Sakura
This spring, we are taking cocktail inspiration from a classic symbol of the season: cherry blossoms, known as sakura in Japan. This cocktail features Roku Gin. Roku, translating to “six” in Japanese, is made from a distinctive blend of six different Japanese botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of cherry blossom trees. We also used Nakano Umeshu, made from sour plums, as a nod to the beautiful blooms in Vancouver, which are often sour plum trees, not cherry blossoms!Ingredients
Serves 1
1½ oz (45 ml) Suntory Roku Gin
¾ oz (22 ml) Nakano Umeshu Japanese Plum Wine
¾ oz (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
½ oz (15 ml) Cinnamon Cordial*
dried sour plum and lemon peel, for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker with cubed ice, combine gin, plum wine, lemon juice and Cinnamon Cordial. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a dried sour plum and lemon peel.
- *For Cinnamon Cordial, in a small saucepan, combine 2 cinnamon sticks with 2 cups (500 ml) water, boil until volume is reduced to 1 cup (250 ml). Remove cinnamon sticks, add 2 cups (500 ml) sugar and simmer to dissolve. Transfer to a clean bottle, allow to cool, seal and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. Makes 2 cups (500 ml).
Featuring
SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE
Sparkling cocktails are great for celebrating the different events and important moments in our lives. This sparkling cocktail can be served to celebrate the holidays, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, a birthday or any other reason to raise a glass to toast an occasion.Ingredients
Serves
1 oz (30 ml) Woodford Reserve Bourbon
½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup*
1 barspoon (5 ml) cherry brine (liquid from cocktail cherries)
5 dashes Agnostura bitters
2 strips orange peel, pith removed, save 1 for garnish
2 oz (60 ml) Segura Viudas Cava Brut
cherry and orange peel, for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass with cubed ice, express oils from 1 orange peel, then combine bourbon, simple syrup, cherry brine and aromatic bitters. Stir to chill and dilute. Strain into a flute and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a cherry and orange peel.
- * 1:1 ration of sugar dissolved in boiling water. Allow to cool before using.
Featuring
CITRUS & CRANBERRY SPARKLE
Sparkling cocktails are great for celebrating the different events and important moments in our lives. This sparkling cocktail can be served to celebrate the holidays, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, a birthday or any other reason to raise a glass to toast an occasion.Ingredients
Serves 1
1 oz (30 ml) Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin
1 oz (30 ml) cranberry juice
½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup*
½ oz (15 ml) lemon juice
3 oz (90 ml) Segura Viudas - Cava Brut Reserva
fresh cranberries and orange peel, for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass with cubed ice, combine gin, cranberry juice, simple syrup and lemon juice. Stir to chill and dilute. Strain into a flute and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with fresh cranberries and an orange peel.
- * 1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in boiling water. Allow to cool before using.
Featuring
MUSTARD PRETZEL BITES
The perfect après treat: beer and cheese fondue with pretzel bites. Find the beer and cheese fondue recipe on our recipes page.Ingredients
Serves Serves 4 to 6
1½ cups (375 ml) warm water
2 tbsp (30 ml) sugar
1 package (2¼ tsp/7 g) dry yeast
⅓ cup (75 ml) butter, melted
2½ tsp (12.5 ml) salt
3 tbsp (45 ml) grainy mustard, divided
4½ cups (560 g) all-purpose flour
16 cups (4 L) water
½ cup (125 ml) baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp (15 ml) whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 ml) coarse sea salt
Instructions
- In bowl of a standard mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add water, sugar and yeast. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Add butter, salt, 2 tbsp (30 ml) grainy mustard and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Continue mixing for another 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl.
- Take a separate bowl and grease sides with vegetable oil. Place dough in the bowl and coat it with oil. Cover with shrink wrap or a tea towel and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about one hour. Alternatively, let it rise overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). In a large pot, bring 16 cups (4 L) water to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and carefully add baking soda. This will make the water rise up, so be careful. Turn the heat back up to high. Line a baking pan with parchment paper
- Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a rope about 1-in (2.5 cm) thick.
- Cut the ropes into 1-in (2.5 cm) pieces.
- Drop 12 to 15 pieces of dough into pot, let water return to a boil then continue to cook for about 30 seconds. Remove pretzel bites with a spider or large slotted spoon and drain. Lay pretzel bites on baking sheet, leaving at least 2-in (5 cm) between each bite. Continue working until all pretzels have been boiled.
- Mix egg, whipping cream and remaining grainy mustard. Brush pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake pretzels until they are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with fondue.
