9 Cocktails to Try at the Tribute to Craft Spirits Festival

The legacy gin from Penticton’s Old Order Distilling Co.‘s legacy gin is the star of this cocktail. Made according to the style of a Dutch genever (a proto-gin spirit whose naming rights are restricted by region à la Champagne), the legacy gin is made with malted barley and B.C.-grown fruit. It is mixed with Patròn café tequila and a ginger puree for a complex flavour profile spanning familiar notes of coffee, citrus and botanicals.

Banff’s own Park Distillery glacier rye is combined with Luxardo maraschino and ginger liqueurs, lemon and orange juices and simple syrup then garnished with candied ginger. The beverage plays bursts of sweet and tart against the unaged, clear-coloured rye to a clean but flirty effect.

Calgary’s Burwood Distillery gin is a versatile but still keenly artisan spirit with pinches of Szechuan pepper and grains of paradise giving the juniper a layered heft. Its rich character pairs beautifully with a simple blend of cranberry simple syrup, lime juice, fresh cranberries, tonic and thyme. The combination is somewhere between Christmas party punch and an afternoon on a summer patio.

Central City Brewers & Distillers‘ award-winning Queensborough gin is made in a London dry style — think less wood nymph and a little more James Bond. It is complemented by the simplicity of Lillet blanc, sugar syrup and basil while contrasted with a kaleidoscope of flavour courtesy of blue curacao and yuzu juice. Its gorgeously clouded neon colour makes it almost too pretty to drink. Almost.

Canmore’s Wild Life Distillery has created a vodka that manages to be sweet and smooth while still packing a wallop. Fittingly, it’s been given the dessert treatment with lemoncino (a.k.a. limoncello) liqueur, lemon juice, aquafaba (a vegan-friendly replacement for egg whites), agave and coconut cream. Enjoy some of the establishment’s vegetarian fare before imbibing to make this a guilt-free treat.

Pay tribute to one of Banff’s most historical figures with this twist on a classic.

There must be something in the water in Kimberly. Its Bohemian Spirits‘ forester single malt oak-aged gin is an experimental re-imagining of a classic that only gets more interesting when served hot and paired with apple juice, honey syrup and Scotch-based Drambuie. This is the evolved, adult-friendly upgrade from hot apple cider you’ve been waiting for.

Eau Claire Distillery‘s Prickly Pear Vodka is the star of this refreshing creation that is reminiscent of a mojito crossed with a Pimm’s cup. Paired with simple syrup, lime juice, mint and cucumber, this cool breeze of a beverage will have you forgetting all about sub-zero temperatures. We recommend it after a dip in the neighbouring Banff Upper Hot Springs.

Sheringham Distillery‘s aqvavit is a tribute to a Nordic spirit dating back to the 15th century with a modern, Vancouver Island twist. Its caraway, dill, anise and citrus notes are entwined with a mix of earthy, herbal accompaniment from celery cordial, absinthe and a garnish of celery salt and fennel. It’s then leavened by lemon juice, cucumber essence and egg white. A lemon and thyme tincture equalizes the poles of this cocktail’s complex profile.