Tag Archives: cocktails & drinks

Drinks of the Week: red (or bubbly) love potions

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment
Cherry sour

The Cherry Sour from Candela Lounge is bold, slightly sweet and, most importantly for Feb. 14, red.

With Valentine’s Day taking place next week, some couples will be looking to get into the spirit with something strong and celabratory. May I recommend  painting the town red with these valentine-hued cocktails at Calgary lounges:

The Cherry Sour from Candela Lounge is so strong you’ll feel a flush of heat after the first sip. The Maker’s Mark bourbon is offset with a hint of sour morello cherries and a couple dashes of black walnut bitters. Trust me: you’ll want to take things slowly.

Bar C, the city’s latest eat- and drink-ery from Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, has a fantastic cocktail menu that includes one of the best tequila cocktails I’ve chugged in awhile: the Cherry Blanco. Made with smoked cherry juice, two ounces of tequila and topped with Steam Whistle, this drink will quench your desire for something tall and strong.

Much like a nervous date, here is a drink that will turn you off at first but then grow on you as the evening progresses and the booze enters your bloodstream. A Negroni (equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth) is bitter from the Campari, an Italian liqueur, but as the ice melts and mellows it you’ll be screaming for a-more (sorry). Try one at Teatro.

Couples looking for something bubbly should head to the Raw Bar at Hotel Arts and order a Courtly Love. This featured Feb. 14 cocktail combines champagne with gin and is topped with lemon-raspberry foam.

If you’d rather DIY your drinks on heart day, check out my Spirited Calgary cocktail column in the Calgary Herald on Feb. 9. Happy cupid cocktailing!

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Drink of the Week: Dark and Stormy

Posted on January 18, 2013 | 3 comments

Who knew Bermuda had its own national cocktail? Its name, Dark and Stormy, implies the weather due east of Georgia can leave a lot to be desired, which is probably why the locals are hunkering down and tipping back a drink light on the ginger beer but heavy on the rum.

Please excuse the Gurgle Pot -- I promise it doesn't make me drink like a fish.

Please excuse the Gurgle Pot. I promise it doesn’t make me drink like a fish.

To even things up in the beer’s favour I poured in some more beer, mostly because I just really love tasting the ginger in this drink and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer, an alcoholic version out of the U.K., is so good I could almost do without the rum. I could also almost do without the lime (as could most “Bermudians,” according to Esquire), so I cut down its amount. The result: a spicy, rummy drink that tastes great no matter the weather.

I promise you can weather this storm!

I promise you can weather this storm!

Dark and Stormy

  • 2 oz dark rum (I used Appleton Estate Reserve)
  • 3 oz ginger beer (I upped the amount to 4 oz so its taste wouldn’t be overpowered by the rum)
  • 1/2 oz lime juice, or to taste (I used 1/4 oz)

Build the drink in a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Stir and serve.

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Drink of the Week: Gibson’s Maple Lemonade

Posted on November 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

The 100th annual Grey Cup takes place this Sunday (go Stampeders!) and if you’re looking to drink something more refined than a pint of beer, I’ve got just the cocktail for you. I was fortunate to receive a bottle of Gibson’s Finest 100th Grey Cup Limited Edition Canadian whiskey in the mail along with some recipes.

It’s sweet, tastes of maple and has been made special for the Grey Cup. Yum.

So for the past couple months I have been trying it in various drinks including a whiskey sour and a fizzy number called the Gibson’s Blueberry Pancake — the whiskey’s hint of maple lends itself to cocktails with citrus and other fuit. But ultimately I think the drink to mix up on Grey Cup Sunday — just the right combo of patriotism and whiskey — is the Gibson’s Maple Lemonade.

It’s pretty, patriotic and will help you cheer for your team. Go Stampeders!

True, lemonade and raspberries aren’t exactly seasonal come November, but they’ll lighten the mood should your team (the Argos) be losing. And the maple syrup and whiskey add just the right amount of sweetness and warmth on a cold fall night.

Gibson’s Maple Lemonade

  • 1 oz Gibson’s Finest 100th Grey Cup Limited Edition Canadian whiskey
  • 2-3 oz lemonade, to taste (I made my own using 1 part lemon juice, 1 part simple syrup and 1 part water. Yum.)
  • 1 tbsp fresh raspberries (I used strawberries)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup (as in 100 percent pure maple; not Aunt Jemima)

Muddle the berries and maple syrup at the bottom of a shaker, then add the whiskey and lemonade and shake. Pour contents into an ice filled rocks glass and garnish with a lemon wedge.

— Recipe courtesy Ginson’s Finest Canadian Whiskey

The taste of victory and, well, boozy maple lemonade in a glass.

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