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Packin’ My Bags

The Booze Rookie has moved! You can now find me over here.

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Powered by Cincopa Podcast Hosting for Business solution.Industry Night #1A night on the town with Sam DobieMy exceedingly tall guinea pig, Mr. Sam Dobieflash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2138orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 8:50:00 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1Our first stop was to see Nigel at Food & Liquor for his perfectly balanced daiquiri.flash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2138orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 12:53:51 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1New to Miss Thing's, Mr. Guava Guava. Sam was intriuged by the inclusion of guava jam. And yes, it's spoken exactly as Shaggy would.flash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2138orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 1:41:00 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1I went with the very pretty Nui Nalu.flash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2137orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 1:42:07 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1The infamous Voodoo Bowl at Shameful Tiki. Complete with fire and sound effects.flash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2138orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 3:28:28 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1We ended the night with pool and pizza at Amico's.flash 16cameramake FUJIFILMheight 2138orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CS2 originaldate 6/10/2016 7:54:39 AMwidth 2138cameramodel X-E1

For the first in what I hope to make a monthly series (tentatively titled Industry Night), I asked "Tall Fella at The Gaslight", Sam Dobie to take me to three of his favourite bars in the city to sample his favourite drinks at each. He's been in the industry in one way or another since he was 14, so knows his way around this town's bar scene.

First up was a visit to Food & Liquor for Nigel French's perfect daiquiris. The difference with these is the use of Havana Club dark rum and Cointreau, giving the classic a balanced, honeyed sweetness. What Sam likes about the bar, besides its proximity to home, is its unpretentious comfort. And the daiquiris. He joked that we would have a daiquiri at every bar.

A quick stroll through Parkdale found us at Miss Thing's, where Aaron Male was presiding behind the wood. The thing that draws Sam here is "shooting the shit with some of the best bartenders in the city". Since the cocktail menu, overseen by Robin Wynne, is ever evolving, we both went with new items. Sam had the Mr. Guava Guava, featuring The Bruichladdich whisky, guava jam, pandas syrup and lime. Smoky, sweet and refreshing. My choice was the Nui Nalu (which translates to "big wave"), made with Mount Gay Eclipse Silver rum, kalani coconut liqueur, blue curaçao and coconut water. Not just a pretty drink, but that coconut water means it's good for you!

Our third stop was for more Polynesian themed goodness just up the road at Shameful Tiki. Overseen by co-owner/bar manager (and future Industry Night feature), the delightful Alana Nogueda, Shameful is Sam's on-the-record favourite bar in the city. With well-priced, boozy drinks served by informed and friendly staff, the bar provides the escapist entertainment Sam loves. And it doesn't get much more entertaining than the presentation on The Voodoo Bowl. When you order this mezcal and rum concoction, a booming voice announces its arrival over the sound system, dry ice smoke swirls through the room and a flaming porcelain cauldron of booze is presented with straws for sharing. As boozy as it is, the VB goes down easy.

After all that fun and libations, and despite both of us suffering summer colds, neither of us wanted the night to end, so we met up with fellow Gaslighter, James Astley, at Amico's Pizza. Open until 4 am, the Parkdale staple has been open since 1978 and is a favourite of hospitality industry folks for post-shift eats and drinks. Owner Frank, gregarious and friendly, may also be a reason the place is loved. It was a hell of a way to end the night...

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To deal with the shock and sadness of the world losing one of its greatest creative minds, I’m drinking. I whipped this up on the fly in honour of His Purple Highness, Prince Rogers Nelson , so it’s more of a template than a proper recipe. Play around.

  The Purple One

2 oz gin

1/2 oz Aperol or Campari

3/4 oz Black Currant or Blueberry shrub (I used the black currant from Mixers and Elixirs)

Shake ingredients together with ice. Pour into chilled cocktail glass. Top with a splash of club soda. You can garnish with a raspberry.

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It's Friday night and me and my Morses are YouTubing old school hip hop videos. I whipped up this light and breezy cocktail with 1 oz Mixers & Elixirs quince shrub and 1.5 oz Gooderham & Worts 4 grain whiskey topped off with Fever Tree tonic. It puts me in mind of summer with a balance of citrus and honey. Since it's all Canadian products, I think I'll call it Native Tongue.

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Sneak peek at one of two cocktails I’ll be serving up on February 1. It’s called The Cobo and it’s bittersweet and strong with a little kick.

Oh yeah! I’m  guest bartending at Rush Lane. If you’re in Toronto, come on out and try my Trinidad inspired libations. Recipes to come.

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A handy little guide if you want to start a home bar but feel overwhelmed by the choices and prices.

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Pre-ordered!

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I tried the Diamante last week. It’s fantastic. So smooth I was shocked that I finished it so quickly! Best part is, it’s available at the LCBO.

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Spending time with family, particularly my dad and my ultra-gregarious-though-he-would-deny-it uncle, always brings back things of home. Home for me is the island of Trinidad and apparently you can now purchase sorrel Carib Shandy there. Uncle Mikes introduced me to this homemade version.

You can either purchase a sorrel concentrate or make it from the dried sorrel leaves. Either can be found at any store carrying Caribbean ingredients. I should tell you that sorrel means something different in the Caribbean than it does in Europe and North America. What I mean by sorrel is the pod of the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) plant, aka jamaica to mis vatos.

