Winner
Mandarino Amaro by Confluence Distilling
Made in Calgary
$45
confluencedistilling.ca
In 2017, while sipping on an amaro-based spritz in Italy, Pheelan Mah and Ross Alger chatted with the owners of an Italian distillery and learned a lot more about the bittersweet herbal liqueur (amaro translates to “bitter” in Italian), including its history and creation. Many liqueurs fall under the umbrella of amaro, including the popular Aperol.
Their experience in Italy helped solidify the direction of Confluence Distilling, which they co-founded in 2018. “It really sparked excitement around that spirit,” says Mah. “One of our biggest goals when opening up Confluence was to make a world-class, competitive amaro, but use as many local ingredients as we could and our own flavour ideas.”
A few years later, that’s exactly what came to be. “Enjoying an Aperol spritz on a sunny day is the best thing ever,” Mah adds. “We wanted to spread the love for that hot-day, cocktail-patio feeling when you don’t care about anything else going on in the world except for the drink in your hand and the company you’re with.”
The Mandarino Amaro embodies a delicate balance of tart, sweet and bitter components. While the liqueur is citrus-forward, with mandarin being the star of the show, it boasts more than 20 botanicals. You can taste notes from ingredients as diverse as rhubarb, sweet cherry, gentian root or allspice.
It took three years to perfect the bittersweet liqueur and, while it has a certain Albertan flair with its locally sourced botanicals, Mah says the end product is similar to the one she tasted in Italy. “I’m so proud of that drink. We definitely succeeded in creating something where every time I give it to someone to taste, their face lights up,” she says. “It epitomizes what we’re trying to achieve here at Confluence — enhancing people’s cocktail experience and bringing local flavours to them.”
What the judges said: “Confluence’s Amaro is a unique Made-in-Alberta product that offers an impressive palate of fresh mandarin and beautiful spice notes. It is the perfect after-dinner beverage to sip on neat, or to use in a cocktail, due to its complex aroma and well-balanced body.” Madeleine MacDonald
Alcoholic Drink Category Runners-Up
Cutie! Mixer Pack by Born Brewing Co.
Made in Calgary
$30
bornbrewing.co
Following the popularity of its best-selling product, the Hi Cutie! beer, Born Brewing doubled down on the fun and created a variety pack of fruited wheat ales inspired by its bestseller. The Cutie! Mixer Pack offers eight cans of four different ales, one of which is the beloved Hi Cutie! It also includes the Hey Cutie!, a passion fruit wheat ale; the Hello Cutie!, a bright beer with flavours of hibiscus and sweet and sticky mango; and the Bye Cutie!, a tart raspberry mint sour.
Born Brewing created the mixer pack as an ode to Alberta’s bright and sunny summers. Made with Alberta barley and grain, three of the four beers were inspired by real Albertan outdoor adventure stories and feature stunning Alberta locales on their cans.
Dreamland Malted Dreams Whisky by Strathcona Spirits Distillery
Made in Edmonton
$79
strathconaspirits.ca
Inside Edmonton’s very first distillery, bespoke whisky is being handmade, hand bottled and hand labelled, showcasing Alberta’s excellent grains and water and the impressive spirits that can come from them. Dreamland Malted Dreams Whisky is crafted for a whisky fan’s palate. Aged for three years in virgin white oak, this whisky is then transferred to a rare 80-year-old French Armagnac cask for an additional year. This last crucial step rounds out the whisky’s unique flavour profile, derived through a multi-step, labour-intensive process.
Dry Craft Cider by Uncommon Cider Co.
Made in Calgary
$22
uncommoncider.com
Uncommon Cider’s flagship beverage, the Dry Craft Cider, is widely loved for good reason — it delivers a balanced palate of floral and fresh orchard aromas. The clear golden cider features a strong finish of fresh-picked apple and white grape acidity, proving that not all great things have to be sweet.
While the apples used for the cider are from Alberta and B.C., the inspiration for the crisp beverage comes from modern cider flavours that founder Brodie Thomas enjoyed while living in the UK. The cider is matured and then masterfully blended to attain the ideal balance. As Alberta’s first urban cidery, Uncommon Cider has a lot of passion and a love for cider, and it can seen through this refreshingly crisp and dry beverage.
