over at Lagavulin, the dry, round and softly-peated whisky is the result of a particularly long distillation cycle. Their 16-year-old Lagavulin—their quintessential expression—is championed by collectors and drinkers alike.

On a still day, you can hear the

floor maltings and barley flicking at Laphroaig, the chimneys of Ardbeg and the smashing waves at Lagavulin. On a clear day, Ireland seems to be within arm’s reach at just 50 kilometres across the water, but, as the rolling thick fog approaches, the horizon is quickly swept away.

There’s plenty to do on Islay even if the whisky industry isn’t your focus, but carrying a wee flask from which to enjoy a dram or two of the local Scotch can surely only enhance a stroll through the picturesque landscape, a game of golf, or a visit to the Islay Woolen Mill to hear stories of the kilts made for Mel Gibson’s Braveheart.

And any visit should include a walk through one of the island’s graveyards and churches. Here, surrounded by the energy of all those who have gone before, you can almost hear the land trying to whisper its ancient tales into your ear.

O N A STILL DAY, YOU CAN HEAR THE FLOOR MALTINGS AND BARLEY FLICKING AT L APHROAIG, THE CHIMNEYS OF A RDBEG AND THE SMASHING WAVES AT L AGAVULIN

Lauren Mote is co-owner of artisanal bitters company, Bittered Sling, and bar manager of Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar.

Lauren Mote photo

LOUP - GAROU

French for ‘werewolf’ or ‘moondog’

1.5 oz Johnnie Walker Platinum Label Blended Scotch Whisky

0.5 oz Lagavulin 16-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

0.75 oz Punt E Mes

0.25 oz Jagermeister Herbal Liqueur

2 dashes Bittered Sling Cascade Celery Bitters

2 dashes Bittered Sling Moondog Bitters

2 dashes Vancouver Island Smoked Sea Salt Water

Put all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and stir for only 10 turns. Strain using a Julep strainer over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish simply with an orange peel.

—by Lauren Mote

Issha Marie photo. Glassware by Parched Penguin.

Terms of endearment

{a cocktail glossary}

Y OU CAN ORDER A RUM AND COKE LIKE A PRO OR A B OULEVARDIER LIKE A SCHMUCK —THE KEY TO SHOWING YOUR COCKTAIL PROPS IS ALL IN THE LINGO

AMARO A generic term for Italian herbal liqueurs, favoured by bartenders for complex cocktails. Famous examples include Averna, Cynar, and Fernet-Branca.

APERTIF/APERTIVO The European term for a drink or cocktail traditionally taken before a meal to stimulate one’s appetite. The opposite of a digestif/digestivo. Classic examples include Campari, Aperol, Pastis and Vermouth.

BITTERS An alcoholic preparation made with aromatic herbs, roots and/or fruits. Originally created as medicines, they were adapted for use in cocktails and continue to be a key ingredient today. Common brands include Angostura, Peychaud’s and Regan’s.

BOSTON SHAKER A shaker that consists of two glass or steel cups that are placed one inside the other and requires a Hawthorne Strainer to be utilized before pouring the cocktail into the glass. The most common shaker with North American bartenders.

BROWN LIQUOR A generic term for whisky, Cognac or other spirits that have a dark hue, often as result of the aging process. In contrast to clear liquor such as vodka or gin.

BUY BACK A complimentary drink given by a bartender to a customer usually as a reward for loyalty, good tipping or just general good behaviour. Asking for one, however, automatically disentitles you.

CASK STRENGTH A whisky that has a high alcohol percentage that comes straight out of the cask and is not diluted with water. It’s typically in the range of 59-65 per cent. The similar term for high-alcohol gin is navy strength; for rum, it’s overproof.

COBBLER SHAKER A three-piece shaker that includes a built-in strainer. The most common shaker with home bartenders, but rarely seen in reputable bars.