Drink Pairings
Gold Moon Rising
A cocktail by Barry Jackson, bar manager at Acquafarina from their fall menu.Ingredients
Serves 1
1¼ oz (37 ml) Moonlight Premium Shochu infused with toasted sesame seeds*
½ oz (15 ml) Bols Apricot Brandy
¼ oz (7 ml) Martini Bianco Vermouth
2 to 3 dashes Cardamom bitters
sour peach candy, for garnish
Instructions
- *Add 1 heaping tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds to a full 1 x 750 ml bottle of Shochu. Refrigerate overnight, then strain before serving.
- In a mixing glass over ice, stir together sesame-infused Shochu, apricot liqueur and vermouth. Strain into a small coupe or Nic & Nora glass and garnish with a skewered sour peach candy.
Featuring
Pink 75
Ingredients
Serves 1
1 oz (30 ml) Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin
½ oz (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
½ oz (15 ml) Simple Syrup*
3 oz (90 ml) Villa Teresa Prosecco Rosé
Long strip lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass with cubed ice, combine gin, lemon juice and Simple Syrup. Stir to combine, then strain into a flute glass and top with Prosecco Rosé. Garnish with lemon zest. * 1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in boiling water. Allow to cool before using.
Featuring
Violet Dream
Ingredients
Serves Serves 1
1 oz (30 ml) Empress 1908 Gin
½ oz (15 ml) Rhubarb Juice*
½ oz (15 ml) Rosemary Syrup**
¼ oz (7 ml) St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
4 oz (120 ml) Fitzpatrick Fitz Brut
rosemary sprig, for garnish
Instructions
- In a steel cocktail shaker, combine gin, Rhubarb Juice, Rosemary Syrup and St-Germain. Add ice, cover and shake until outside of shaker becomes frosty, about 15 seconds. Double strain into a flute or Champagne glass. Slowly top with sparkling wine. Using a lighter or culinary torch, carefully burn edges of rosemary leaves and add sprig to glass.
- * If possible, Thiago recommends buying fresh rhubarb and juicing it at home. Or, chop up a 6-in (15 cm) stalk of rhubarb and place in a blender. Add water to cover and blend until smooth, then fine strain the liquid and discard the pulp.
- ** To make Rosemary Syrup, chop 2 sprigs rosemary and add to a small saucepan with 2 cups (500 ml) water. Bring to a boil and keep boiling for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, then add 12 oz (340 g) sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool, then strain out and discard rosemary. Makes about 2 cups (500 ml). Will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Featuring
No-Waste Sour
Ingredients
Serves Serves 1
1½ oz (45 ml) Queensborough Dry Gin
1 oz (30 ml) Gewürztraminer Syrup*
¾ oz (22 ml) lemon juice
2 foraged or local rosemary sprigs (save 1 for garnish)
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker with cubed ice, combine gin, Gewürztraminer Syrup, lemon juice and 1 sprig rosemary. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a chilled rocks glass over new cubed ice. Garnish with remaining rosemary sprig.
- * To make Gewürztraminer Syrup, heat 1 cup (250 ml) leftover Gewürztraminer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once bubbling gently, reduce heat to simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add ½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, let cool, then transfer to a bottle, seal and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 7 oz (210 ml).
Drink Pairings
Gratitude
Ingredients
Serves 1
1 oz (30 ml) Bacardí Superior White Rum
¾ oz (22 ml) organic, unsweetened cranberry juice
¼ oz (7ml) simple syrup *
5 mint leaves
3 oz (90ml) Villa Teresa Prosecco Rosé
fresh or frozen cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine, rum, cranberry juice, simple syrup and mint. Shake vigorously to chill and "muddle" the mint. Fine strain into a flute glass, top with Prosecco Rosé and garnish with cranberries
- * 1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in boiling water. Allow to cool before using.
Featuring
Gratitude (batch version)
Ingredients
Serves 10
40 to 50 mint leaves
10 oz (300 ml) Bacardí Superior White Rum
7½ oz (225 ml) organic, unsweetened cranberry juice
2½ oz (75 ml) simple syrup
5 oz (150 ml) water
2 x 750 ml bottles Villa Teresa Prosecco Rosé, to serve
fresh or frozen cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- In a pitcher or bowl, muddle mint leaves, then add rum, cranberry juice, simple syrup and water. Stir thoroughly, then strain into a clean 750 ml bottle and chill before serving. To serve, measure 2½ oz (75 ml) into a flute glass, top with 3 oz (90 ml) Prosecco Rosé and garnish with cranberries.