Nikka Pure Malt White  - 94 pointsWhenever our selection becomes substantial, we like to put on a Tasting Panel. It has been a few months since our last tasting panel and we thought for the first one back in the new yearshould be a doozy. With seven willing tasters joining Shawn in the back snug to imbibe some fine drams, the Tasting Panel is suppose to showcase blindly the flavours that people enjoy. We tried the following Nikka from the Barrel, Nikka Pure Malt White & Black, Nikka Miyagikyo 12, Taketsuru 21, Yoichi 10 & 15 along with Suntory’s Yamazaki & Hakushu. While Nikka & Suntory are both making head way into Canada, the movement is still slow even with the Nikka Taketsuru 21 winning a number of accolades in the last few years. The results were interesting and understandable.

Nikka Pure Malt White – 94 points
Nikka Taketsuru 21 – 86 points
Nikka Pure Malt Black – 85 points
Nikka Yoichi 10 year – 83 points
Yamazaki 12 year – 83 points

Of course from every tasting there is always a little controversy about the standings and this tasting was no different. The Nikka Pure Malt White is actually a vatting of Yoichi and Islay whiskey, so while it delivers in flavour and profile and rated really well some “geeks” may disagree with whether it is a true Japanese expression. Either way, all the whiskies tried were amazing and regardless of standings, they all perform against any Scotch out there.

Who is Jacob Briars?

Jacob Briars is the 42BELOW ‘Vodka Professor’ and the 7th most famous bartender in New Zealand. In the course of nearly 10 years working in bars, drinking in bars and talking in bars(mostly the latter) over 6000 bartenders have learned things they didn’t really need to know about vodka, cocktails, and how to find New Zealand on a map so that it may be avoided in future. Jacob’s cocktails have been featured in the (Motueka) Guardian, the (Levin) Chronicle and the (Bangkok) Post. One day his cocktail training led the news on Fiji’s national television, but then it is a very small country. He also spent time in Casablanca, but it was spent at a police station for bringing too much vodka into a gin joint. Jacob is famous for being a mine of (mostly) completely useless information about spirits and cocktails and other pointless trivia, and he is the only bartender who can claim to love vodka and Fernet Branca equally.

This Saturday is National Pisco Sour Day and we are celebrating it, well because we love Pisco Sours.

Nate & I are entering the Maker’s Mark CPBA Cocktail Competition next week, by tonight we will know if we are heading to Vancouver to represent Clive’s and Victoria. We thought we may as well show you what we have put together for the night and showcase them for you on Friday. Here are the recipes, come on in and try them out.

“Don’t Picon The Makers Of Homemade Cola”

2oz Makers Mark
10ml Amer Picon
10ml House Cola syrup

Build over ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a cola candied orange peel.

Old Fashioned Steam Kettle

2 oz Maker’s Mark 46

½ oz Lighthouse Belgian Black syrup

10mL Fernet Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Stir and strain with an orange twist over a Japanese ice globe.

By DEANNA LADRET - http://www.eatmagazine.ca/clives-fernet-flip-cocktail/

Now that the excitement of the holiday season is behind us, we’ve had our Big Two Days of Snow and everyone has misplaced at least one umbrella, the reality of winter in the Pacific
Northwest is really starting to set in.

Pacific Northwesters are annually forced to adapt to this environment, and will typically turn to one (or more) of the following strategies to lift our spirits:

-Plan a tropical getaway

-Buy another pair of Hunter Boots (there’s no point buying anything else)

-Go to Hot Yoga and imagine it’s Miami

-Drink

The following recipe comes from internationally acclaimed Executive Barkeep Shawn Soole of Clive’s Classic Lounge, located inside theChateau Victoria Hotel. Called the Fernet Flip, this drink will not only beat away those winter blues, it’ll boost your protein for the day too (one whole free range egg––you won’t even need breakfast).

Fernet Branca is an amaro spirit from Italy, with a distinctly bitter taste that matches the season’s mood to a tee. Combined with homemade kola syrup, a fresh-cracked egg, some ice, and a sprinkle of nutmeg, the flavours come together wonderfully in this balanced and inventive cocktail. Cheer up, things are about to get better.

Fernet Flip

2 oz Fernet Branca

2/3 oz Clive’s Kola syrup

1 whole egg

Hard shake & double strain into an ornate flip glass and garnish with powdered nutmeg.

Kola Syrup (3 different sources)

Rose’s Kola Tonic – Pepper’s Market, Cadboro Bay

Cola Syrup - Simmer a bottle of coca cola with 200grams of sugar. Reduce, cool and use.

Clive’s COLA RECIPE

4 Zest Oranges

4 Zest Limes

2 Zest Lemon

1 Teaspoon Powered Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Powered Nutmeg

4 Points Star Anise

1 Teaspoon Lavender Flowers

2 Teaspoons Powered Kola Nut

1  Teaspoon Ground Ginger

½ Vanilla Bean (seeds removed)

1 L Water

½ Teaspoon Citric Acid

Put on induction burner on MED-LO heat for 25-30 minutes. Take off heat and strain, return to same heat & add 1 KG of Turbinado Sugar. Dissolve (about 15 minutes) & bottle.

