Monthly Archives: January 2015

Boston Derby

Posted on January 30, 2015 | Leave a comment

This smooth and tart winter delight is basically a Boston Sour, where the bourbon has been infused with grapefruit peel. I sampled this drink in Vancouver at West Restaurant, where the bar program is ably commanded by award-winning mixologist David Wolowidnyk.

As you know by now, I really like sours, and it’s neat to see more bartenders playing around with grapefruit in this style of drink. This version is light and lemony, with a lip-puckering kiss from the grapefruit and an affectionate slap from the bourbon. Be careful though — after one sip you might end up in a race to the bottom of the glass.

Grapefruit meets bourbon in this tasty twist on a Boston Sour.

Grapefruit meets bourbon in this tasty twist on a Boston Sour at West Restaurant in Vancouver.

Boston Derby

  • 2 oz grapefruit peel-infused bourbon*
  • 1 oz honey syrup (2/3 honey to 1/3 water)
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • Egg white
  • Garnish: lemon twist

Method: Combine ingredients and shake quickly with ice to chill. Remove ice and shake again to maximize foam. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist set atop the foam.

*Grapefruit-peel infused bourbon

  • The peels of two grapefruits, with as little pith as possible
  • A bottle of bourbon of your choice

Method: Pour the bourbon into an infusion jar, such as a large 1 L mason jar. Add the grapefruit peels. Seal and let sit at room temperature for two days. Strain out peels and enjoy.

— Recipe courtesy David Wolowidnyk, West Restaurant

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Posted in Cocktails, Travel

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Drink of the Week: Penicillin

Posted on January 23, 2015 | 1 comment

Robbie Burns Day is January 25. I am not Scottish, and you won’t find me partying on Sunday, but I may raise a glass of Laphroaig Quarter Cask to Scottish poet and famous ladies’ man Robert Burns. The single malt scotch whisky, aged in smaller “quarter” casks said to provide the spirit 30 percent greater contact with the barrel wood (and thus intensify the maturation process), is full-bodied and smoky, with a subtle sweetness. It’s lovely on its own but as with most spirits, I prefer mine in a cocktail.

Enter the Penicillin. Although its name is medicinal, this cocktail is anything but antiseptic. It is, however, liquid therapy. The roundness of the blended scotch and the sweet, smoky, peaty flavour of the Laphroaig combine with tart lemon and spicy ginger to make a cocktail that Robbie Burns himself might’ve penned an ode to.

A little shot of this and you'll be ready to party like Robbie Burns!

A little shot of this and you’ll be ready to party like Robbie Burns, Scotland’s favourite son. 

Penicillin

  • 2 oz blended scotch, Teacher’s (I used Ancient Clan)
  • 1/4 oz Laphroaig Quarter Cask
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup
  • Garnish: candied ginger

Method: Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass, preferably one with a large ice cube. Garnish with candied ginger.

— Recipe by mixologist Sam Ross of Milk & Honey, Little Branch, New York, NY

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Ode to Currie Bowl

Posted on January 20, 2015 | Leave a comment

On a powder day at Fernie Alpine Resort, doing laps on White Pass quad is where you want to be. That’s because the top of the chairlift provides access into Currie Bowl, which is — in my opinion — the best of the resort’s five bowls. There are north-facing steeps that hold the snow long after a storm, nice gladed areas for playing chicken with the trees, and open groomers perfect for carving big GS turns.

White Pass chair takes skiers into the clouds, and the powder that awaits in Currie Bowl.

White Pass chair takes skiers into the clouds, and the powder that awaits in Currie Bowl. On Sunday it looked like the inside of a ping-pong ball.

And, in the order of what opens when after new snow falls, Currie usually follows mid-morning behind Timber Bowl and Siberia Bowl. If you can time it to be unloading from White Pass chair at the exact moment ski patrol takes down Currie’s sign line, it will be the best run you ski all day.

The throng gathers at the top of Currie Bowl on a powder morning, waiting for the sign line to come down.

The throng gathers at the top of Currie Bowl on a powder morning, waiting for the sign line to come down.

This happened to me for the second time on Sunday morning. I was perfectly content skiing by braille (a.k.a. visibility was poor) down Pillow Talk in Timber Bowl, finding powder stashes in open areas that the white-out averse had missed in their pursuit of trees for contrast. But when another lap brought me back to the top of White Pass and I saw the crowd gathered, I knew Currie’s terrain was about to get tracked up. No sooner had I exited the lift than the patrolman gave the thumbs up and it was a Chinese downhill into the pow, with me following a line of skiers so I could see where I was going. As soon as I hit Currie Glades, with trees for reference, I split from the pack and carved lovely arcs into the boot-deep snow, whooping with glee and not stopping until I was half way down.

Skiers enjoy first tracks down Currie Bowl on Sun., Jan. 18.

Skiers enjoy first tracks down Currie Bowl on Sun., Jan. 18, 2015.

After that epic run, my day was pretty much done. Thanks for the new snow, Griz!

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Posted in Outdoor Adventure

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