Cocktail of the Week

Happy Mother’s Day! This special, unofficial holiday, has been celebrated for thousands of years. In fact, Mother’s Day has been celebrated since the days of the Greek Empire. Mother’s Day, as we know it today, is a North American tradition that started in 1908, when Anna Jarvis of West Virginia, created a memorial for her mother in her spring garden. It was until the 1920’s that celebrating Mother’s Day became more of a commercialized day, which we know today. Mother’s Day is also celebrated around the world, typically anywhere from February through November.

In Canada, Mother’s Day is typically celebrated by giving small gifts to mothers, grandmothers, or other important females, followed by brunch. In Quebec, it’s common to give roses. In honour to our friends in Quebec, this year’s Mother’s Day cocktail of the week is The Rose, to celebrate the traditions our fellow French Canadians! This cocktail is mad with Okanagan Spirits raspberry liqueur, which is made in Vernon, B.C., where my mom lives! Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

Bonne fête des mamans!

• 2 oz Vermouth
• 1 oz Kirsch
• 1 Tsp Okanagan Spirits Raspberry Liqueur

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake for 20 seconds, until the shaker begins to frost. Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

On any given Sunday in cities all over, Sunday Brunch has become a tradition for many. It’s the time when friends get together to catch up on the weeks events, talk about the upcoming week, who’s dating who, and find out about the latest gossip. Of course, it wouldn’t be Sunday brunch without a few cocktails! Give this one a try… it’ll surprise you.

• 2 oz. HPNOTIQ
• 1 oz. Limoncello
• 1 oz. Champagne

Rim a champagne flute with sugar. Pour in chilled hpnotiq, lemoncello and champagne. Add in a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

In the 1880’s, Colonel Joe Rickey was a Democratic lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who spent many hours at Shoomaker’s bar, entertaining politicians over cocktails. Joe’s drink of choice was a simple mix of fresh squeezed lime juice, bourbon whiskey, and soda. A decade later, the highball would become a worldwide hit when it was mixed with other base spirits, predominantly gin, and being renamed The Gin Rickey.

In recent years classic cocktails have made a huge comeback and the Gin Rickey has become a favourite once again. The simple cocktail is easy to make and perfect for warm spring and summer weather. It’s also a perfect beverage to serve at cocktail and garden parties. It’s important to use a premium gin and fresh lime juice.

• 2 oz Gin
• Fresh Squeezed Lime
• Club Soda

Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Pour in gin. Squeeze in fresh lime juice. Top with club soda. Give a quick and gentle stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.

In honour of Vancouver’s largest plant sale on Sunday, April 28, it seems fitting to celebrate with a botanical-inspired cocktail. After all, you’ll probably need a drink after attending the VanDusen Botanical Garden’s annual plant sale. From 10am – 4pm there will be over 40,000 plants for sale starting at $2 each, and will attract over 10,000 people! It’s truly green-thumb madness! It’s free to attend, so why not go and check it out.

Back to the Cocktail of the Week feature… In the 18^th century, Sir Hans Sloane was a leading botanist and plant collectors in London. The professor introduced England to drinking chocolate and made significant contributions to the founding of the British Museum. On top of all these achievements, he was enjoyed a good drink. Sloane Square Bar in London English, has honoured the influential nobleman by creating a tasty cocktail, and respecting his love of nature. The Sir Hans Sloane Botanist is a refreshing cocktail perfect for enjoying on a spring day.

• ¾” Slice of English Cucumber
• 6 Fresh Mint Leaves
• 2 oz Gin
• ½ oz Apple Juice
• ½ oz Elderflower Cordial

Dice cucumber, then muddle in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Fill the cocktail shaker half full of ice. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until mixed. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

While you could get together with a group of friends for an afternoon tea party, it would probably be more fun to skip the tea part and jump right into a few of these cocktails instead. Simple and quick to make, the Citrus Cream Soda Martini makes a big impression, especially at birthday parties!

• 2 parts Whipped Vodka
• 1 part lemon-lime soda
• Splash orange juice

Fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Pour in  all ingredients. Shake hard for 20 seconds, until the shaker begins to frost. Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with coloured sugar candy.

Absinthe, also known as The Green Fairy, is made from botanicals, including the distinctive green anise, sweet fennel, and the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium. Traditionally Absinthe is green in colour from the anise, but it’s not unusual to come across colourless varieties of the spirit, depending on the producer.

