Earlier this month a note from the late Queen Mum to her assistant asking him to “pack the gin” sold at auction for $32,000 US. Dorothy Parker’s relationship with the spirit is more associated with speakeasies and bathtub stills. Originally medicinal in origin when first created in Holland in the 17th century, by the 20th century, gin was a flavourful and unique beverage consumed by sophisticated people, the most notable of them women.

During the 30 Years War, British troops took a liking to the “Dutch courage” and brought it back to Britain with them where distillers continued to sell it for medicinal purposes, and individuals made it at home, with estimates of 1/3 of all homes at the times creating their own gin, which was said to be very bad. The spirit was popular among the poor, including children, and was the cause of rampant addictions and alcoholism. King Charles 1 passed the gin act which regulated producers, created a better quality product and used surplus corn and barley grown by English farmers.

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It took a while in coming, but you know summer has arrived when the urge to consume prettily coloured drinks in scarcely used glasses overtakes cravings for the staid go-to’s of less sunny months. But what to indulge in when the cupboard’s shelves only offer a bottle of Absolut? For inspiration, look to the Drinks Show, now its in fifth year of celebrating all things shaken and stirred, at the Exhibition Place’s Queen Elizabeth Building tonight and tomorrow. Put on by the Martini Club, Toronto’s cocktail institution, the Show is a lesson in drinking by the numbers—50 booths with 65 brands offering samples of 100 handcrafted cocktails at $2 a pop, plus $20 admission. From my experience the past two years, this results in a three-hour trip down alcohol memory lane, where the flavours and styles from my own personal drinking history mix with the next big thing, and introduce people to about 8,000 of their new best friends doing the exact same thing.

“Cocktails are all about sophistication, style, fashion and sex,” says Michelle Hunt, co-founder of the Martini Club. “On the entertainment side, cocktails step up to the plate. And it’s no longer about quantity versus quality—people really want to know what’s inside their drinks.”

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Living with a beer aficionado, I’m by no means a teetotaler, but I seldom feel compelled to drink alone. Which is why it’s freakishly odd to find myself on a Thursday afternoon with a selection of tequila samples in front of me, and no one but the dogs to share my thoughts with. How the hell did this happen?

I suspect I’m not the only person for whom the word tequila brings up bad memories; in my case a hazy night of shots followed by beer chasers at the Bovine in my wild and misspent youth, and truly the official worst hangover ever the next day. Not to mention the more coherent image of members of a rock band standing around in my kitchen, doing “body shots” off the near-naked chest of an under-aged girl who was supposed to be one of the people in charge of the music festival we were producing. Both events came with the forethought; “this is a bad, bad thing.”

But for most people, that’s what tequila means to them. For decades, there were only a couple of low-end brands of the Mexican liquor available in Canada, and outside of sweet drinks like margaritas, it was consumed with the sole purpose of getting shitfaced and/or laid.

Turns out there’s a lot more to tequila than that. Reposado Bar (134 Ossington Avenue) offers 28 different kinds of tequila, ranging from Blanco tequila which is the blue agave in its natural unaged state, to Reposado (rested) tequilas (aged from 2 months to a year in oak barrels) that end up with characteristics and flavour note often found in wine or whiskey, such as chocolate, vanilla or grass.

Continue reading Sunday Sips - Tequila, You’re Breaking My Heart »

“If you were to ask me if I’d ever had the bad luck to miss my daily cocktail, I’d have to say that I doubt it; where certain things are concerned, I plan ahead.”
- Luis Bunuel

So what the hell is grenadine anyway?

That heavy sugar syrup that sits in the bottom of a tequila sunrise, masking the taste of the tequila and orange juice, has a long and varied history. Not that it’s evident from the cheap and nasty stuff most bars stock – along with other store bought horrors such as lime bar mix and bitters. There just has to be something better. The cocktail can be more than that.

Christine Sismondo, author of Mondo Cocktail, is hoping, along with her business partner Sue Ketcheson, to change the perception of mixers and also the culture of the cocktail. The two are launching In Our Cups a consulting and concoction business that should change the way Torontonians perceive the mixed drink.

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Okay, that’s it, I’m done. I think we’ve all been more than patient with this weather thing, but really, enough is enough. I’m just not going to acknowledge it anymore. Instead, I’m just going to pretend that summer is here. I’m going to drag out the sunscreen and capri pants, and I’m going to pour myself a nice cold gin and tonic.

My choice of gin is an obscure one, with an unusual flavour profile. Made in the Scottish village of Girvan, Hendrick’s Gin is distilled in a restored 19th century still that processes the soft Scottish water and unique botanicals slowly to ensure full instillation of the flavours. Aside from the traditional juniper berries and citrus peel, the addition of both cucumber and rose petals to the distillation process creates a gin with a sweet floral undertone that blends well with a variety of fruit flavours. The dark, stout bottle alludes to an old tyme apothecary and the healing medicinals of the day.

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Brock Shepherd knows a thing or two about cocktails. The owner of the Kensington restaurant Rice Bar (and formerly of Azul, Canteena Wine Lounge, and The Chelsea Room) has done cocktail consulting, which included coming up with the drink menu at Izakaya, and won a contest in 2005 for creating the ROM’s signature cocktail-the Pink Trillium.

At Rice Bar, Shepherd puts his creativity at work with Asian-influenced concoctions like the Boozy Float (prosecco, cherry sake, liquid nitrogen frozen yogurt) and Turks and Spice (shochu martini with saffron, cardamom, and orange, served with Turkish Delight).

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A wise man once described alcohol as “the cause of, and solution to, all life’s problems”. Well, whether you’re looking to cause or solve problems for yourself, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so over the next couple of weeks, as there are a number of booze-related events coming up in the city.

Already under way is Santé: The Bloor-Yorkville Wine Festival, which encompasses a multitude of wine and food events in Yorkville and beyond. Whether you’re a serious oenophile or a complete newbie looking to learn more about vino, there’s sure to be an event or two to meet your needs between now and the closing gala on Saturday night.

Also happening on Saturday, May 12th is Spirit of Toronto, a swank whisky gala taking place at Roy Thomson Hall. The $105 advance/$135 at door ticket price may seem a little steep, but it will give you access to more than 100 single malt whiskies, bourbons and premium blends from around the world, unique food and whisky pairings, nine different masterclass tastings, and a take-home whisky tasting glass by Glencairn Crystal Studio in Scotland.

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