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Matt Hassen, Bar Manager, Chill Winston, Vancouver“Patio season calls for a celebration, and bubbly makes any sunny afternoon an occasion.” The Agnostic 1 ounce Eldorado 15 rum .75 ounce Abricot du Roussillon .25 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed 3 ounces Anna de Codorniu sparkling wine Optional orange wheel garnish > Combine first three ingredients. Shake hard with ice. Strain into flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with half an orange wheel on side of glass. Chris Hesje, Bartender, Projection Room, Vancouver“Despite sounding rather intense, if prepared correctly it goes down decidedly refreshing on a hot day. I may not recommend indulging in five of them in one sitting as Hemingway is said to have endorsed, but one or two shared among friends or co-workers on a summer’s afternoon is sure to relieve any and all strains of the day.” Death in the Afternoon 1 ounce absinthe 4.5 ounces brut champagne Zest of lemon garnish > Stir absinthe briefly over ice, just long enough for it to louche (turn opalescent greenish white) and strain into a chilled champagne coupe or flute; top with brut champagne. Naturally, Hemingway’s original took no dressing up, but a zest of lemon does nicely to finish the drink off with a bright aroma on the nose. Robyn Gray, Bartender, Prohibition at Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver“The Bourbon Peach Smash is the perfect patio sipper because it really encompasses all things summer: peaches, mint, lemons and, of course, bourbon.” Bourbon Peach Smash 60 ml bourbon (the finer the better) 1/2 lemon quartered 1/2 peach quartered 15 ml gomme (2:1 simple syrup) Small handful mint Crushed ice > Muddle lemon and peach, discipline the mint (give it a little smack to release the oils). Add bourbon whisky and crushed ice; mix with a spoon. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Find a sunny chair and sip to enjoy. James Eriksen, Food and Beverage Manager, Northview Golf and Country Club, Surrey“It is light, crisp and very refreshing, especially after a round of golf on a sunny day and consumed on our patio—of course.” Arnie’s Elixir 1 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin 1 ounce Limoncello liqueur 1 large slice of cucumber 3 ounces of chilled sweetened green tea > Put in a cocktail shaker with 4-6 ice cubes. Shake vigorously until well blended. Pour into a highball glass, top with ice if needed and garnish with a slice of cucumber and straws. Hailey Pasemko, Bar Manager, Wolf in the Fog, Tofino“The Butterfly Knot is sweet and summery with flavours of apples and citrus. Adding an orange zest butterfly garnish makes it the perfect cocktail to serve at a garden party.” Butterfly Knot 1 ½ ounces apple jack ½ ounce Amaro Nonino ½ ounce dry Curaçao > Combine in a mixing glass. Add ice, stir and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange zest butterfly.
Apothecary Bitters The Apothecary Bitters Company makes craft bitters in East Vancouver using fresh and, where possible, organic ingredients. Recommended flavours for summer are Spirit Fire (cherry cedar), Tlalocan (latin lime) and Mystic Caravan (smokey pear). apothecarybitters.com Bittered Sling New from Lauren Mote, bar manager at UVA and 2015 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards bartender of the year, and Café Medina executive chef Jonathan Chovancek, the Bittered Sling Gift Pack 2.0 includes six flavours: Orange & Juniper, Moondog, Grapefruit & Hops, Plum & Rootbeer, Kensington Dry Aromatic and Malagasy Chocolate. bitteredsling.com Twisted & Bitter In addition to vodka, gin and whisky, Victoria Spirits uses its copper pot still to handmake bitters in three flavours: Orange (nice in a martini), Rosemary Grapefruit (good in G&T) and Black Pepper (spices up a caesar). victoriaspirits.com —Felicity Stone
Cahoots Simple Syrups Cold-processed in a Vancouver kitchen from natural ingredients, some Cahoots simple syrups are simpler than others but all are easy to use. Flavours are Classic (cane sugar and water), Lemon (sugar, water and lemons) and Hibiscus (sugar, water, hibiscus, star anise, lemon and ginger). cahootsmade.com Dickie’s Ginger Stephen Tufts, who makes Dickie’s ginger beer in East Vancouver using real ginger, cane sugar and fresh lemons, likes to drink it with tequila, gin or bourbon. It’s also good with Pimm’s, or mix it with ale or lager for a summery shandy. dickiesginger.com Fermentorium Distilling Flavoured Tonics The distilling arm of Victoria’s Phillips Brewing Company, Fermentorium uses natural flavourings and cane sugar in its hand-crafted tonics. The four-pack contains classic tart Artisanal Dry, floral Botanical Brew, sweet and fresh Cucumber Mint and citrusy Philosopher’s Brew. fermentorium.ca Long Table Original Tonic Syrup Vancouver’s Long Table Distillery hand makes its tonic syrup in small batches using cane sugar, cinchona bark (source of quinine), citrus zests and other natural botanicals. Mix London dry gin and soda water, drizzle tonic syrup on top and stir lightly or let it naturally disperse in the glass. longtabledistillery.com Walter All-Natural Caesar Mix Vancouver-based Walter small-batch Caesar mix is not only made with all-natural ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes, real grated horseradish and clam juice but is the only Canadian Caesar mix to be Ocean Wise. Available in two flavours: well-spiced or mildly spiced. waltercaesar.com —Felicity Stone