Category Archives: Cocktails

Drink of the Week: Gingered Apple

Posted on March 25, 2016 | Leave a comment

I finally made it to Ten Foot Henry on the now-bustling two-block strip of 1 St. S.W. between 12 and 14 avenues, that’s also home to Raw Bar, Taste, Proof and  Vine Arts. So many great cocktail options there and I was excited to see what Ten Foot Henry, named after a 1930s comic strip, could contribute to the scene.

The small list, split almost evenly between classic and original cocktails, has something for everyone. I especially liked The Henrietta (read all about it in an upcoming Spirited Calgary column in the Herald) and the Gingered Apple. This yellow drink is like a spicy, candied-apple lemon drop, with an understated acidity thanks to the apple cider vinegar. It goes pow on the palate and makes you think about what you’re drinking. Sip slowly and enjoy.

The Gingered Apple cocktail at Ten Foot Henry goes pow on the palate.

The Gingered Apple cocktail at Ten Foot Henry goes pow on the palate.

Gingered Apple

  • 1-1/2 oz Zubrowka vodka
  • 1/2 oz Iron Works apple brandy
  • 1/4 oz apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar-to-water)
  • 2-3 dashes Bar Keep apple bitters
  • Garnish: lemon twist

Method: Shake ingredients with ice and then double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

— Recipe courtesy Dylan Can, Ten Foot Henry

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Drink of the Week: Aeronautics

Posted on March 18, 2016 | Leave a comment

Alloy is an oft-overlooked oasis of dining awesomeness in the city’s southeast. It’s just a five-minute drive from Inglewood to the industrial park that houses Alloy, a fact that always makes me scratch my head over why we don’t dine there more often. Now we have another reason to visit: cocktails.

Alloy has given its bar a makeover and a new name — Back Bar — and brought in former Candela bartender Jake Hewitt to create a bar menu. The result is a small list that takes classics and gives them a modern twist. Do try the Smoked Old Fashioned, The Pullman (like a Sidecar, with rum) and the Aeronautics, which is Hewitt’s take on an Aviation. I couldn’t resist the colour of this gin-forward but well-balanced spring sip. The bar snacks, specifically the pulled pork belly slider, are delicious, too!

This gorgeous purple drink is Bar Bar's take on an Aviation cocktail.

This gorgeous purple drink is Back Bar’s take on an Aviation cocktail.

Aeronautics

  • 1-1/2 oz Tanqueray gin
  • 1/4 oz Giffard’s Creme de Violette
  • 1/4 oz Ginja cherry liqueur
  • 2 lemon wedges, squeezed
  • Garnish: lemon twist

Method: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until drink is well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Rim the glass with expressed lemon disk, then twist over drink and drop in.

— Recipe courtesy Jake Hewitt, Back Bar at Alloy

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Fairmont Old Fashioned

Posted on March 11, 2016 | Leave a comment

Fairmont hotels do cocktails well. So well, in fact, that every couple years the resort chain comes out with a new collection of drinks meant to represent classic cocktails from select properties, or craft cocktails or — as is the case this year — classic and revived classics (with a modern twist) created and tested by leading Fairmont bartenders. The result is the Classics Perfected menu, a list of six reinvented classics and six timeless favourites such as the G&T, Sidecar, Moscow Mule and Margarita.

I had the opportunity to sample three of the revived classics — the Sparkling Collins Royale, VSOP Boulevardier and Fairmont Old Fashioned (see recipe) — at the cocktail launch event at the Fairmont Palliser earlier this week.

Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum is a great edition to this twist on a classic Old Fashioned. Image courtesy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum is a great addition to this twist on a classic Old Fashioned. Image courtesy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

The event was held in the street-level Starbucks, which, back in the day, housed the infamous Kings Arms bar (also known as “The Pit”). (The hotel is exploring the possibility of turning the space into a speakeasy by night, but nothing is confirmed, so if you arrive at the hotel seeking cocktails, go to The Oak Room bar.)

I really liked the Sparkling Collins Royale, which is like a cross between a Tom Collins and a Mojito (think vodka and lemon meet mint) that’s topped with Veuve champagne! I also loved the Fairmont Old Fashioned. It’s made especially yummy thanks to the addition of Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, which adds a hit of sweet molasses to the drink.

Fairmont Old Fashioned

  • 1 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
  • 1 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar-to-water)
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Garnish: wide orange disk

Method: In a pint mixing glass combine spirits, syrup and bitters. Fill 3/4 full of ice and stir swiftly for 20 seconds. Fill an Old Fashioned glass 3/4 full with fresh ice. Strain cocktail into glass. Express orange peel oil over top of drink, twist peel, and then drop into glass.

— Recipe courtesy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

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