Vancouver Official Cocktail Finalists Announced

Posted on January 11, 2011
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Winner to be Announced on Thursday, January 13 in Vancouver

Tales of the Cocktail® has been challenging mixologists throughout the world to create the flavor of each year’s festivities with the official cocktail. Now as Tales of the Cocktail® makes its way to Vancouver, the world’s premier cocktail festival asked Canadian mixologists to share their original cocktail recipes for a chance to be named the Official Cocktail of Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver.

Bartenders throughout Canada were encouraged to submit recipes that they felt captured the taste and culture of Canada. All recipes were required to use a choice of aged 10 years + age stated Canadian whisky and participants were encouraged to use ingredients that are indigenous to the provinces of Canada. All entries were submitted online and were judged by a panel of three judges blind with bartender name and establishment hidden from view.

“It is exciting to consider cocktails featuring the unique qualities of both Canadian whisky’s as well as regional ingredients from the provinces of Canada,” said Allen Katz, cocktail competition judge. “I am really looking forward to Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver.”

The three finalists in no particular order are:

Danielle Tatarin
The Keefer Bar / Designer Cocktail Company

Smokey Lake Old Fashioned
This drink is inspired by Alberta where spruce trees commonly grow. Tatarin’s family has a farm near Smokey Lake, Alberta where she came up with the recipe. Although derived during Christmas, the recipe can be easily recreated throughout the year and across Canada and United States where spruce trees grow.

Jay Jones
MARKET by Jean-Georges/Barjonesing

Pacific Ginger Fizz
The Pacific Ginger Fizz pays direct homage to the New Orleans roots of Tales of the Cocktail by embracing design influence and inspiration form the iconic Ramos Gin Fizz. Chinese ingredients and character have directly influenced BC cuisinethis personality and style is represented in the Pacific Ginger Fizz by a combination of ingredients: orange blossom, plum and ginger.

Jonathan Smolensky
Brix Restaurant and George Ultra Lounge

Dalhousie Cocktail
Taking its name from a culturally iconic train station in Quebec, which the first Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train departed from. This cocktail is a celebration of the cooperation that all the immigrant groups required to build one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver. It seamlessly takes what was an indigenous Chinese spirit (Domaine de Canton) and a mainstay Eastern European spirit (Zwack Unicum) with a Canada plum infused rendering of Canada’s most well known spirit, Canadian Whisky (Gibson’s 18 year old), to bind together flavors that create an original representation of our region’s history.

In addition to having their cocktail featured at Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver, the winning mixologist will also receive travel, accommodations and event passes to Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Vancouver.

The winner will be announced on Thursday, January 13th, 2011 at Boneta Restaruant located at 1 West Cordova Street in Vancouver.