MxMo XXX:Local Flavor

This month’s Mixology Monday, themed Local Flavor, is hosted by Kevin over at Save the Drinkers (I didn’t know that I needed saving). The idea is that we use ingredients that represent the city that we come from, or that we use an older recipe from our respective city and attempt to revive it.

I’m a Canadian, in every sense of the word, as I’ve spent time in most of our major cities, from coast to coast. So, in that vein, I’m going to start by renaming this month’s MxMo XXX: Local Flavor to MxMo:XXX Local Flavour, in order to get into true Canadian form. Now that my “u” is properly placed and I’ve warmed up my fingers on the keyboard (aboot, oot, toque, cheque, poutine, eh? to zed, Kokanee) let’s get down to the fun stuff: drinking.

Since I was born in Montreal, Quebec, I’ve decided to start off with two cocktails from La Belle Province:

Martin Casa

2 oz Jamaica rum
½ oz Apricot Brandy
½ oz Cointreau
juice ½ lime
stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
circa 1945, Café Martin, Montreal

A variation of the Leap Frog, this libation is made even better with the addition of a dash of bitters. Ensure that you are using a quality apricot brandy as well, as a cheap version just doesn’t do this creation justice.

Habitant

3 parts rye
1 part lemon juice
1 part maple syrup
dash bitters
shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
circa 1945, Larry Denis, Seigniory Club, Quebec

What’s a Canadian cocktail if maple syrup isn’t involved? The Habitant is a simple Whiskey Sour with maple syrup in place of the simple: often heaven can be found in the simpler things in life.

On to the West (or Left) coast we find that the white spirits are preferred, and in the case of these two recipes: gin. As Vancouver was the last Canadian city that I lived in, and also the place that I’d consider home, the next two cocktails hail from this beautiful cosmopolitan host of the 2010 Olympics.

Hotel Georgia

2 parts gin
1 part orgeat
½ part lemon juice
10 drops orange blossom water
1 egg white
shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
circa 1945, Hotel Georgia, Vancouver

The Hotel Georgia, currently under a massive renovation, first opened in 1927. The recipe supplied here is an odd one, but I find that if you dramatically reduce the orgeat you’ll find yourself with an elegant summer sipper.

Vancouver

1 ½ gin
¾ oz sweet vermouth
¼ oz Benedictine
2 dashes orange bitters
stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
origin unknown, source: Stan Jones Complete Bar Guide, 1977

The Vancouver cocktail is right up my alley: a twist on the Martinez with Benedictine instead of maraschino. If you prefer a drier cocktail, by all means pump up the gin to a full two ounces.

There you have it another MxMo under our belt and four cocktails to choose from. If you live in the States as you imbibe one of these Canadian creations be sure to keep this tidbit of trivia in mind as you patrol the southern border: the US is Canada’s Mexico, complete with stronger currency! Discuss….

Santé!

Vancouver Cocktail

Picture by:
Jamie Boudreau
Cocktail Whisperer

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~ by Jamie Boudreau on August 10, 2008.