“My favourite new cocktail is made with champagne and absinthe,” says gay porn star, Dominic Pacificio.

“[Absinthe] is now legal in the United States,” Dominic explained. The United States, along with many parts of Europe banned the spirit, making it illegal to produce or distribute. By the 1990’s, the high alcohol by volume (ABV), spirit, started to see a return to the market as laws were updated and bans were lifted. Today, over 200 brands product Absinthe around the world.

Death in the Afternoon (also known as Hemingway Champagne), has become one of Dominic’s favourite new cocktails.

“It’s a great new beverage to experience,” Dominic said. “It’s not just about the alcohol; it’s about the effervescence. It’s about the kind of hypnosis it puts you under, if you will. It’s definitely an exotic drink and it’s an acquired taste, and it’s really good.”

Whethre you’re relaxing by the pool in the afternoon, or hanging out with friends at brunch, this cocktail makes a great alternative to the traditional mimosa.

“It’s a really cool drink to have on it’s own, or after dinner,” Dominic added.

• 1 oz Absinthe
• Champagne

Place a sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute, and add a few dashes of bitters. Add absinthe and then top with a quality ice-chilled champagne.

Happy Easter! For years, Cadbury Cream Eggs have been delighting kids and adults alike and have become a delicious Easter tradition. The gooey, cream centre filling is irresistible. If you thought that the original cream eggs were good, wait until you try these fantastic cocktails, honouring these fun Easter edibles.

• 1.5 oz Marshmallow Vodka 
• 1 oz Creme de Cacao
• 2 oz Whipped Cream
• Caramel

Pour vodka, creme de cacao and whipped cream into a martini shaker half full of ice. Shake hard for 20 seconds. Pour into a chilled martini glass rimmed with cocoa powder, and caramel in the bottom. Garnish with a carefully cut-in-half Cadbury cream egg, perched on a skewer.

Alternative: replace whipped cream with chocolate milk for extra chocolately indulgence.

Hurray! Spring is finally here. That means it’s time to hang up the winter jackets and say hello to polo’s, tank tops, flip-flops, and sunscreen. Ok, that only words depending on where you live. See, if you live in places like Vancouver, you’ll want to keep your rain gear out until at least the end of June. In Edmonton, you’ll be wearing your parkas until end of May. Anywhere in California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and places of the like – enjoy your friggin sunshine and send some warm, dry weather up to Canada. Thanks.

Anyway, if you want to get a taste of the summer months to come, give this awesome cocktail a try. It’s pretty simple to make and it tastes just like a tangerine creamsicle. Please remember, whenever making cocktails, always use fresh ingredients whenever possible. Using fresh squeezed juice makes all the difference in the world.

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Apricot Brandy
• 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 oz Fresh Tangerine Juice

Fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Pour in all ingredients. Shake hard for 20 seconds – until the shaker begins to frost. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Add a small splash of club soda.

Arhhhg maties! Soon we’ll be back on the high-seas, searching for buried treasure on the sandy beaches, filled with palm trees, a tropical breeze, and azure blue water washing up along the shore. Until that happens, let’s sit back and have a few Pink Pirates and share a few tall-tales from our recent adventures.

• 1 oz White Rum
• 1 oz Amaretto
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 oz Pineapple Juice
• Splash of Grenadine

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Pour each ingredient in once at a time, carefully pouring in the grenadine so it sinks to the bottom. Give a quick stir.

Okanagan Spirits is the Okanagan’s largest micro-distillery. Located in Vernon, British Columbia, Okanagan Spirits produced premium spirits made from local ingredients, producing small batches of hand-crafted liquors.

While they produce a variety of products from gin, vodka, and schnapps, one of their top-selling items is Taboo Absinthe. The brew master uses traditional old-world recipes. It’s fantastic on it’s own, with a light mix of purified water, or mixed into a cocktail. Taboo is available in select liquor stores in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

• 1 oz Blue Curacao
• 1 oz Peach Schnapps
• 1 oz Vodka
• ½ oz Okanagan Spirits Taboo Absinthe
• ½ oz Lemonade
• ½ oz Orange Juice

Fill a martini shaker half full of ice. Pour in all ingredients. Shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a chilled martini shaker.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you. Many celebrations will be taking placing including parades, festivals, and Irish-themed parties. The more common drinks for the occasion are scotch, Irish whisky, and green-coloured beer. How about mixing things up? Literally. The St. Patrick’s Day martini combines the natural aromas of gin with the crispness of mint, and the calming notes from the bitters. It’s quick and easy to make. Remember, gin is delicate, so you’ll want to stir, not shake. Enjoy!

