Odd Spirits: Chicha

November 19, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Ever had a beverage brewed using human spit? If you’ve been to Peru, then chances are you’ve run across Chicha in your travels. Chicha has vast cultural significance in the country, and yes it is truly made with human saliva. Let’s back up and talk about the history of chicha. Chicha doesn’t necessarily refer to […]

Odd Spirits: Pálinka

October 1, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

If you know what Pálinka is, chances are you’re probably Hungarian. Pálinka in it’s most general terms is a type of fruit brandy, distilled from a variety of fruits grown mainly on the Great Hungarian Plains. It’s not for the faint of heart, as it has often been described as Hungarian moonshine thanks to it […]

Sipping Spotlight: Seattle’s Bathtub Gin & Co.

September 19, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

I’m a sucker for a good prohibition style bar, and Bathtub Gin & Co in Seattle fits that bill perfectly. Nestled in the basement of an old brick hotel, a small cocktail bar was formed in 2009. Bathtub Gin & Co is in a former boiler room in the back of the building between First […]

Sipping Spotlight: Montreal’s Cold Room

August 6, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Every so often there comes along a bar that makes you feel special to have even found the place, Cold Room is the epitome of that experience. Cold Room is one of those bars that survives purely through rumor, the mysterious bar that lays hidden in plain sight. Nestled in the exceptionally high trafficked area […]

Odd Spirits: Pulque

July 30, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The ancient ancestor of mezcal and tequila, pulque works in mysterious ways and is starting to regain some of its popularity. Pulque is a milky, slightly foamy and somewhat viscous beverage made by fermenting (not distilling) the fresh sap of certain types of agave, and pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish by something like 1,500 […]

Odd Spirits: Arkhi

June 25, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

It’s not every day you run across a traditional alcohol made out of fermented milk. But that’s exactly what the industrious Mongolian people have been doing for years. Arkhi is typically found in rural areas of Mongolia and is distilled on domestic stoves from fermented mare’s milk, known as kumis. It’s a bit of a […]

Sipping Spotlight: Calgary’s Proof

June 11, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Proof is a testament to how much Calgary has grown up; gone are the days of bad beer and blaring country music (well not entirely gone), and the new nightlife contains a more bespoke approach and some damn fine craft cocktails. The calibre of Proof is evident the minute you walk in the doors. The […]