Drink of the Week: Picante Pisco Sour

Posted on August 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

Cocktail culture in Paris is, surprisingly, a couple years behind Calgary (I know!), but during my week here I have still managed to find some amazing drinks. To wit, this twist on a pisco sour, enjoyed at the Park Hyatt Paris.

Like its name implies, this twist on a pisco sour, from the Park Hyatt Paris, is spicy!

One of the themes of my trip to Paris has been Cointreau. We’ve visited the Cointreau distillery in Angers, as well as many cocktails bars in Paris that mix up this elegant orange liqueur in cocktails. When I told the Park Hyatt bartender I like sours he suggested a pisco with Cointreau and chai green tea syrup. The game changer though are the mole bitters — they add a subtle heat at first sip that elevates the drink from passive to picante.

Picante Pisco Sour

Picante Pisco Sour

  • 1 oz chai green tea syrup
  • 5 grapes
  • 1 oz Cointreau
  • 2 oz pisco
  • 1 egg white
  • Loose chai green tea garnish
  • 3 drops Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters garnish

Muddle the syrup with the grapes in the base of a cocktail shaker. Add the Cointreau, pisco and egg white and dry shake to emulsify egg. Add ice then shake again. Strain into a sherry glass and garnish with the loose tea in the middle, surrounded by three dots of mole bitters.

–Recipe courtesy Pierre Massin, Park Hyatt Paris

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Drink of the Week: El Jefe

Posted on August 16, 2013 | 1 comment

El Jefe means “the boss” in Spanish, and after trying a cocktail by this name at Anejo this week, I have to say it’s an apt moniker. El Jefe is basically a tequila Manhattan whose commanding, spirit-forward flavour is softened somewhat with a touch of sweet agave nectar. The cherry on top of this delectable drink is, literally, a tequila-soaked cherry. Oh, El Jefe, you had me at “hola.”

El Jefe is a commanding drink from Anejo that will have you under its spell in no time.

El Jefe is a commanding cocktail from Anejo that will have you under its spell in no time.

El Jefe

  • 1-1/2 oz Cazadores Reposado
  •  1/2 oz Cinzanno Rosso
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Flamed orange peel and tequila cherry garnish

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with a swath of orange peel. Add ice and stir until volume has nearly doubled. Strain into an old fashioned glass over fresh ice, and garnish.

Note: If you’re a bit of a cocktail nerd you can try barrel aging your own combo of tequila and vermouth. Here’s how: Prime a cask with cherry whiskey for 90 days. Pour out the whiskey and pour in three parts tequila and one part red vermouth and age for another 90 days. Then, just add agave nectar and bitters.

— Recipe courtesy Jeff Hines, Anejo

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End of the road… trip

Posted on August 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

There’s always a sense of letdown coming home from a great holiday. Your excitement to sleep in a comfortable bed is tempered by your disappointment over trading scenic hikes and hot beach days for a predictable routine. So it was for us as we pointed the car east (no one ever says, “Go east,” do they?) from Vernon toward Calgary.

The climb up and the descent down Roger's Pass was the highlight of the final leg of our B.C. road trip, from Vernon to Calgary.

The climb up and the descent down Roger’s Pass was the highlight of the final leg of our B.C. road trip.

With six road hours (and eight tunnels) ahead, we had time to talk about our favourite parts of the B.C. road trip.

Avery most enjoyed the cabin up Indian Arm off North Vancouver. A budding naturalist, she’s in her element turning over rocks to find eels and crabs.

Avery catches one of many crabs up Indian Arm.

Avery catches one of many crabs up Indian Arm.

Bennett has graduated from water baby and is a bonafide splash kid. When he wasn’t paddling around a lake (or the Pacific) in his life jacket, he was imitating Piper’s doggy paddle in shallow water. Perhaps he’ll soon be swimming under his own power?

Bennett swims to his honorary auntie while cousin Jack enjoys the water too.

Bennett swims with his honorary auntie Simone and cousin Jack in the frigid Pacific up Indian Arm fjord.

Blake loved escaping the big city to be active outdoors as a family while hiking, swimming, kayaking and mountain biking in beautiful B.C. Oh, and stuffing his face with peaches, cherries and samosas (and wine!) in between activities.

Hiking as a family to BX Falls near Vernon.

Hiking as a family to BX Falls near Vernon.

I (Lisa) loved the heat. And being outside so much. And the way time seemed to slow down for two weeks. Though the places we visited were quite different from one another — small town Fernie; rustic, rainforest-tinged Indian Arm; smoking hot, lake-blessed Vernon — our theme of being active outside persisted throughout the trip. More than once I was amazed by our kids and their willingness to try new things (crab meat! paddle boarding!), hike several kilometres under the baking sun, or sit for hours in a car without complaint. They are turning into real little travellers and I couldn’t be happier about that. But if I had to pick one moment…

Sweet sibs share a moment at one of the most beautiful alpine lakes near Fernie.

Sweet sibs contemplate a beautiful alpine lake. They’ll always have each other, and share childhood memories of this family vacation.

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