by Pamela Irving
WOW up your summer with Highwood Distillers White Owl Whisky. Canada is renowned for producing the highest quality rye whisky in the world. The grainy aroma and taste and amber colour are hallmarks at the best tasting and beverage rooms. White Owl Whisky (WOW), like the snowy owl on the bottle, flies in the face of tradition. It’s as clear as vodka. Only the colour has been removed, leaving all the other elements of whisky still there. Your eyes and tastebuds may have a little difficulty reconciling this at first, for this is truly a unique experience.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 51 days ago

by Pamela Irving
A liqueur made of fine French cognacs, Xante appeals to people who do not normally like either liqueurs or cognacs. “Some people say, I don’t like cognac, but I love Xante, or I don’t like liqueurs because they are too sweet, but love Xante because it is only 17 percent sugar, which is half the amount of the standard. It really is balanced. So people have to taste it and once they do, they love it.” Studies show that eight out of ten people who try it like it.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 81 days ago

by Pamela Irving
Edible flowers and genuine gold glam up the macho world of cocktails. If your idea of garnishing a cocktail is a sprig of mint or a slice of lime, look again. Let Dress the Drink add edible beauty to your cocktail menu-from sweet flowers grown with organic principles to genuine 24-carat gold dust, the DTD collection is unbelievable. Women adore it, but guys like it too.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 108 days ago

by Pamela Irving
If you liked sodas when you were a kid, you might just guess the secret ingredient in Victoria Gin. While it’s only one of ten botanicals used in this gorgeous handcrafted spirit, you can taste the ‘s’ for secret if you hearken back to those heady days with frothy foam in a frosted mug. Don’t be fooled though. Victoria Gin is a sophisticated spirit, not for children or childlike palates. The wild-gathered organic botanicals and natural Island spring water imbue a complex flavour profile. Try it with just a few rocks to release the viscosity as you would a single malt and you will be transported to a lofty juniper high, pairing well with foods that feature the botanicals.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 130 days ago

by Pamela Irving
Sipping Connemara Peated Single Malt whiskey, I was transported back to one of my early dates with a handsome Scotsman on a road trip through Ireland. We climbed nine of the 12 Beinns in Connemara in a single day, and celebrated in a snug pub with live Irish music so sweet it brought a tear to his eye.
1 Comments Pamela submitted 171 days ago

by Pamela Irving
Schramm Vodka is an Olympic Showcase Spirit in BC liquor stores and was chosen by the Georgia Straight’s Jurgen Gothe as one of the best beverages of 2009, and they have only been distilling since July 2009.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 201 days ago

by Pamela Irving
In Pamela Irving’s introductory Spirit World column, she discusses global and national trends in cocktails and shares a great recipe for The Beet-Nyk infused with golden beetroot, vodka and apple liqueur.
Pumpkin purée, preserves, and sage are just a few of the ingredients that Bridget Albert, author of Market Fresh Mixology uses in winter cocktails. “Culinary trends in cocktail culture are about sustainable relationships with the land and the people who grow the fresh ingredients,” says Albert, a fourth generation mixologist who hails from a farming community near Chicago.
0 Comments Pamela submitted 229 days ago