COUPE A classic stemmed cock-

tail glass typified by its sloping curves. Was popular pre-Prohibition, was thereafter supplanted by the more common martini glass, but is making a comeback.

CRUSTA An 18th century cocktail preparation that uses a sugared rim, lemon juice, lemon peel and sugar—and precursor to both the Margarita and the Sidecar. The Brandy Crusta is currently back in vogue.

DIGESTIF/DIGESTIVO The European term for a drink or a cocktail taken after a meal to aid in the digestion of a meal. Classic examples include brandy, port, most liquers and the cult classic Fernet-Branca. The opposite of an apertif/apertivo.

FERNET-BRANCA An amaro from Italy that’s intensely bitter; its singular herbal taste has made it either loved or hated. Order by asking for a “Fernet.”

FINE STRAIN A second strain of a cocktail through a fine sieve to

remove all particles. Also known as the double strain. The mark of a meticulous bartender.

FREE POUR When a bartender pours a drink straight from the bottle without the use of a jigger or other measuring device. Loved by customers, hated by good bartenders (and bar owners) for its lack of precision.

FRENCH SHAKER A metal twopiece shaker where both parts fit tightly together, but still requires the use of a Hawthorthe Strainer before pouring. Also known as a Parisian shaker, it’s most popular in Europe.

GLENCAIRN A tulip-shaped glass used specifically for tasting/drinking single malt whisky.

HARRY CRADDOCK Legendary barman who wrote the seminal

The mark of a meticulous bartender can be seen in the use of a second, fine strain, to remove any small fragments of fruit or ice after shaking.

Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. The major reference manual for pre-Prohibition cocktails.

HAWTHORNE STRAINER A circular strainer used in conjunction with both the Boston and the French shakers.

JAPANESE BAR SPOON A long elegant spoon used for stirring drinks, fetishized by bartenders. An example of Japanese obsession with quality in cocktail making.

JIGGER A measuring tool for drinks, typically 1.5 ounces. Also refers to the actual measurement of 1.5 ounces, as in, “I’ll have a jigger of rye.”

MUDDLE To use a pestle-type object, often referred to as a muddler, to grind and mix ingredients in the bottom of a glass. Used in the creation of the Mojito and the

Old Fashioned amongst others.

NEAT A spirit poured straight into a glass with no ice, usually used in reference to whisky. When a spirit is shaken or stirred before being poured into a glass with no ice it’s referred to as straight up (often shortened to simply “up”).

ORGEAT A sweet, almond-based syrup used in drinks such as the Mai Tai.

“PROFESSOR” JERRY THOMAS

Legendary 19th century bartender, revered by all drink makers. Author of A Bon Vivant’s Companion, the first serious cocktail book, published in 1862.

SHRUB A sweetened vinegar-based syrup once popular in colonial America and resurrected by bartenders, who prize the acidity it brings to modern cocktails.

STRAW TASTING The process of a bartender placing a clean straw in the drink, placing his/her finger over it and then removing the straw to hygienically taste to make sure the cocktail is perfect. A sign of exceptional quality control.

TWIST A strip of citrus fruit skin. A proper bartender will create a twist to order and then remove any pith to avoid bitterness. A wedge is a larger piece of fruit with both skin and interior; a wheel is a thin, cross-section of fruit.

WELL The basic brand of liquor served to a customer if they don’t request a specific spirit by name. “The bar was so good, they used Absolut in their well.”

Laura McGuire photo

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016

All funds raised will support Science World’s Class Field Trip Program for under-served schools around the Lower Mainland. Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the magic of Science World.

B.C. Distillery Listings

Ampersand Distilling

Father-and-son team, Stephen and Jeremy Schacht, hand craft their spirits on five acres of organic farmland in the Cowichan Valley, distilling both a signature Ampersand Gin, and a newly released Per Se Vodka from their own 100 per cent organic wheat.