• 2 oz Gin
• 0.5 oz Green Crème de Menthe
• 2 dashes Bitters

Fill a martini shaker half full of ice. Pour in gin, crème de menthe, and bitters. Stir. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Imagine yourself getting on a plane, flying first class to Hawaii, sipping on a cocktail. That cocktail would be The Flirtini. What a great way to start a vacation, right?

• 1 1/2 oz Orange Vodka
• 1 oz Pineapple Juice
• Splash of Champagne

Fill a martini shaker half full of ice. Pour in vodka and pineapple juice. Shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a chilled, sugar-rimmed martini glass. Add a splash of champagne.

The best part about spring being just around the corner are all the warm, sunny, clear blue sky days ahead. Spring is a great time to get outside and enjoy fresh air. Hiking, biking, rollerblading, jogging, or a walk through the park – no matter what activity you get up to, have fun! Afterwards, come home and make yourself a Blue Sky Martini, put your feet up, and relax.

• 2 oz Vodka 
• 1 oz Blue Curaçao
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Fill a martini shaker half full of ice. Pour in vodka, blue curaçao, and simple syrup. Shake well for 20 seconds. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange round and a maraschino cherry.

Over the span of 150 years, six generations of the Mirassou family have been passionately growing, harvesting, and blending grapes on the family estate in Southern California.  The Mirassou’s are the oldest family of wine makers in the United States and they still continue to experiment and lead the way in crafting award-winning wines.

David Mirassou is now the spokesperson for Mirassou wines, and is very involved in the wineries day-to-day activities.  He’s can also frequently be found touring the country, educating people on California wine traditions and sharing the premium wines from his family estate.

Today’s wine enthusiasts are looking for wines that are food-friendly, vibrant in flavour, and offer exceptional value. Wines should be enjoyed with friends, food, and fun!

The Mirassou wines carefully balance intense fruit flavours with wonderful aromas. Even now, their wines honour the traditions of the family heritage, passed down from generation to generation, and evolve to encompass the richness wine-lovers enjoy today.

Contest

Enter now for a chance to win a bottle of Mirassou Pinot Grigio and a bottle of Mirassou Pino Noir. To enter, tweet:

I love #wine, and I want to #win two bottles of #Mirassou from @br_webb! http://ow.ly/iud3g #WinMirassou RT to enter.

Once you have tweeted this contest you can receive up to four additional chances to win by doing the following:

1. Follow @br_webb on Twitter and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you are a new follower for an additional entry.
2. Leave a comment on this blog post describing your favourite food and wine pairing.
3. Share this blog post on Facebook and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you have shared on Facebook for an additional entry.
4. Subscribe to myWebbSite.ca and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you have subscribed for an additional entry.

Contest closes at 5:00pm PST, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. One random drawn winner will be announced on this blog post on or before Monday, March 18, 2013. Must be 19 years or older and a resident of Canada to enter. Read the complete contest rules.

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This contest is now closed.

Congratulations Nilos, you are the lucky winner of two fantastic bottles of Mirassou wines! 

Thank you to everyone who entered by sharing on Facebook, twitter, and subscribing to myWebbSite.ca. Please keep watching for more contests coming soon.

Indulge your senses with this luscious lemon drop martini! A simple lemonade cocktail for a scorching hot day, or a random Friday night hanging out with friends.

• 2 oz Vodka
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1 sugar cube
• 1 twist of lemon peel
• 6 ice cubes

Into a cocktail shaker, pour the Vodka and lemon juice. Add ice. Shake well. Strain and pour into a martini glass. Drop the sugar cube into the martini. Finish by arranging the twist of lemon peel on the edge of the martini glass.

In less than a year, Canadians have shown a renewed interest in Canadian whisky. It’s pretty easy to see why – there have been great strides by the distilleries to produce premium whisky products at prices consumers can afford. One of the latest to hit store shelves is Alberta Premium Dark Horse.

It’s time to forget about the days of your grandparents rye-whiskies that burned and left a bitter after-taste. The new Dark Horse is refined with flavours of vanilla, smoke, sweet oak and savoury dried fruit including plum and dried currant.

