deVine Thoughts

Author: Ed Fong

deVine Wines is pleased to host a cocktail competition with Edmonton’s finest barkeeps on Monday, April 1.

The event begins at 7:00 PM, and guests will be able to see 12 professional bartenders create their interpretation of a Classic Dry Martini. The rules of the competition appear at the end of this blog.

During the event, guests will be able to taste Strathcona Spirits Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, Vodka and a bottled cocktail made from one of these fine ingredients. Guests will also sample La Quintinye Extra Dry White Vermouth, the only permissible vermouth the barkeeps can use to make their creations.

Cost to attend is a whopping $5! Guests can cheer on their favorite barkeep and enjoy a 10% discount on ALL spirits, cocktail ingredients (vermouths, amaros, bitters, syrups & tonics) and barware. deVine wants to inspire and help you create your own cocktails at home!

Confirmed participants include:

Chuck Elves – Woodwork
Elyse Colville – Linnea
Shaun Hicks – Wilfred’s
Joshua (Happy) Byrne – Ampersand 27
Jordan Watson – Cartago
Barnabas Siwila – Revel
Corbin Frederick Brocks – Wilfred’s
Alex Pocock – Wishbone
Calvin Neufeld – Chartier
Delain Nordlund – Grindstone Theatre / Revel
Devin McCawley – The Marc

Only 70 tickets are available for this special, stand up event.

Click this link to book your spot now for this exciting event.

“Strathcona Distillery creates multi-award winning spirits from local ingredients in a tiny old punk venue just off Whyte Avenue.”

This event is co-sponsored by local distiller Strathcona Spirits and importer Manuel Barreira of Global Wine Merchants. Manuel imports a unique selection of some of the finest cocktail ingredients into Alberta and is the owner of Ulysses Speakeasy & Bar in Lisboa, Portugal.

Special thanks to Joe Gurba of Strathcona Distillery for his inspiration and help in organizing this event!

Rules of the Competition

Hello, Barkeep! To achieve greatness you will be required to stir or (gasp!) shake up one dry martini with a glancing one-ingredient personal tip of your hat. There are six rules for what’s in the glass:

1. The Barkeep must use one or both of Strathcona Spirits’ Badland Seaberry Gin or Single Grain Vodka.*
2. The Barkeep must use La Quintinye Extra Dry Vermouth.*
3. The Barkeep can’t cut the recipe with any other dry vermouth, vodka, or gin besides the above.
4. The Barkeep must add one nuancing ingredient that will in­flect the drink without straying far from the traditional definition of a dry martini.***
5. The final drink must remain dry in essence, i.e. no more than a barspoon of any ingredient containing sugar, and no more than a half ounce of any non-sweet ingredient.
6. The Barkeep must bring their nuancing ingredient with them to the contest (enough for 2 cocktails).**

Lemons and olives will be provided for use at your own discretion. Proportions and methods are fully within the Barkeep’s discretion.

*No infusions of the spirits or vermouth.
**You may bring your own glassware. We will have simple coupes.
***Strange or familiar libations, tinctures, shrubs, ferments, brines, bitters, house speci‑c, or homemade ingredients are all welcome! So long as said ingredients do not contain tobacco or any type of drug or psychotropic ingredient or narcotic or medicinal ingredient that may cause any harmful side effects to our judges. The judges have no specifiedallergies.

• You will make two cocktails, one for the judges and one for yourself.
• There is no time limitation for making your two drinks and no points awarded for performance. • Your dry martini riff will be judged out of 100 points:

COCKTAIL NAME – 5 POINTS ORIGINALITY – 10 POINTS VISUAL APPEAL – 5 POINTS AROMA – 10 POINTS TASTE, MOUTHFEEL, FINISH – 70 POINTS

THE PRIZE: A bottle of Strathcona Spirits Gin or Vodka (your choice!), a bottle of La Quintinye Extra Dry Vermouth, a lemon, and a jar of olives!

Pictured above (left to right) :

La Quintinye Vermouth Royal Extra Dry (France) – 375mL $27.99