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Cocktail Frenzy!

By Nathan Fong
On: Tue, May 1, 2007 , Tagged:

Warmer weather signals the beginning of patio entertaining and al fresco cocktail parties. Although cocktails are popular year-round, these light and refreshing exotic drinks seem to appear everywhere this time of year, paper umbrellas and all.

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the word “cocktail”, which first appeared in Hudson, New York in the publication The Balance and Columbian Repository in May, 1806: “Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of Diva at the Met’s Vaquero Afrutado is a tangy
thirst-quencher (Kate Rogers)any kind, sugar, water and bitters—it is vulgarly called a bitter sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head.”

Shortly after the public discovered cocktails, bartenders became as important to society as lawyers and doctors. While the notion is laughable today, we applaud the mixologist’s mastery of a well-balanced drink. Although many will dispute the first important cocktail ever made, most will point to the Sazerac, which debuted in New Orleans and was originally made with Cognac, bitters, sugar and a dash of absinthe.

Through the famed cocktail era from the 1940s to 1960s, having a chilled Martini or Manhattan became synonymous with stylish party dresses and smoking jackets. The Martini, the venerable cocktail icon, is arguably one of the easiest drinks to make. Take a large dose of gin, a splash of vermouth, stir with ice until bitterly cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Simple as it seems, more has been written about how to mix the perfect Martini than any other cocktail in the world.

Today the cocktail has come of age with adventurous blends and stylish presentation. Some of B.C.’s best bars have become renowned for their creativity and passion in mixing great cocktails, not only for the quality of the ingredients but also for infusing their own liquors and concocting unique garnishes.

Here are some signature cocktails from local hotspots:

Lumière Restaurant

2551 West Broadway, 604.739.8185
Blushing Maiden’s Prayer: Plymouth dry gin, rum, Cointreau, lemon juice, raspberry syrup

Diva at The Met

645 Howe Street, 604.602.7788
Vaquero Afrutado: Citron, Olmeca extra aged tequila, Sourpuss Tangerine, pomegranate juice

Chambar Belgian Restaurant

562 Beatty Street, 604.879.7119
Lombok Lemonade: Lemongrass infused gin, ketchap manis (Indonesian sweet syrup), muddled lime leaf, juice of one lemon, blueberry syrup, garnish of candied lime and lemon squares

George Ultra Lounge

1137 Hamilton Street, 604.628.5555
English Martini: Cucumber infused gin, Pimm’s #1, pressed apple juice and lemon juice, garnished with mint leaves

Blue Water Café

1095 Hamilton Street, 604.688.8078
Robbie Coltrane: Famous Grouse scotch; spiced honey mixture with cayenne, ancho chili and cinnamon; lemon juice and orange bitters, served over ice

West

2881 Granville Street, 604.738.8938
Beet-nyk: Luksusowa vodka, muddled golden beets, apple liqueur, dill, lemon

And in Victoria…

The Bengal Lounge at The Fairmont Empress

721 Government Street, 250.384.8111
Tiger Kiss Martini: Vodka, red passion fruit liqueur, pineapple juice, fresh lime

Nathan Fong is a trained chef, food journalist and consultant, television and radio culinary host, and one of Canada’s premier food and props stylists for culinary print and film advertising. He is a regular contributor to Global BCTV’s Saturday Morning Chef and Fong on Food segments, contributing editor for EAT magazine and consulting food specialist for CBC Radio One.