Dark Horse is made in Canada, for Canada, and with 100% Canadian prairie rye grain. It is blended at a 45% strength in small batches after aging in handpicked, heavily charred white oak barrels. The rich, almost burgundy colour shimmers through the classic burboun style bottle.

“Alberta Premium Dark Horse is one of the richest tasting Canadian whiskies with some of the highest barrel ageing extractives available on shelf,” says Dan Tullio, Canadian Whisky Master Ambassador, Beam Canada Inc. “Tasting Dark Horse, you experience a horseshoe-shaped pattern on the tongue with tanginess and spice on the sides and sweetness on the tip, with a deliciously smooth, long finish.

Alberta Premium Dark Horse 750ml bottles is a new permanent listing on whisky shelves across Canada: Alberta ($28.99)British Columbia ($28.99), Manitoba ($29.99), Nova Scotia ($29.99), New Brunswick ($29.99), Ontario ($29.95), and Saskatchewan ($31.95).

The Horse Whisperer:

• 1 oz Alberta Premium Dark Horse
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 2 oz ginger ale

Measure ingredients into a small rocks glass with a whisky stone. Garnish with a fresh orange slice.

Contest

Enter now for a chance to win a deluxe Alberta Premium Dark Horse gift package. This special package includes a 750ml bottle of Alberta Premium Dark Horse Canadian whisky, two rock glasses, whisky stones, and a set of coasters. To enter, tweet:

I hope I win the Alberta Premium Dark Horse whisky by @BeamGlobal from @br_webb! #WinDarkHorse http://ow.ly/iboSM RT to enter.

Once you have tweeted this contest you can receive up to four additional chances to win by doing the following:

1. Follow @br_webb on Twitter and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you are a new follower for an additional entry.
2. Leave a comment on this blog post if you have, or have not, driven across the beautiful Canadian rolling prairies.
3. Share this blog post on Facebook and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you have shared on Facebook for an additional entry.
4. Subscribe to myWebbSite.ca and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you have subscribed for an additional entry.

Contest closes at 5:00pm PST, Thursday, March 7, 2013. One random drawn winner will be announced on this blog post on or before Sunday, March 10, 2013. Must be 19 years or older and a resident of Canada to enter. Read the complete contest rules.

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This contest is now closed.

Congratulations Nicole B, you are the lucky winner of a Alberta Premium Dark Horse gift basket, including a bottle of Alberta Premium Dark Horse whisky, glasses, coasters and whisky rocks! 

Thank you to everyone who entered by sharing on Facebook, twitter, and subscribing to myWebbSite.ca. Please keep watching for more contests coming soon.

LGBT advocate and Canadian blogger, Brian Webb, wears a pink shirt in support of Pink Shirt day 2013

On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, people across the world are encouraged to wear something pink to symbolize that society does not tolerate bullying.

Pink Shirt Day started after two Nova Scotia high school students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, got involved following a bullying event at school. The victim was a grade 9 student who wore a pink shirt on the first day of school. Throughout the day he was tormented, harassed and had homosexual slurs shouted at him throughout the day.

David and Travis decided to make a stand against. That evening they went to work asking everyone they knew in the school to wear a pink shirt the following day. They also purchased 50 pink tank tops. The following morning as students arrived at the school, David and Travis handed out the tank tops to all the boys thanked everyone for wearing their pink shirts to show support against bullying.

Bullying is an aggressive behavior that involved unwanted or negative actions. Bullying often involves a pattern of behavior, repeated over a period of time, in the forms of open attacks, physical assaults, verbal or written threats, and teasing.

The Facts:

• Every 7 minutes, someone is bullied on a playground in Canada
• 50% of students in Canada have reported being bullied
• 45% of students do not feel safe when they go to school
• 35% of employees have experienced bullying in their workplace

Pink Shirt Cocktail

Celebrate Pink Shirt Day with a non-alcoholic Pink Shirt Cocktail

It’s better to be friends instead of enemies. This weeks Cocktail of the Week is a special edition – a virgin cocktail for both kids and adults to enjoy! Mix up a batch of these and invite your friends, neighbours, and maybe even someone who might just need someone to talk to for a tasty treat.

• 2 oz Raspberry Juice
• 1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• 1 oz 100% Cranberry Juice

Fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Pour in juice. Shake until the shaker has begun to frost. Pour into a chilled martini glass rimmed with pink or red sugar crystals.

For an adult version, add 2 oz of vodka and replace raspberry juice with strawberry liqueur.

