You don’t need to go to a fancy cocktail bar to get away from a traditional Vodka Soda or Rum and Coke. Break away from the usual and use ingredients at home that will give cocktails that extra zing.
Bitters
Bitters are to a bartender as salt is to a chef. They enhance flavors that otherwise may stay hidden. Bitters are a heavily infused spirit. They can be saturated with almost any flavor like licorice, coffee, or citrus. The flavours are very bold and need to be used in small doses, typically drops at a time. The bitters used in the West Winds helps enhance the lime juice and balance the ginger notes.
Fresh Produce
Go to the Banff and Canmore markets for fresh produce and try adding different juices and peels to your cocktails. In the West Winds, we use ginger. The flavorful bite that ginger has goes great with most spirits. Cut a piece for a garnish or muddle some in the bottom of your glass. Another plentiful vegetable in the Bow Valley is rhubarb. Grab some from your front yard and create a simple syrup by cooking it down while adding sugar and water. Use this simple syrup as a delicious sweetener in a summer martini and to add a stunning hue.
West Winds Cocktail
This cocktail gives you refreshment and bite. The kick comes from the fresh ginger and Peychaud’s bitters.
2 oz Vodka
1 oz Lime juice
3/4 cup Ginger Beer (We like Grizzly Paw)
1 slice Ginger
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
Garnish Lime slice
Muddle the ginger at the bottom of the glass and add vodka and lime juice. Fill the glass with ice and top off with Ginger Beer and bitters.
Let the creativity flow while inventing your Summer 2017 Cocktail!