Products: Ampersand Gin, Per Se Vodka

Find it at: Vancouver: Legacy Liquor Store; Victoria and Vancouver Island: various liquor stores

Tasting Room: No, tours and tastings by appointment

4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan, 250-737-1880

AmpersandDistilling.com

@ampdistillingco

Facebook.com/ampdistillingco

Arbutus Distillery

Head distiller Michael Pizzitelli brings both his science background and experience in brewing to Arbutus Distillery’s ever-growing range of botanicalforward spirits. Lemon verbena replaces the traditional orange and lemon rinds in the Empiric Gin; the Baba Yaga Absinthe boasts a “myriad” of homegrown herbs and spices.

Products: Coven Vodka, Espresso Vodka, Empiric Gin, Baba Yaga Absinthe, Juniperus Lupulus

Harvest Hopped Gin, Mulled Brandy Liqueur

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, most private liquor stores

Tasting Room: Yes

1890 Boxwood Rd., Nanaimo, 250-714-0027

Arbutus-Distillery.com

@arbutus-distillery

Facebook.com/arbutusdistillery

Central City Distillery

The successful B.C. brewers of the popular Red Racer beers, Central City was quick to spot the potential of turning their expertise onto spirits. Their gin and vodka will soon be joined by both a single malt and a rye whisky.

Products: Seraph Gin, Seraph Vodka, Spirit IPA, Spirit of Merlot, Betty’s Vodka Iced Tea

Coming Soon: Single Malt Whisky and Rye Whisky

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, BCLDB, various independent liquor stores

Tasting Room: Brew pubs in both Vancouver and Surrey

11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey, 604-588-2337

CentralCityBeer.com/distillery

@CentralCityBrew

Instagram.com/CentralCityBrew

Facebook.com/CentralCityBrewing

De Vine Spirits

The name says it all: De Vine’s Vin Gin is distilled from grapes (Pinot Gris and Gruner Vetliner), not grain. Clearly an innovative bunch, their latest offering, Honey Shine, brings a touch of the Caribbean to B.C., with a honey-based take on rum.

Products: Vin Gin, New Tom Barrel-Aged Gin, Honey Shine

Beekeeper’s Reserve, Pomme

Barrel-Aged Apple Brandy

Find it at: Firefly Fine Wines & Ales, Libations

Tasting Room: Yes

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

DevineVineyards.ca

@deVineVineyards

Facebook.com/DeVineVineyards

spirit Akavit aged in Pinot Blanc wood, a Kentucky-style Moonshine, as well as a pre-mixed vodka iced tea.

Products: Rosemary & Olive Gin, Deep Cove Vodka, Apple Pie Moonshine, Sweet Tea Vodka

Coming Soon: Barrel Aged Akvavit

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, Brewery Creek, various private liquor stores

Tasting Room: Yes

2270 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver, 604-770-1136

DeepCoveCraft.com

@DeepCoveCraft

Instagram.com/DeepCoveCraft

Facebook.com/DeepCoveBrewers

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

Find it at: Berezan Liquor Store, Brewery Creek and others

Tasting Room: No

213-19138 26th Avenue, Surrey, 604-803-2226

DragonMistDistillery.com

7

Dubh Glas

Though whisky is owner Grant Stevely’s true passion, the first signature release from this Oliver-based operation was the small batch Noteworthy Gin, hand-crafted from B.C. barley. There will be Scotch, it just needs time to age.

5

Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers

This North Shore distillery augments its rosemary and olive-infused gin and awardwinning vodka, with a variety of small-batch seasonal releases. This winter look out for the Scandanavian-style celebratory

6

Dragon Mist Distillery

Using B.C. wheat grown in Dawson Creek, this Surrey-based distiller began with a vodka, before adding a gin and two expressions of baijiu—a Chinese-style hard liquor likened to whisky. Sip it straight up, as you would a high-quality tequila.