Then just pour an ounce of the concentrate over ice and top it with a bottle of a light beer. A tropical climate beer will work best, like a Carib, Red Stripe, Tiger, San Miguel, Tecate... But you could also go with a wheat beer. As long as it’s light, light, light in flavour.

I’ve already let my uncle know he’s given me a new addiction.

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What better way to choose summer and celebrate getting off work a bit early on a sunny Friday than oysters and a cocktail?

The cocktail is The Astronomer at The Geraldine. (Half price oysters from 5-6 daily, btw) It's a sweet and refreshing mix of Tanqueray Rangpur gin, cilantro, pink peppercorn, watermelon, star anise, lemon and Fever Tree soda. TGIF!

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We're halfway through Negroni Week 2015 and I'm only just having one now.

My friend Kate introduced me to the joys of a Campari & Soda many years ago and since then the Negroni has become one of my favourite cocktails. A simple mix of 3 ingredients, the bittersweet taste isn't for everyone, but I'm mad for it.

The week isn't just about imbibing. Proceeds from the sale of each Negroni goes to charity, so get out there and order one. Or more...

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Hello summer. I’m gonna be drinking a lot of these while you’re around. I was introduced to The Southside at a Tanqueray event led by Brand Ambassador Rachel Ford of Ford Mixology Lab. Check out my interview with Rachel over on Swallow.

But back to The Southside. As with so many classic cocktails, its origins are murky and uncertain. Did it spring from gangland Chicago or the Long Island country club set at the Southside Sportsman’s Club? There is much debate.

What’s indubitable is that it’s a simple cocktail packs a lot of refreshment into just a few ingredients. Pictured is the long version, topped with club soda. Here’s the short version, testing Rachel’s 2-1-1 rule.

2 oz gin

3/4 oz lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

1 sprig of mint

In a shaker, combine all ingredients with a few ice cubes. Shake, then strain into a martini glass or coupe. (For the long version, pour into a highball or Collins glass and top with club soda.) Garnish with a mint sprig.

Tanqueray No. 10 would work well here, what with its whole citrus fruit thing going on, but I bet it would also be dynamite with their lime forward Rangpur gin. I’ll also be trying out The Southside’s cousin, The Eastside!

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Meet Rose. Wild Rose. She's a dangerously easy drink made with Wild Turkey, cardamom (my favourite spice), saffron rose water, egg whites, Lem Marrakech, orange juice, lemon juice and garnished with a fresh rose petal. Not dried flowers for this beauty. You can find her fragrant self being served up by a charming Irishman at Kohl, the newly opened upstairs bar at Smoque 'n' Bones.

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While at a tourism event for Nova Scotia, put on by Taste of Nova Scotia, I learned a few things. First, Nova Scotia makes wine, including quite a tasty sparkling. They also have a distillery doing vodka, brandy, liqueurs and rum.

Ironworks Bluenose black rum is the base of this little number called the Dark & Bitter. I had to try it, being both a huge fan of a Dark & Stormy and described as dark and bitter at various stages of my life. In this version, instead of ginger beer, the barkeep uses a ginger shrub and Propeller Brewery’s IPA (that’s the Bitter).

I generally shun IPA’s because hops bitterness literally sticks in my craw, but this was an interesting use of that flavour profile. Definitely a good pairing with crab legs dipped in butter, as it helps cut through the richness.

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Cinco de mayo saw me sampling 4 different tequila cocktails at The Drake. Clockwise from top right are:

Classic lime margarita (using Sauza silver and gold tequilas)

Mango margarita (Sauza Hornitas Reposado + Bols Mango)

Pineapple margarita  (Sauza Hornitas Reposado + Bols Pineapple Chipotle) 

and my favourite, the Paloma, made with Sauza Hornitas Black Barrel and grapefruit soda.

Also my favourite, was local mariachi band, Viva Mexico. Here’s a little taste of their awesomeness.

For a more traditional Paloma recipe, here’s one from the LCBO “Rethink Tequila” campaign.

1/4 fresh lime

kosher or sea salt (to rim)

1 1/2 oz tequila

1 oz simple syrup

4 oz grapefruit juice

soda water

Grapefruit segment to garnish

Rub lime quarter around the rim of a Collins glass. Salt rim. Add ice, tequila and simple syrup. Sqeeze lime quarter into the glass and drop it in. Fill glass with grapefruit juice and top with soda water. Garnish with a grapefruit skewer.

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If you’re looking for a way to unleash your inner Mexican, the LCBO is throwing a Cinco de Mayo party at The Drake Hotel. Price of admission includes 4 cocktail samples and 4 food samples. See you there, vatos!

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THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, YOU GUYS! Last night, my darling pal Connie and I availed ourselves of the hospitality at new bar, Civil Liberties. The young Brit behind the bar (Jamie? Jessie? I may have gotten a bit tipsy Casey) let us in on this mind-blowing tip: Add a splash of Campari to any beer to make it eminently more drinkable! 

We tried it out with Beau’s Lug Tread, which, while very popular, isn’t my speed. I really don’t enjoy the flavour of hops, so most beers aren’t my speed, no matter how high the quality. But this? This is everything. Summer 2015 just got upped.

Has anyone ever heard of this practice? Is there a name for it?