Category Archives: Cocktails

Long Hot Summer

Posted on July 28, 2016 | Leave a comment

The dog days of summer officially arrive this weekend, and we’ll see August stretch before us all hot and hazy. The holiday weekend marks the halfway point of summer break (cue tears) so if you need a drink to cry into — or one to cheer you up while cooling you down — I found just the one at Island Lake Lodge near Fernie, B.C.

The Long Hot Summer is light and refreshing with just a touch of heat from muddled jalapeños to keep things interesting. I love that it uses fresh raspberries and Chambord for sweetness, plus ginger beer for spice and fizz. It’s totally crushable, and even more so if you’re lucky enough to drink it on a patio with a view of the Lizard Range. Cheers!

Beat the heat with this spicy cooler -- aptly named a Long Hot Summer -- from Island Lake Lodge.

Beat the heat with this spicy cooler — aptly named a Long Hot Summer — from Island Lake Lodge.

Long Hot Summer

  • 2 raspberries
  • 2 jalapeño slices
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz Absolut vodka
  • 1/2 oz Chambord
  • Top ginger beer
  • Garnish: Lime wedge and a raspberry

Method: In the base of a cocktail shaker, muddle raspberries and jalapeño slices with lime juice. Add vodka and Chambord, plus ice, then shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with new ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge on the rim and a raspberry dropped into the glass.

— Recipe courtesy Island Lake Lodge

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Happy hour in the Bugaboos

Posted on July 22, 2016 | 1 comment

Happy hour after heli-hiking goes something like this: Grab a beer from the bar at the Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) Bugaboos Lodge, take it to the rooftop hot tub to enjoy with a view of the mountains, and then — at 5:30, or sometime before dinner — order The 5:30 cocktail.

Bartender Rob Vinson shakes his version of a Sidecar with pear brandy instead of cognac and lime juice rather than lemon. You wouldn’t think that a bunch of hikers would be ordering cocktails in the backcountry of British Columbia, but the surprising thing about heli-hiking — using a Bell 212 helicopter to access alpine ridges for hiking that would otherwise remain inaccessible — is it empowers you to try new things, whether it’s a via ferrata, or a dry, citrusy and strong sipper at day’s end. And if you line up your glass just right, the impressive Houndstooth Spire makes a great garnish!

The 5:30 is a twist on a Sidecar, with pear brandy instead of cognac. It's just the thing to take you away after a day hiking from the whirly bird.

The 5:30 is a twist on a Sidecar, with pear brandy instead of cognac. It’s just the thing to take you away after a day hiking from a whirly bird.

The 5:30

  • 1 oz Okanagan Spirits Poire Williams (Pear Brandy)
  • 1 oz Cointreau
  • 1/2 lime, muddled

Method: Muddle half a lime in the base of a cocktail shaker. Add pear brandy, Cointreau and ice, shake. Double strain into a chilled martini glass.

— Cocktail courtesy Rob Vinson, bartender at CMH Bugaboos

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Blueberry Gincident

Posted on July 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Yahoo! The Calgary Stampede is here for the next 10 days. It’s a time of dressing western to day drink on sunny patios or inside hot tents. You could stick with beer, but if you have access to fresh BC blueberries and Parlour Gin from Eau Claire Distillery, this Blueberry Gincident cocktail is just the thing to cool you down while simultaneously firing you up for the rodeo.

The folks from the BC Blueberry Council were in town earlier this week to promote the province’s berry bounty, which is in stores right now. They dropped off a ton of berries, so I juiced some, added local gin, lemon juice and simple syrup, and topped it off with soda water. The resulting cocktail is berry sweet, tart and refreshing. Drink in moderation to avoid a “gincident.” Giddy up!

Cool down during Stampede week with this refreshing gin and blueberry juice cocktail.

Cool down during Stampede week with this refreshing gin and blueberry juice cocktail.

Blueberry Gincident

  • 1.5 oz Parlour Gin
  • 1 oz fresh blueberry juice
  • 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 0.75 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
  • Top soda water
  • Garnish: Mint sprig

Method: In a shaker combine gin, juices and syrup. Shake, then strain into a tall glass with ice. Top with soda water (about 1-2 oz, no more) and garnish with a mint sprig.

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