Products: Noteworthy Gin

Find it at: Liquor stores across the Lower Mainland

Tasting Room: Yes

8486 Gallagher Lake Frontage Rd., Oliver, 778-439-3580

TheDubhGlasDistillery.com

Fermentorium Distilling Co.

Owned by Phillips Brewing Company, Victoria’s Fermentorium has found another use for hops in a liqueur that can be served on ice or as a float in your beer, crafted a collection of tonics for mixing, and infused its Stump Gin with foraged coastal herbs.

Products: Stump Gin, Hop Drops

Find it at: Metro Liquor

Tasting Room: No

2010 Government St., Victoria, 250-380-1912

Fermentorium.ca

9

G+W Distilling

Stephen Goodridge has shot out of the distilling gate, already garnering awards and fans with two expressions of vodka, an approachable gin, and a whisky-style rested spirit. Different varieties of gin, another higher-end vodka, and a rye are in his plans.

Products: Sid’s Vodka, Silverdawn Vodka, Tempo Renovo Vancouver Dry Gin, Mapleshade Repose

Coming Soon: An apertif

Find it at: Private liquor stores across Vancouver

Tasting Room: No

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

SidsVodka.com, SilverDawn.ca

10

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits

Friendship, a fun attitude, and a shared love of booze inspired Kelly Woods and John McLellan to start their Squamish-based still. Their spirits are designed to be cocktail-friendly; their website is full of recipe ideas.

Products: Gastown Shine Vodka, Sin Gin, Lemoncello, Aphro Chili Chocolate Elixir

Find it at: Liquor stores across the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Whistler

Tasting Room: No

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

GillespiesFineSpirits.com

@gillespies1

Instagram.com/gillespiesfinespirits

Facebook.com/GillespiesFineSpirits

11

Kootenay Country Craft Distillery

Lora and Kevin Goodwin strive to achieve a100-mile philosophy in their spirit production, using organic heirloom wheat, and seasonal flowers and fruits. Their gin and vodka is proofed out with the spring water that runs freely down the Selkirk Mountains.

Products: Valhalla Vodka, Kootenay Country Gin, Kootenay Country Huckleberry Ginger Cinnamon Vodka, Kootenay Country Elderflower Vodka, Kootenay Country Black Currant, Cucumber And Tarragon Vodka

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, most private stores in the West and East Kootenays.

Tasting Room: Tours and tastings—by appointment for larger groups

7263 Gustafson Rd, Slocan, 250-355-2702

kootenaycountry.ca

facebook.com/Kootenay-Country-Craft-Distillery-Ltd

12

Legend Distilling

Repurposing a former doctor’s office on the Naramata Bench, Dawn and Doug Lennie created their craft distillery together, drawing on the local bounty of the Okanagan for the base and flavours of their gin and vodkas. Their spiked cold brew coffee liqueur uses Summerland’s Backyard Beans.

Products: Shadow in the Lake Vodka, Doctor’s Orders Gin, Blasted Brew Spiked Coffee Liqueur, Defender Island Smoked Rosemary Gin, Slowpoke Fruit Infused Vodkas

Find it at: Brewery Creek, Burrard Liquor Store, Crosstown Liquor Store, Darby’s, Firefly Fine Wines & Ales, Grandview Liquor Store, Legacy Liquor Store, Steamworks Beer and Wine Shop, Value on Liquor

Tasting Room: Tours and tastings by appointment

3005 Naramata Rd., Naramata, 778-514-1010

LegendDistilling.com

@legendnaramata

Instagram/legendnaramata

Facebook.com/legendnaramata

13

The Liberty Distillery

With prime real estate on Granville Island, Liberty is open for tours, tastings and daily drinks in their cocktail bar. With a mission that strives to produce the finest spirits possible, using the finest local products, Liberty produces vodka, different expressions of gin, and various whiskies—both white and barrel-rested.