Canadian Club whisky and soda is a classic Canadian cocktail, going back before the Prohibition era in the United States.

Having been around for over 150 years, the Canadian distillery and whisky maker, Canadian Club, has played an important part in North American history. Not only has whisky been a staple in liquor cabinets for generations and been the basis of many classic cocktails, but Canadian Club is said to have a dark history during the American prohibition era.

Through the roaring 20’s and into the depression, the United States government believed a more orderly society with less crime could be achieved through the ban of making, transporting, and sale of liquor. Lasting from 1920 right through 1933, the Prohibition era was not popular with most Americans, especially amongst law-abiding citizens who considered the law unfair.

While some people ventured down the path of fashioning homemade stills, often with poor results. At the time of the American prohibition, liquor making and sales was completely legal. In the beginning, adventure-seekers near the Canada-US boarder began a profitable business bootlegging.

It wasn’t long until the mafia got involved. Located just across the boarder from Detroit was the Canadian Club distillery, which quickly became a favourite supplier of Chicago’s most notorious ganger’s, Al Capone.

An estimated 20,000 cases of Canadian Club Whisky were smuggled into the United Sates every month throughout the Prohibition ear. A $7 case of whisky easily translated into 10 times the price once sold on the black market.

When the Prohibition era came to an end in 1933, the liquor industry in the United States returned. In Canada, Canadian Club continued to produce top quality whisky. Now in business for over 150 years, Canadian Club has become on of Canada’s flagship brands, recognized and respected around the world.

Take a step back in time to the Prohibition era with a Real McCoy, a simple cocktail that adds a punch of fizz without covering up the flavour of the whisky.

• 1.5 oz Canadian Club 12 Year Old Whisky
• 2 oz Club Soda

Fill an Old Fashioned glass with fresh, clean ice. Pour in whisky and top with club soda. Stir. Garnish with maraschino cherries.

Contest

Enter for a chance to win a Canadian Club whisky prize package from mywebbsite.ca

Enter for a chance to win a deluxe Canadian Club gift basket. Prize package includes a 1.14L bottle of Canadian Club Small Batch Classic Aged 12 Years whisky, rock glasses, whisky stones, cocktail shaker, and whisky cocktail recipe cards. To enter, tweet:

I want to win a fabulous @CC_whisky prize package from @br_webb. http://ow.ly/hWsc2 #WinCanadianClub RT to enter.

Once you have tweeted this contest you can receive additional chances to win, by doing the following:

1. Subscribe to myWebbSite.ca and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you have subscribed for an additional entry.
2. Follow @br_webb on Twitter and leave an additional comment on this blog post confirming you are a new follower for an additional entry.
3. Leave a comment on this blog post describing your most memorable whisky experience.

Contest closes at 5:00pm PST, Wednesday, February 27, 2013. One random drawn winner will be announced on this blog post on or before Thursday, February 28, 2013. Must be 19 years or older and a resident of Canada to enter. Please read the complete contest rules.

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This contest is now closed.

Congratulations Arjun Rudra, you are the lucky winner of the Canadian Club whisky prize package.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Please keep watching for more contests coming soon.

From movie stars to rock stars, for decades, all the big names find their way to Hollywood. A district within the City of Los Angeles, Hollywood has been home to major television and recording studios. Thousands of people flock to the area to see the famous sights including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Capitol Record Building, the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Paramount Pictures, the Roosevelt Hotel, and the ever popular Universal Studios.

On Friday, February 24, 2013, the 85^th Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Perhaps this classic southern cocktail will be served to the many stars who will be walking across the red carpet that night.

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• Splash of fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz Triple sec
• 1 oz Pineapple juice
• 1 oz Grapefruit Juice

Pour all ingredients into a martini shaker half filled with ice. Shake for 20 seconds, until the shaker begins to frost. Pour into a chilled martini glass.

Throughout the year kids are constantly fundraising for one thing or another; whether it be for a hockey tournament, a field trip for school, or for the local kids club for arts-and-crafts. The best of the fundraising treats are chocolate covered almonds. If you don’t have a box of them kicking around in the cupboard, this cocktail should get you through until the next time the neighbourhood kids come knocking on the door.

• 2 oz Whipped vodka
• 0.5 oz Amaretto
• 0.5 oz Crème de Cacao
• 1 Cream

Pour all four ingredients into a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake for about 20 seconds, until the shaker begins to frost. Pour into a chilled martini glass that has been rimmed with coloured sprinkles.