Three Grog Night, or, Nicely Toasted

 Cocktail Correspondent: Weldon Gardner Hunter

Last February, my friend Michael & I tried to get seats at End Dive (1802 Government Street, Victoria). We were turned away - it was the busy Family Day Weekend here in beautiful British Columbia and the place was rammed. One year later, I got lucky going solo. This time the place, like my metaphorical glass, was half-filled.

I started off with a Don't Tell Me I'm Wrong:

Dry Vermouth, Amaro Nonino, Citrus Sherbet, Cara Cara, Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Sea Buckthorn garnish

Smooth and kind of creamy, it's the first drink I've had with sherbet. It's citrusy & pleasantly reminiscent of a mimosa. The orange flavour profile is really up front with the Nonino and Cara Cara added. The vermouth and pale ale anchor it and add floral notes. It got tartier as I sipped. Like the best companions.

Ok, it's vacation - let's have another:

Purgatory: Don Papa 7 year rum, Diplomatica Reserva, Dillon's Single Grain Rye, Cynar, East India Solera Sherry, Cacao & Coffee Bean Bitters

Velvety with a peppery kick. This is spirit forward, the rums and the rye are pretty burly. The Cynar and sherry combine to give the drink some dried fruit and cola suggestions, which pair well with the rums. In the meantime, the bitters are just a shade over subtle and add richness.

By now, I was figuring out what my next move should be. Go to another bar? Call it a night? The bartender appeared and I found myself uttering "Someone Get the Grill Out of the Rain":

I could tell this one would be complex before it was placed in front of me. And it was going to have a similar flavour profile to the last drink. Fruit forward: pineapple and melon lead. Tetsukabuto is, apparently, known as the Japanese pumpkin, it has a sweet & nutty taste. There's suggestions of vanilla, and peppery, bittersweet notes emerge once more, this time from the Capo. A proper concoction, and the big ticket item on the cocktail menu. I should have asked about the name - anyone else reminded of "Macarthur Park"?

End Dive is a lively room, with a friendly atmosphere and staff. The bar and kitchen are right next to each other & a nice toasty smell emanated from the dishes being prepared. Afrobeat on the playlist. Worth a visit, and worth the wait.

Surrealist Cocktail #7: La Pomme de la Normandie

 

Rita Kernn-Larsen, La Pomme de la Normandie, 1933, Oil on Canvas

Calvados (torso)

Giffard Violette Liqueur (hand and foot)

Campari (tongue)

Garnish with Water Pennywort and sprig of Holly with berry (eyes)

Corner!

 Cocktail Correspondent: Weldon Gardner Hunter

Super Bowl Sunday and I'm downtown. I decide to head into the Homer Street Café, on the corner of Smithe (898 Homer Street, Vancouver) because it's Happy Hour. I haven't been to the place since it got a fancy makeover. It used to be a reliable greasy spoon called The Homer, which I frequented in the mid-2000s. The ghost of All Day Breakfast lingers ...

Immediately, my eye is drawn to the Spaghetti Western-themed cocktail sheet

and I ordered a High Plains Drifter

Gran Centenario Plata, Vecchio Amaro, Ancho Reyes, Ardbeg 'Wee Beastie', Chocolate Bitters, Fire Water (bitters)

Very smoky and astringent. Leathery, like a worn-in saddle. Caused my eyes to squint, as if I was on the sunny, windy, cold plains on my trusty horse. A nice burn after each surly sip. A slow trot, no need to rush through the territory. As I sip through and the ice melts, the Vecchio rounds it out a little with some bittersweet notes that cut through the overall smokiness, like a cowboy remembering his lost love, a pretty schoolteacher back in his hometown, name of Meg. Maybe one day he'll get back to her.

One charming thing about sitting around the bar of The Homer, is hearing the busy bees who work there shout "Corner!" as they approach the blind corner between the bar & the kitchen. Have a swig every time you hear it.

The next drink, a proper Happy Hour 2$ off, is an Old Bird. Didn’t take a pic because my crappy Android phone keeps automatically using flash in low-light situations, and the restaurant had dimmed the lights and brought out the candles. 

The Old Bird is Reifel Rye, China-China, Vanilla Syrup, Angostura & Peychaud’s Bitters. This isn’t on the Spaghetti Western menu – this one is kind of a desserty take on an Old-Fashioned, but richer, with a slight chocolate finish. With the orange notes of the China-China & the vanilla, it’s pretty easy on the tastebuds, but not sweet.

As I sipped the Old Bird, the Superb Owl Half Time Show started. No volume, so I wonder what Samuel L. Jackson was saying when he appeared, dressed as Uncle Sam.

Probably, "corner!" We all have to watch out these days.

Surrealist Cocktail #6: Apsley Cherry-Garrard

 

0.75 oz. Pimm's No. 1 Cup

0.75 oz. Calvados

0.5 oz Stambecco

Cacao King Cube

Garnish with Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic Pearlwort)

Served in a Emperor Penguin egg shell in a tent in Ross Island, Antarctica