Mixologists from Fairmont Hotels in the Pacific Northwest have created summer sippers to beat the heat with easy do-at-home recipes. Here, Grant Sceney, head bartender at Fairmont Pacific Rim and recent recipient of the Diageo 2014 World Class Canada Bartender of the Year, honors his homeland with a Randy Little Kiwi. Makes one serving.
Randy Little Kiwi
½ kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 piece of cucumber, peeled and diced
2 oz gin (London Dry)
½ oz elderflower cordial
½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Club Soda
Muddle the kiwi fruit and cucumber in a tulip-style glass. Add gin, elderflower cordial and lime juice. Add crushed ice, top with club soda and stir. Garnish with slice of kiwi and cucumber.
Oh Bee-Hive
With the weather calling for beaches and bathing suits, The Fairmont Waterfront recommends the Basil and Honey Collins. At just 180 calories, this skinny sip puts a twist on tradition and uses fresh basil leaves for flavour without the calories. The hotel makes honey syrup using their organic rooftop honey by boiling equal parts of honey and water, and letting it cool.
Basil and Honey Collins
1½ oz Plymouth Gin
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz soda
¾ oz Rooftop Honey Syrup
Combine ingredients, shake over ice and strain. Serve in a highball glass and garnish with a lemon wedge and large basil leaf.
Jet Off
What could be more apropos coming from a hotel lounge than a drink called Between The Sheets? From the Jetside Bar at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport:
Between The Sheets
¾ ounce white rum
¾ ounce brandy
¾ ounce cointreau
½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
Combine ingredients, shake over ice, strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Not Your Usual Tea
Don't let the old fashioned moniker fool you, this is not your grandma's cuppa! The Fairmont Empress Veranda Iced Tea is a refreshing cocktail that goes from day to night.
Veranda Iced Tea
1 oz Fairmont Berry Berry Tea infused vodka
¼ oz gin
¼ oz white rum
¼ oz tequila
¼ oz contreau
¾ lemon
¾ simple syrup
Combine ingredients, shake over ice and strain over ice into a cocktail glass.
