With National Cocktail Day approaching on March 24, Fairmont properties across Canada are pleased to share some of their top recipes for readers to mix at home or order on their next visit.
As the first official day of spring right is around the corner, all of these cocktails incorporate florals or botanicals, ranging from fresh and delicate twists on classic favourites to iconic signatures like the Fairmont Royal York Library Bar’s Birdbath Martini.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Flaming Rosemary Gimlet, from ARC Bar at Fairmont Waterfront
This classic gimlet is made with burnt rosemary hand-picked from the hotel’s rooftop garden and mixed with signature Wayward gin, micro-distilled from honey.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Wayward (or Tanqueray) gin
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
Spritz of green chartreuse
Garnish: curled rosemary sprig
Instructions: In a tempered pint mixing glass, add gin, lime juice and syrup. Fill with ice, shake vigorously and set aside. Next, curl the rosemary sprig into the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass, spritz with green chartreuse, and ignite with a lighter to toast the herbs. Let sizzle for a few seconds. Then, strain the cocktail over the flaming rosemary and add fresh ice to fill.
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Hibiscus Hound, from Jetside Lounge at Fairmont Vancouver Airport
A refreshing, floral reboot on the classic Greyhound cocktail that is guaranteed to put a spring in your step. This cocktail features Hibiscus Vodka from Arbutus Distillery, which is brewed, fermented and distilled on Vancouver Island from British Columbia-grown wheat and steeped with hibiscus flowers that impart tart, citrus notes and a brilliant ruby color.
Ingredients:
1.0 oz Arbutus Distillery Hibiscus Vodka
0.5 oz Cointreau
2 oz grapefruit Juice
Garnish: edible flower
Instructions: Combine vodka, Cointreau, grapefruit juice and ice into a shaker and shake well. Strain contents into a coupe glass and garnish with an edible flower.
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Lavender Corpse Reviver from Notch8 Restaurant & Bar at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
This cocktail is an update to the 1930’s classic re-invented by Harry Craddock at the Savoy Hotel in London. The addition of lavender enhances the natural botanicals in the gin, resulting in a mix that’s both delicate and still true to its name.
Ingredients:
1 oz Empress 1908 Gin
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Lavender water mist
Garnish: maraschino cherry
Instructions: In a shaker, measure in spirits and juice. Fill with ice, cap, and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and spray once with lavender mist, then garnish with a cherry in the bottom of the glass.
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Q1908, from Q Bar at Fairmont Empress
A favourite at Q Bar, this smooth, balanced and beautiful cocktail was created in collaboration with Victoria Distillers to celebrate the centennial of the Fairmont Empress in 2008. The royal purple spirit uses botanicals like rose, grapefruit peel, ginger and cinnamon, as well as the hotel’s signature Empress blended black tea that has been offered to guests for decades. Garnish with a butterfly pea flower for the perfect final touch.
Ingredients:
2 oz 1908 Gin
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
0.75 oz egg white
Garnish: butterfly pea flower
Instructions: Add ingredients into cocktail shaker and dry shake. Add ice and re shake. Double strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with two butterfly pea blossom flowers.
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ALBERTA
Love Note, from Emerald Lounge at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Inspired by the hotel’s sustainability practices, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge made a syrup out of overripe peaches, dried rosemary, and cinnamon. With opulent oak, toffee, and peachy notes, and a fragrant rosemary sprig garnish, this authentic cocktail is delightfully balanced.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Suntory Toki
1.5 oz peach cinnamon syrup
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz cranberry juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: rosemary sprig
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a pint glass. Fill with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Use a torch to smoke the rosemary sprig for garnish.
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Glorious Fairview, from Fairview Bar & Restaurant at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
An exquisite concoction for any occasion, this cocktail features a clear and unique combination of botanicals like Alberta Juniper, Labrador Tea, Orris Root and fresh citrus peels found in the Chateau’s own Fairview Gin, which pair with a rosemary-infused dry vermouth and an elevated champagne topping.
Ingredients:
1.oz Fairview Gin
0.25 oz lemon juice
0.25 oz rosemary vermouth
0.25 oz simple syrup
Dash salt
Champagne to top
Lemon zest
Instructions: Add the Fairview Gin lemon juice, rosemary vermouth, simple syrup & dash of salt to a Boston shaker and shake vigorously over ice. Double strain and pour into a coupe glass and garnish with lemon zest.
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Wildfire, from The Confederation Lounge at Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
This cocktail is inspired by the very sight, smell and nature of Alberta’s outdoors. The pine needle tea brings a distinctive, astringent taste, which compliments the umami flavours of the porcini mushrooms and blackberry coulis. Forest aromas are created tableside for a truly mesmerizing cocktail experience.
Ingredients:
1 oz Hennessy VS
0.5 oz Hendricks Gin
1 oz oxidized port
1 oz blackberry & mushroom coulis
2 oz pine needle tea
Garnish: edible flower
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake with ice. Serve in a Collins glass, which is placed in a wooden bowl surrounded with pine leaves and cones. Carefully add a few nuggets of dry ice in the base. Pour in the bowl some warm forest aromas (lapsang tea, alderwood smoked salt, and pine oil) to activate the dry ice tableside. Garnish with market-available edible flower.
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ONTARIO & QUEBEC
The signature cocktail experience of Toronto’s famous Library Bar, the Birdbath Martini features exclusively crafted QUILL Vodka and Gin and boasts a high 50% ABV with a blend of local grape and rye distillates. In addition to classic botanicals, QUILL Gin features red peppercorn, anise seed, grapefruit peel, and lemongrass.
Ingredients:
2.5 oz QUILL Vodka or Gin
0.5 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
2 dashes house orange bitters
Fleur du Sel
Instructions: Combine ingredients in a bespoke mixing glass and stir with cracked ice, then pour tableside into a frozen coupe with a lemon coin. In a separate dish, showcase accoutrements of house-pickled red pearl onion, vermouth brined olives, and Castelvetrano olives.
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Twist Eastside, from Nacarat at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth
This fresh and delicate drink is a twist on the classic Eastside cocktail, created by Nacarat mixologist Nabil Ben El Khattab.
Ingredients:
0.75oz Hendrick’s Gin
1 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz egg white
0.5 oz simple syrup
2 drops of orange blossom
Sliced cucumber
Mint leaves
Garsnish: Tagete flowers
Instructions: Using a pestle, gently crush the pieces of cucumber and mint in the lower part of the shaker. Add ingredients and ice, close and shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds. Pour the cocktail into a coupette-style glass and garnish with Tagete flowers.
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White Cosmo, from Le Sam Bistro at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
This delicate, subtle, floral and fresh take on the classic Cosmopolitan cocktail knows how to delight all palates from the first sip.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Bistro Vodka
1 oz fresh lime juice
0.75 oz white cranberry juice
0.75 oz elderflower syrup
Garnish: orchid flower
Instructions: Fill a coupette with ice and cold water to cool the glass. Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously for 5-8 seconds. Strain twice and garnish with an orchid flower.
Media release and images provided by Kelvin McDermott, Chimera Collection. Q1908 photo credit: Leila Kwok
