Way Station

 Cocktail Correspondent: Weldon Gardner Hunter

Revisiting June 19, when I wrote about The Madras Diaries and the charms of Cedar Cottage: before I travelled up the hill, I stopped off at Fiorino's to quaff a couple of the new summer debutantes on the menu. Accidentally, as it turns out.

Wednesday is normally a day off for me, but I had covered a couple of classes at the college for a beloved colleague. She had prepared the class lessons for me and they were so well designed that I will probably use her material again (with her blessing). Cherish your consummate coworkers. Those who point the way.

I actually wanted to have a Mirto Daiquiri, but, as I found out, June 19 was the day of the menu changeover. So, I ordered a Tutti Frutti.

Rum, Woods Arancello, Peach Puree, Aperol Float

Peach and blood orange (that's the Arancello) lead the charge. It's slushy. The Aperol literally floats at the top – it’s a “straw work” cocktail. Sometimes, being a cocktail aficianado also means being an angler. Drink your heart out, Isaak Walton. 

An umbrella, or should I say, a Parasol - it was a sunny day. Possibility of brain freeze from drinking too fast. Nostalgia. I remembered that an avant-garde friend in my hometown of Red Deer, Alberta dubbed the phenomenon "Icepick Manhead," which works well, but didn't women drink Slurpees and Frosters back in the 80s? I'm not sure if I ever actually saw that happen. 

I was about to be slightly critical of the name, but Tutti Frutti in Italian means "all fruits." And also, I like Little Richard, so why gripe? The name is befitting.

I knew I was going to write about a nonalcoholic beverage at The Madras Diaries later, and since the premiere of the new cocktail menu was obviously a major event, I decided to try another drink. This one was the Lavanda e Vaniglia.

Lavender Vodka, St Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Galliano Vanilla, Earl Grey Tea, Lemon Juice, Vegan miracle foamer

Complex. The lavender and elderflower are upfront, so it’s herbal. The tea chases. The vanilla smooths it out, with that lemon to give it a slightly tart finish. It all blends really well.

A hot day, so the air conditioning and the slushiness of the first drink was a balm. Busy in the restaurant, patio even busier. Fiorino's is located in Vancouver's Chinatown, so it has historic ambience, and it's close to my work. This is the kind of life I could only have dreamed of as a 14 year old Albertan attending Expo 86. 

Lots of late daylight coming in – the patio was sundrenched, but I'm a bar guy. I need to trade quips and ingratiate myself with a bartender, it often results in a free digestivo. A small child who occasionally pierced the air with joyful squeals was in attendance. A general background hubbub. A bar in Italy would be similarly lively. 

I would love to have stayed, but I made my way up on the 19 to the Madra Diaries, and the rest is history...