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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Elderflower Pear Margarita

Posted on January 16, 2015 | 2 comments

Who knew George Clooney makes tequila? Well, he’s not the actual master distiller, but he’s one of the power names behind Casamigos Tequila, along with Rande Gerbe and Mike Meldman. Clooney’s signature is even on the bottle.

George Clooney is a co-owner of Casamigos Tequila.

George Clooney is a co-owner of Casamigos Tequila.

Celebs and their rock star cousins have been throwing a bit of their fortunes into spirits for awhile now (remember Cabo Wabo tequila, courtesy of Sammy Hagar?). Dan Aykroyd brings us Crystal Head Vodka, Kenny Chesney has a line of made-in-Barbados rums, and Justin Timberlake is behind 901 Tequila. So it’s not surprising tequila-lover Clooney would get in on the game with a premium blanco and reposado tequila (an anejo will be added to the Casamigos collection some time this year).

The Casamigos website lists some great-sounding recipes from bars across North America. Los Pollos Hermanos sounds amazing — who knew you could put chicken stock in a cocktail? I was sent a bottle of the blanco to sample and since I don’t have any “clarified chicken stock” on hand, I decided to try the product in a margarita. I usually prefer a reposado in my margs, but I thought the blanco worked well in an Elderflower Pear Margarita.

The Casamigos blanco is smooth, no burn at all going down and with nice floral aromas and a taste of sweet agave. I felt the blanco would pair well with St-Germaine and its sweet, floral, not-quite-pear-nor-citrus taste, so I subbed that liqueur for Cointreau in my margarita twist. I also had an overripe pear on hand and decided to see how that would taste muddled into the mix. It added a subtle pear flavour and that, along with the St-Germaine, made the drink stand out. (I’m not sure I’d make it again though as it was a bit laborious straining the pear out!)

Elderflower Pear Margarita

This margarita twist features St-Germaine and the soft, sweet flavour of muddled pear to offset the tequila and lime. Note Clooney’s signature on the bottle!

Elderflower Pear Margarita

  • 1.5 oz Casamigos blanco tequila
  • 1 oz St-Germaine
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 barspoon agave syrup
  • 1/4 ripe pear
  • Garnish: pear wedge

Method: Rim a rocks glass with salt and fill with crushed ice. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker muddle ripe pear with lime juice and agave syrup. Add Casamigos blanco, St-Germaine and ice and shake. Fine strain into the rocks glass and garnish with a pear wedge.

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