GET INTO THE B.C. SPIRITS
Festive cocktails feature flavours of province's artisan distilleries
If you need a little festive cheer right about now — and don't we all? — head down to Granville Island. Not only is the parking free and the shopping blissfully uncrowded, the whole island has been decked out with twinkly lights, making it a sparkling winter wonderland.
And once you've checked out the lights and picked up some goodies at the market, you can pop into the tasting room at The Liberty Distillery and raise a glass of madein-b.c. cheer.
“We tend to be quite seasonal and we update the cocktails whenever we release a new spirit,” says Lisa Simpson, the distillery's proprietor and director of operations.
Right now, that means the return of favourite festive cocktails like the Mascot and Yule Mule, as well as the re-release of the 100 per cent grown-in-b.c. Endeavour Origins Gin.
“We hand-pick all 25 botanicals,” Simpson says. “There's lots and lots of layers of botanical notes, starting with the juniper.”
Buy a Liberty cocktail or bottle of gin or whisky and you support not just the distillery, but also the farmers and foragers who produced the ingredients. And if 2020 has taught us anything, it's the importance of helping our friends and neighbours, especially those who care for us, feed us and serve us.
It's not just Liberty, of course. There are 71 artisan distilleries in B.C., everywhere from Ucluelet to the Kootenays and Osoyoos to Prince George, producing spirits, liqueurs, bitters and fortified wines like vermouth.
If you're looking for something especially festive, you could opt for a cream liqueur like the Monashee Spirits Big Mountain Creamer or Bruin wood Advocaat, or a spiced-honey one like the Wayward Distilling Krupnik, or a nutty one like The Woods Nocino, or a fruity one like the Okanagan Spirits maraschino or Italian prune brandy.
Or you could savour the seasonal flavours of baking spices and dried fruit in barrel-aged spirits such as Maple Leaf Spirits Lady of the Cask brandy, DEVINE'S rum-like Black Bear, or single malt whiskies from Shelter Point, Victoria Cale-donian and several others.
Or you could head down to Liberty and try the Endeavour Old Tom gin, a rich, spicy barrel-aged gin with pronounced fruitcake notes that is combined with cloudy apple juice in the Mascot cocktail.
“I like to describe it as Christmas cake in a glass. It has all that warm spice, but it is not cloying,” Simpson says.
“It really showcases the barrel-aged gin, and it really speaks to the season.”
It also features in the Yule Mule, a festive update of a classic Moscow Mule, made with lime and cranberry juice and ginger beer, garnished with rosemary, cranberries and a candy cane (see recipe).
“That one's really, really fun,” Simpson says.
And fun is something else we could all use right now, whether we find it in the sparkle of Christmas lights, the sweet garnish of a cocktail or the warmth of helping others enjoy the season.
The Liberty Distillery is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. thelibertydistillery.com
Meanwhile, here are five other easy ways to enjoy local spirits this holiday season:
■ Monashee Spirits Big Mountain Creamer (espresso cream liqueur) in a special coffee. monasheespirits.com
■ Sons of Vancouver No. 82 Amaretto in Blueberry Tea (1 oz amaretto, 1 oz orange liqueur, 4 oz hot orange pekoe tea). sonsofvancouver.ca
■ Odd Society Spirits Crème de Cassis in a Kir Royale (1 tsp crème de cassis, 4 oz sparkling wine). oddsocietyspirits.com
■ Wayward Distillery Drunken Hive Rum (distilled from honey) in your eggnog. waywarddistillery.com
■ Okanagan Spirits BRBN or B.C. Rye whisky in a hot toddy (6 oz hot water, 1.5 oz whisky, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp lemon juice, mixed in a mug and garnished with a cinnamon stick).