Review from View London
As you walk into the Hoxton Pony the natural inclination is to head down the stairs immediately opposite you but it’s worth taking a moment to soak up the wow factor of the upstairs space. A bar stretches across the far wall, a ripple of silver which is backed by waist to ceiling display cases housing stuffed owls and bright green leaves which lift the otherwise black, white and silver colour scheme. In the past, the wealthy used to bring back unusual birds and animals from their travels to show to those less fortunate and although it’s not intentional, it’s not hard to draw a comparison with the Hoxton Pony and the quality of cocktails it’s offering amidst a sea of bog standard bar menus that’s previously been the only thing bringing down the otherwise eclectic quality that the Hoxton scene is famed and loved for.

When you’re facing the bar, to the right there’s an open kitchen where the chefs rustle up East End grub and to the left an installation that’s part of a crushed car spray painted white hangs over the seating and mirrored wall. Downstairs, it’s dark, loud and high energy. The DJ’s tucked into the nook of space beneath the stairs, there’s seating to left and right and another long bar is perfectly placed for nipping to when you’re not tearing up the space in front of the decks.

Australia Day is upon us and we thought we would celebrate my heritage by putting together a little something. Dean McLeod from Lighthouse Brewing built us a tasty Australian style Pale Ale using Galaxy Hops that we have dubbed “Australia Galaxy Tour Pale Ale”.

Also we put together a meat pie feature with imported true blue Big Red Tomato Sauce (yes, it is different to ketchup) and you can’t forget Bundy & Coke. Come on down and get your Aussie on tonight, starts at 530pm.

Fontanafredda is located in the heart of Langhe, an area blessed for centuries with a vocation for the production of great wines, particularly rich, powerful reds. The Fontanafredda estate is located on the former hunting preserve of the first king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II and his mistress Rosa Vercellana. Their firstborn son Count Emanuele Alberto di Mirafiore and Fontanafredda, for his great passion for winemaking and agriculture matured the decision to turn the land into vineyards, thus founding the “Mirafiori Vini Italiani” in 1878.

TASTING & WINEMAKING NOTES

Ideal with rich red meats – varying according to the wine and vintage – and medium and mature cheeses. They are also perfect after-dinner wines.

Wednesday started out with our good friend and true burly Scotsman, Ross Hendry from The Glenrothes. We had industry and a general public seminars with a spectacular tasting of six whiskies from the wide selection of The Glenrothes. The Glenrothes is known for their year statement over most whiskies age statement, they say that they wait till the whisky is mature not just a certain age. In this they let us taste the Select Reserve, 1998, 1995, 1985 and two different cask numbers of the 1979. It was a tasting that would go down in history as one of the broadest and in depth tastings at Clive’s.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kMAiGcmwRo

Thursday saw the return of Jeff Meyers, the Maker’s Mark Brand Diplomat and the newly charged appointment as Small Batch Ambassador. Jeff was in town a few months ago and gave a great seminar at Veneto to the industry crew so this time we just focussed on our elite general public. Jeff walked the resident cocktail geeks through Maker’s Mark from the “whitedog” stage all the way through the Maker’s 46. After the event, Jeff hung out after and spent some time with the guests who began to partake in whatever Maker’s Mark cocktails they could get.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUcZcphXHv0

The final day of seminars was Friday with the newest brand ambassador in the Jim Beam family, Dan Volway. Dan really stepped up and got the industry tasting moving through 9, yes count them 9 scotches with about 27 industry. Four Macallans, three Highland Parks and two Famous Grouses were poured, tasted and quaffed with great enjoyment.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfC6hHfyPwI

Friday night saw the Forty Creek feature menu along with the meet and greet with John Hall in the back snug later in the evening. The Glenmorangie and Ardbeg night along with the Buffalo Trace feature nights went down for all the pre and post Whisky Fest participants and really rounded out our Whisky Week.

What’s planned for next year, you will have to see but I thank all the participants, the speakers and the sponsors for making it a fantastic week of whisky.

Belgian Black (Lighthouse) = 9/10

Most beer geeks in Victoria will be familiar with the nose; it smells like a ramped up Keepers. There is nothing wrong with this. I love Keepers stout. The air just oozes aromas of berries and roasted bitter chocolate. Each sip is just as your would expect: low carbonation, full mouthfeel, thick, chewy and warming. Heaps and heaps of flavours emerge. Some are expected; namely the bittersweet dark chocolate, coffee, berries and dark fruit. Not expected was the faint spiciness (allspice) and rum cake. The spiciness is most likely due to the Belgian Ardennes yeast strain used. The astringency from the bittersweet carried a long linger of warming alcohol and spice. Very tasty and well worth trying, maybe more than once.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance +1 Get bottle and art by Michelle Landry