Products: Truth Vodka, Endeavour Gin, Endeavour Origins Gin, Endeavour Pink Gin, Endeavour Old Tom Gin, Railspur No. 1, Railspur No. 2, Railspur No. 3

Find it at: Liquor stores across the Lower Mainland

Tasting Room: Yes

1494 Old Bridge Road, Granville Island, Vancouver, 604.558.1998

thelibertydistillery.com

facebook.com/TheLibertyDistillery

@TLDistillery

14

Long Table Distillery

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

Products: Cucumber Gin, London

Dry Gin, Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin, Texada Vodka,

Coming Soon: Rotating Seasonals: Langbord Akvavit, Amaro No. 1 – Linnaeus, Tradizionale

Limoncello, Marc Du Soleil

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, BCLDB, Darby’s Liquor Store

Tasting Room: Yes

1451 Hornby St., Vancouver, 604-266-0177

LongTableDistillery.com

@LT_Distillery

Instagram.com/longtabledistillery

Facebook.com/LongTableDistillery

Maple Leaf Spirits

Originally from Germany, Jorg

Engel embraced the Okanagan spirit, creating a range of fruitbased liqueurs and brandies, as well as a variety of grappas,

produced from distilling the skins and seeds of grapes, after the local wineries have extracted all their juices.

Products: Fruit Liqueurs, Canadian Kirsch, Pear Williams, Italian Prune, Aged Italian Prune, Grape Spirits

Find it at: Pacific Spirit Liquor Store, Legacy Liquor Store

Tasting Room: Yes

948 Naramata Rd., Penticton, 250-493-0180

MapleLeafSpirits.ca

@MapleLeafSpirit

16

Merridale Estate Cidery

Moving from cider to spirits proved an obvious continuation for this Vancouver Island business. The experienced cider house applied their traditional fruit focus to distilling, creating a range that includes gin, fruit brandies, a rested whisky, and even a carbonated vodka.

Products: Cowichan Vodka, Cowichan Gin, Stair’s Pear Brandy, Cowichan Cider Brandy, Blackberry Mure Oh, Apple Oh de Vie, Winter Apple Cider, Cowichan

Copper Gin

Find it at: Various liquor stores across the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Interior

Tasting Room: Yes: each tasting is $5 and all proceeds go to local charities

PO Box 358, 1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill, 250-743-4293

MerridaleCider.com

@merridalecider

Facebook.com/MerridaleCider

17

Odd Society Spirits

This East Vancouver distillery was built in a former motorcycle garage, and is deep in the heart of East Side craft beer country. Its three founding self-described “odd” owners are busy producing different expressions of gin, vodka and both white (unaged) and single malt whiskies.

Products: East Van Vodka, Wallflower Gin, Crème de Cassis, White Rye Mongrel, Odd Bird

Barrel Aged Vodka, Canadian Single Malt Casks

Coming up: Salal Gin

Find it at: Firefly Fine Wine & Ales, Point Grey Beer & Wine Store, and other liquor stores in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island

Tasting Room: Yes

1725 Powell St., Vancouver, 604-559-6745

OddSocietySpirits.com

@OddSpirits

Instagram.com/oddsocietyspirits

Facebook.com/oddsocietyspirits

18

Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery

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

Products: Fruit Liqueurs, Gin, Vodka, Rye Whisky, Taboo Genuine Absinthe, Eau de Vie, Laird of Fintry Single Malt Whisky, Aquavitus, Master Distiller Series Whiskies, Marc (Grappa Style), Bittered Sling Bitters

Coming Soon: Spirited Dinners, where the menu is paired with craft cocktails

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, BCLDB

Tasting Room: Yes

5204 24th St, Vernon, 250-549-3120, 267 Bernard Ave, Kelowna, 778-484-5174

OkanaganSpirits.com

@okanaganspirits

Instagram.com/OkanaganSpirits

Facebook.com/okanaganspirits

Old Order Distilling Company

A biologist and a former finance expert respectively, Graham Martens and Naomi Gabriel now own and operate a fine Mueller copper still from Germany. The Penticton distillery takes barley from Vanderhoof, malts it in Armstrong, then distills it with spring water from Anarchist Mountain.

