12 Local Items to Stock Your Home Bar With

Everyone’s eating local these days, so why not drink local, too? Stock your supply with these delicious, mostly homegrown, bar basics.

Three Point Vodka

Eau Claire Distillery

Photography by Brent Myktyshyn

Using barley as a base adds character to this local vodka from Eau Claire Distillery. It’s sweet, smooth and buttery, and tastes great in a martini, cosmopolitan or Caesar.

113 Sunset Blvd. N.W., Turner Valley, 403-933-5404, eauclairedistillery.ca


The Volstead Project

Vine Arts Wine and Spirits

The demand for this barrel-aged manhattan, produced by Highwood Distillers for Vine Arts Wine & Spirits, is insane. Vine Arts supplies the vermouth and bitters, Highwood Distillers the rye, and the cocktail then sits in rye barrels at the distillery in High River for around five months, becoming ever more delicious.

1310 1 St. S.W., 403-290-0700, vinearts.ca


Basil & Mint

Basil Ranch

Adding fresh herbs, like those from Basil Ranch in Calgary, to your juleps, mojitos and basil smashes makes a world of difference. Find Basil Ranch products in Calgary at Cookbook Co. Cooks, Bridgeland Market, Lina’s Italian Market, The Italian Super Market and Amaranth markets.

basilranch.com


Black Cloud Bitters

Black Cloud

Calgary’s new Black Cloud creates handmade bitters perfect for cocktails or mocktails, and features flavours from charred cedar and prairie rose to lemon and orange.

blackcloudbitters.com


Vya Vermouths

Vya

For this integral Negroni and martini ingredient we look farther afield, to California, where Vya makes delicious dry and sweet vermouth.

Quadry Winery, 13181 Rd. 24, Madera, California, 1-800-733-8068, vya.com


Taboo Genuine Absinthe

Okanagan Spirits

Rinse your Sazerac glass with this formerly banned spirit from Okanagan Spirits headquartered in Vernon, B.C. It’s made from fruit alcohol and locally grown whole herbs including fennel, anise, hyssop and petite and grand wormwood, once considered a “taboo” ingredient.

5204 24 St., Vernon, 250-549-3120, okanaganspirits.com


Alberta Premium Rye Whisky

Alberta Distillers

This affordable, award-winning 100-per-cent rye whisky is produced at Alberta Distillers in Ogden from prairie grain. It stands out for its spicy flavour and ability to stand (almost) alone in spirit-forward cocktails.

beamsuntory.com/brands/alberta-premium


Porter’s Tonic

Just add soda water to this made-in-Calgary tonic syrup (it comes in three flavours: original, grapefruit and cardamom orange) to give your G&T a refreshing and delicious makeover.

porterstonic.com


Ryan’s Honey

Bartenders swear by this Water Valley honey for making honey syrup, a crucial sweetener in cocktails such as a bee’s knees or penicillin. Or pour it straight into your dawa.

ryanshoney.ca


Parlour Gin

Eau Claire Distillery

Eau Claire Distillery in Turner Valley has a winner with this London-dry-style gin made predominantly from Alberta-grown barley and infused with 15 botanicals including coriander, lavender, rosehips and saskatoon berries. Your tonic will thank you.

113 Sunset Blvd. N.W., Turner Valley, 403-933-5404, eauclairedistillery.ca


Grizzly Paw Ginger Beer

The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company

There can be no Moscow mule or dark ‘n stormy cocktails without ginger beer, and Grizzly Paw in Canmore makes one that’s wonderfully gingery, but not too spicy.

310 Old Canmore Rd., Canmore, 403-678-2487, thegrizzlypaw.com

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