Products: Heritage Vodka, Legacy Gin

Coming Soon: Genesis Whisky in 2018

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store Tasting Room: Yes

270 Martin St., Penticton, 778-476-2210

OldOrderDistilling.ca

@OldOrder_Spirit

Facebook.com/OldOrderDistillingCompany

Gin, Barrel Aged Apple Brandy, Special Reserve Apple Brandy, Kartoffelschnaps, Pemberton

Valley Single Malt Whisky, Hemp Vodka, Byron’s Organic Coffee Liqueur, Blueberry Liqueur, Hazelnut Liqueur, Plum Liqueur, Strawberry Liqueur, Whisky & Honey Liqueur, Pure Organic Vanilla Extract

Coming Soon: Cask Whisky

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, Liberty Wine Merchants, Brewery Creek, Firefly Fine Wines & Ales

Tasting Room: Yes

1954 Venture Pl, PO Box 76, Pemberton, 604-894-0222 PembertonDistillery.ca

@pembydistillery

Instagram.com/pembydistillery

Facebook.com/pemberton.distillery

21

Shelter Point Distillery

Rather than rush their whisky to market, this Vancouver Island team is waiting for the first batch of their single malt to reach its best. In the meantime, customers can enjoy their Still Master single malt vodka.

Products: Still Master Vodka

Coming Soon: Shelter Point

Distillery Single Malt Whisky, Aged Custom Blended Whiskies, Maple Liqueur

Sheringham Distillery

James MacIsaac was a successful chef before he turned distiller, and he brings his local, sustainable attitude towards food to his small batch spirits. Coastalbased on Vancouver Island, Sheringham includes handharvested local kelp among the botanicals in its Seaside Gin.

Products: William’s White, Sheringham Distillery Vodka, Seaside Gin

Find it at: Across Vancouver Island liquor stores

Pemberton Distillery

Master distiller Tyler Schramm uses local organic Pemberton potatoes as the base for his extensive range of spirits and liqueurs—including his homage to the humble spud that fuels his business, the Kartoffelschnaps.

Products: Schramm Vodka, Organic Absinthe, Schramm

Find it at: Vancouver island liquor stores, a few select stores in Vancouver

Tasting Room: Tours and tastings available spring through fall

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

shelterpointdistillery.com

@ShelterPoint

facebook.com/ShelterPointDistillery

Tasting Room: Visits and tastings by appointment only

2631 Seaside Dr, Shirley, 778.528.1313

sheringhamdistillery.com

facebook.com/sheringhamdistillery

23

Sons of Vancouver

James Lester and Richard Klaus

hail from northern B.C., but named their small distillery for Vancouver to emphasise their philosophy of keeping as local as possible. They say their amaretto, sweetened with B.C. blackberry honey, is a tribute to their mothers.

Products: Amaretto, Vodka, Chili Vodka

Coming Soon: Barrel Aged Amaretto

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store

Tasting Room: Yes

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

SonsOfVancouver.ca

@sonsofvancouver

Facebook.com/SonsOfVancouver

24

Urban Distilleries

A trip to France and an unplanned tour of a Cognac distillery put Mike Urban on the path to making his own liquor. Now owner of the largest distillery in the province, Urban has collected several international awards for his spirits.

Products: Spirit Bear Vodka, Spirit Bear Gin, Spirit Bear Espresso Infused Vodka, Urban Single Malt Whisky, White Bear Whisky, Grappa Moscato, Calvados, Kirsch

Coming Soon: Fruit Liqueurs

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, BCLDB, Darby’s Liquor Store

Tasting Room: Yes

325 Bay Avenue #6, Kelowna, 778-478-0939

UrbanDistilleries.ca

@SpiritBearVodka

Facebook.com/urbandistilleries

25

Victoria Spirits

Launched in 2008, Victoria Gin is now a nationally-recognized brand, the image of a youthful Queen Victoria gracing bottles on bars across the country. Their first small batch, limited release whisky was launched in early 2015.

Products: Victoria Gin, Oaken Gin, Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Craigdarroch Whisky, Twisted Bitters

Coming Soon: A brand new distillery in a bigger location under new ownership, with new branding.

Find it at: BCLDB, Coal Harbour

Liquor Store, Legacy Liquor Store

Tasting Room: Not right now

9891 Seaport Place, Sidney, 250-544-8217

VictoriaSpirits.com

@victoriaspirits

Instagram.com/victoriaspirits Facebook.com/victoriaspirits

Von Albrecht & Associates

Founder Marcus Von Albrecht was an award-winning chef when he started the company. The XFour vodka range is distilled from rye and corn in Vernon; the lemonade base for their coolers is made from Von Albrecht’s great-grandfather’s original recipe.

Products: XFour Vodkas, Percy’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Vodka

Coming Soon: Bremner’s Blueberry Vodka, Xoxolat Chocolate Cocktail

Find it at: Various Vancouver private liquor stores

Tasting Room: No

2220 Vauxhall Pl., Richmond, 604-273-3445

VonAlbrecht.com

27

Wayward Distillation House

Harking bark to the earliest recorded alcohols, Comox-based Wayward starts all its products by first creating mead, an ancient wine made from honey. That pure B.C. honey forms the base, and offers a touch of sweetness on the nose, to these uniquely crafted spirits.

Products: Unruly Vodka, Unruly Gin, Shot in the Dark, Espresso and Cacao Bean Liqueur

Coming Soon: Bourbon Barreled Gin, Olympic Krupnik

Find it at: Various Vancouver liquor stores

Tasting Room: Yes

2931 Moray Ave, Courtenay, 250-871-0424

WaywardDistillationHouse.com

@WaywardDH

Instagram.com/WaywardDistillation, Facebook.com/WaywardDistillation

28

Yaletown Distilling Company

A successful brewery in the heart of the city, Yaletown moved into spirits in 2013, creating gin and vodka with B.C.-grown wheat and barley. Tours and tastings are available onsite.

Products: Yaletown Vodka, Yaletown Gin, Yaletown Hopped Gin, Yaletown Mandarin Vodka, Honey Spirit

Find it at: Legacy Liquor Store, The Tasting Room, The Distillery Bar

Tasting Room: Yes

1132 Hamilton St., Vancouver, 604-669-2266

YTDistilling.com

@YTDistilling

Instagram.com/YTDistilling

The Canadian Professional Bartenders Association is a member-run non for profit society committed to establishing and upholding the highest standards in the proud trade of the career bartender. We consider continuous education, pride in service and principled responsibility to be the cornerstones of our profession, ideals we foster by building and maintaining community. The CPBA regularly organizes and executes educational seminars, competitions, product salons and meet-ups, and acts as a liaison between corporate brands and member businesses.

Hospitality is our business, and we love it.

canadianbartenders.com

BartenderBC@gmail.com

@BCBartender @BCBartender /BCCPBA

PROFESSION

Hairdresser

FAVOURITE HAUNT “Upstairs” at Campagnolo

WHAT’LL YOU HAVE?

Negroni

Quentina Siah

“‘ U PSTAIRS’ AT C AMPAGNOLO IS SOMEWHERE I ’VE BEEN GOING SINCE IT OPENED, AND I FEEL COMFORTABLE THERE ON MY OWN. P ETER V AN DE R EEP, THE BAR MANAGER, HAS SUCH A PASSION FOR LEARNING ABOUT SPIRITS AND COCKTAILS, I JUST LOVE GEEKING OUT WITH HIM.”